Not for the first time, the NSW Liberals’ dirty laundry has been aired in open court.

The Supreme Court injunction that has scuttled today’s scheduled annual meeting of the party’s state council ensured the internal business so strictly guarded by the party would be very much on public display.

In the past, seats in the Hills district, north west of Sydney, have been the flashpoint for legal action, thanks to the battle for local supremacy between the state upper house MP David Clarke and his supporters and the federal MP for Mitchell, Alex Hawke.

This time it’s the central coast. But there is an important difference that elevates the significance of this factional stoush.

It has brought the cabinet minister who controls the Liberal branches in the area, Chris Hartcher, into direct conflict with the Premier, Barry O’Farrell.

The court action, which was taken against each member of the state executive, including O’Farrell, was backed by Hartcher.

It was all about trying to force a vote to change the way preselections are conducted within the NSW Liberals for state and federal seats.

The hard right faction, of which Hartcher is a senior member, argues a move to direct election of candidates by branch members would democratise the party by removing the influence of the ruling body, the state executive, over preselections.

But the left and centre right factions, which control the state executive, fear the change will lead to an outbreak of branch stacking in seats held by vulnerable MPs.

As the Herald reported this week, Hartcher confronted O’Farrell over the court case during Tuesday’s party room meeting. Reportedly with much finger-pointing in front of the room full of Liberal MPs, he told O’Farrell, who had called publicly to defer consideration of the issue until next year, that even if the case failed ”this won’t be the end of the matter”.

It’s no secret that Hartcher and O’Farrell do not like each other. But this episode will have heightened the tensions between them. There is talk about whether Hartcher has pushed O’Farrell far enough to have him reconsider his position in the ministry.

It’s not just the court case, which has emerged from a motion moved by Hartcher at the Roberston federal electorate conference in May. Earlier this year, Hartcher was accused of – but denied – being the source of a cabinet leak that embarrassed the government over its ethanol policy. And two of his staff are embroiled in an investigation by the Electoral Funding Authority into alleged irregularities on the central coast.

Hartcher’s electorate officer, Ray Carter, and policy adviser Tim Koelma were suspended on full pay in late March after the party referred alleged breaches of political donations laws to the authority. Koelma has since resigned to take up another job. The investigation has been referred to another authority, but the Electoral Funding Authority is tight-lipped about which one.

There is plenty of talk that the outcome has the potential to embarrass Hartcher. (In a bizarre link between the donations scandal and the court case, it has emerged that Denis Pogson, the central coast branch member who brought the case, rents a room in Carter’s Wyong home).

While many believe O’Farrell should sack Hartcher in light of his role in the court case, they say he won’t because it would spark a factional war within the party if he dumps one of the hard right’s most senior MPs.

In question time on Wednesday and Thursday, O’Farrell was asked by Labor if he retained confidence in Hartcher. He responded both times with a curt ”yes”. But his patience must be being sorely tested.