As our federal pollies reconvene in Canberra today to continue the debate over visas issued to Palestinians fleeing the war, the Government could be facing questions over a looming hole in the Budget. And in NSW, the drama over the Liberal Party’s failure to nominate around 140 of its candidates for local government elections isn’t over. The party is getting ready for a legal case claiming the state’s Electoral Commission didn’t play by the rules when it didn’t provide the required 7-day notice before the close of nominations. A request for an extension after things went pear-shaped last week was knocked back, and the party’s director Richard Shields has been sacked with whispers of more to come… The disaster has raised questions about the NSW Liberals’ ability to govern, with reports today saying the federal branch of the Libs could take control of the state division (paywall) – and Premier Chris Minns (note: a Labor leader…) saying if they can’t get their paperwork in time, “they can’t govern New South Wales.”