Federal Member for Hume Alby Schultz says the decision to dump Kerry Chikarovski as state Liberal leader was "mindless" short-term thinking.

Mr Schultz, speaking yesterday on ABC Radio's The World Today, warned new leader John Brogden that the party's election chances would be by personal "social ideological views".

However, the former state Liberal parliamentarian said party members must now unite behind Mr Brogden "regardless of what they think of him".

The conservative Mr Schultz cautioned the moderate Mr Brogden to not confuse the party's political stance on issues like drug reform and homosexual male age of consent with personal views.

"...It's up to all of the senior people in the party and in the political wing of the party to make sure that those sorts of personal views are kept at arm's length from party views," he told reporter Mark Willesee.

"And the other thing that I would caution them on is to make sure that those people who think they know best and may be advising Mr Brogden and who are not in the politics of today, remain where they are and the party keeps an eye on that particular process which may create a negative for Mr Brogden in his early days."

Mr Schultz told the ABC that Mr Brogden, 33, would have been the ideal man to lead the party at the 2007 election.

"I believe that that's short-term mindless thinking on their behalf because if the idea is to roll Chikarovski, which has been done at this time and that Mr Brogden and the supporters have a long-term plan, I can't understand why they couldn't have left it until the next election," he said.

Mr Schultz also revealed that he had a conversation with Mr Brogden several years ago telling him he had the goods to be premier.

"I said to John Brogden face to face when I was a member in the New South Wales Parliament 'if you play your cards right and you offer some credibility at some stage or another, you'll be leader of the party and the premier'.

"I still stand by that."