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The WA Liberals moderate faction, aligned with deputy federal leader Julie Bishop, is pushing for changes in the state partys preselection process. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

The West Australian Liberal party is facing a potentially bruising fight over its preselection process, with members trying to replicate the voting reforms championed by Tony Abbott in New South Wales.

A special meeting of the partys state executive was held in Perth on Wednesday evening to discuss the reform proposals but the fiery meeting ended in disagreement.

As a consequence, the partys state conference on 2 September will now be asked to consider whether more rank-and-file Liberal party members ought to be allowed to vote in preselection contests, without first having agreed on the proposed model.

It is unclear whether the members pushing for reform will have the numbers at the state conference. They will need 75% of votes to be successful.

The reform push is coming from WA moderates aligned with the deputy federal Liberal leader, Julie Bishop, and Senator Linda Reynolds. If they are successful, it will dilute the power of the dominant WA conservative faction led by the finance minister, Mathias Cormann, and Liberal state MPs Nick Goiran and Peter Collier.

The moderates reform push has gained considerable traction since last month, when the Liberal partys NSW convention passed a motion championed by Abbott to grant members the right to vote in preselection contests.

Interestingly, the push for change in NSW came from Abbott-led conservatives, not moderates, because Abbott has long been trying to dilute the influence of party moderates in the preselection process in the state.

Candidates in WA are currently chosen by a committee of delegates appointed by branches but the state conference next month will be asked to vote on a proposal to change the preselection process.

One motion will propose amending the partys constitution to give all members (of at least 18 months standing) the right to vote in a plebiscite for candidates and senior office bearers.

The plebiscite motion is being heavily pushed by the moderates. It was written by Andrew Reynolds, the brother of Senator Reynolds.

A second, alternative, motion will propose retaining the existing preselection arrangements but also allowing a greater number of branch-appointed delegates to vote.

Liberal party members have told Guardian Australia it will be difficult but not impossible for the plebiscite proposal to get 75% of the votes at the state conference.

The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is scheduled to attend the conference on 2 September, as is Abbott.

At the NSW Liberal party convention last month, Turnbull spoke in favour of plebiscites as a way of giving more power to members and building the partys membership base. He described plebiscites as a fundamental element of party democracy.

Abbott, who has been criticising the direction of the federal government under Turnbull, said afterwards: Now we can go forward as one united party.

Abbott also told reporters that those who opposed his one member, one vote motions were advocating fake democracy.

A key proponent of the NSW reforms, the Warringah electoral conference president and powerbroker, Walter Villatora, said last month the NSW party membership had clearly spoken and the reforms would make NSW the most democratic division in Australia.

Abbott is in WA this week and will be speaking at the Samuel Griffiths Society conference in Perth on Saturday.

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WA Liberals braced for bruising contest over preselection process - The Guardian