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Liberals set to dump elders over 'assertive women' remarks
Max Maddison and Paul Sakkal
The federal Liberal Party is preparing to dump the two octogenarian Victorians appointed to oversee the troubled NSW division, a fortnight after ex-Victorian treasurer Alan Stockdale questioned whether the prevalence of assertive women required protecting men.
Under a draft plan conveyed by four senior Liberal sources, who all spoke on the condition of anonymity citing party rules barring speaking with the media, the administrative committee's term would expire on June 30. It would probably be replaced by a seven-person committee chaired by a Liberal luminary.
The tenure of Stockdale and former Victorian senator Richard Alston, unpopular among a large section of NSW Liberals, appeared terminal after the former raised concerns about assertive women during a meeting of the party's women's council on June 3.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'Get the facts': premier warned over anti-protest laws
Jacinta Allan has been warned against following the lead of a fellow state premier in rushing through law changes to curb anti-Semitism without all the facts on high-profile attacks. The Victorian government has been drafting laws to ban protests outside places of worship and demonstrators wearing face coverings. The proposed changes were announced in December after rallies from masked neo-Nazis and a synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne being firebombed. Another arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue, one of four alleged anti-Semitic incidents at the weekend, has prompted the premier to set up a task force and promise further action if required. Human Rights Law Centre legal director Sarah Schwartz stressed everyone has the right to worship in safety and without fear. But she accused Ms Allan of conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "Neither the attack on Adass Israel Synagogue or the arson attack on East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation were in any way protests," she told AAP. "These laws around places of worship would not have done anything to prevent those attacks." The motivation for both incidents remains unknown, though counter-terrorism police continue to investigate the Ripponlea firebombing and a 34-year-old man from Sydney has been charged over the other alleged arson. Ms Schwartz cited sexual abuse survivors outside churches as a legitimate form of protest that may be impinged under the plan and said mask ban exemptions for health, disability and religious reasons would be "impossible" to enforce without discriminatory policing. "These new laws taken altogether will have a chilling effect on peaceful protest," she said. NSW rushed protest and speech laws through parliament in February after explosives, anti-Semitic messaging and a list of addresses of Jewish people and institutions were found inside a caravan at Dural in Sydney's northwest in January. Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job". Ms Schwartz, who doubles as Jewish Council of Australia executive officer, said the Victorian government was similarly resorting to "knee-jerk measures" instead of addressing the root causes of racist attacks. "Jacinta Allan really risks going down the same path that NSW Premier Chris Minns did when he enacted regressive, anti-protest measures in response to what we know now was an opportunistic criminal conspiracy," she said. Other Jewish groups have suggested the task force should consider Victoria adopting a NSW-style protest permit system, an idea Ms Allan has long dismissed. In a separate incident on Friday night, Israeli restaurant Miznon in the Melbourne CBD was targeted by about 20 pro-Palestine protesters who chanted "death to the IDF" - a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. The chant, which has gained notoriety after English punk rap duo Bob Vylan led it at Glastonbury music festival, was repeated at another Melbourne rally on Sunday. Victoria passed beefed-up anti-vilification laws in March but Ms Allan was unsure if the chant or signs with words to that effect would constitute an offence when the changes take effect in September. "I'll take their (Victoria Police's) advice on that matter," she said. Jacinta Allan has been warned against following the lead of a fellow state premier in rushing through law changes to curb anti-Semitism without all the facts on high-profile attacks. The Victorian government has been drafting laws to ban protests outside places of worship and demonstrators wearing face coverings. The proposed changes were announced in December after rallies from masked neo-Nazis and a synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne being firebombed. Another arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue, one of four alleged anti-Semitic incidents at the weekend, has prompted the premier to set up a task force and promise further action if required. Human Rights Law Centre legal director Sarah Schwartz stressed everyone has the right to worship in safety and without fear. But she accused Ms Allan of conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "Neither the attack on Adass Israel Synagogue or the arson attack on East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation were in any way protests," she told AAP. "These laws around places of worship would not have done anything to prevent those attacks." The motivation for both incidents remains unknown, though counter-terrorism police continue to investigate the Ripponlea firebombing and a 34-year-old man from Sydney has been charged over the other alleged arson. Ms Schwartz cited sexual abuse survivors outside churches as a legitimate form of protest that may be impinged under the plan and said mask ban exemptions for health, disability and religious reasons would be "impossible" to enforce without discriminatory policing. "These new laws taken altogether will have a chilling effect on peaceful protest," she said. NSW rushed protest and speech laws through parliament in February after explosives, anti-Semitic messaging and a list of addresses of Jewish people and institutions were found inside a caravan at Dural in Sydney's northwest in January. Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job". Ms Schwartz, who doubles as Jewish Council of Australia executive officer, said the Victorian government was similarly resorting to "knee-jerk measures" instead of addressing the root causes of racist attacks. "Jacinta Allan really risks going down the same path that NSW Premier Chris Minns did when he enacted regressive, anti-protest measures in response to what we know now was an opportunistic criminal conspiracy," she said. Other Jewish groups have suggested the task force should consider Victoria adopting a NSW-style protest permit system, an idea Ms Allan has long dismissed. In a separate incident on Friday night, Israeli restaurant Miznon in the Melbourne CBD was targeted by about 20 pro-Palestine protesters who chanted "death to the IDF" - a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. The chant, which has gained notoriety after English punk rap duo Bob Vylan led it at Glastonbury music festival, was repeated at another Melbourne rally on Sunday. Victoria passed beefed-up anti-vilification laws in March but Ms Allan was unsure if the chant or signs with words to that effect would constitute an offence when the changes take effect in September. "I'll take their (Victoria Police's) advice on that matter," she said. Jacinta Allan has been warned against following the lead of a fellow state premier in rushing through law changes to curb anti-Semitism without all the facts on high-profile attacks. The Victorian government has been drafting laws to ban protests outside places of worship and demonstrators wearing face coverings. The proposed changes were announced in December after rallies from masked neo-Nazis and a synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne being firebombed. Another arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue, one of four alleged anti-Semitic incidents at the weekend, has prompted the premier to set up a task force and promise further action if required. Human Rights Law Centre legal director Sarah Schwartz stressed everyone has the right to worship in safety and without fear. But she accused Ms Allan of conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "Neither the attack on Adass Israel Synagogue or the arson attack on East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation were in any way protests," she told AAP. "These laws around places of worship would not have done anything to prevent those attacks." The motivation for both incidents remains unknown, though counter-terrorism police continue to investigate the Ripponlea firebombing and a 34-year-old man from Sydney has been charged over the other alleged arson. Ms Schwartz cited sexual abuse survivors outside churches as a legitimate form of protest that may be impinged under the plan and said mask ban exemptions for health, disability and religious reasons would be "impossible" to enforce without discriminatory policing. "These new laws taken altogether will have a chilling effect on peaceful protest," she said. NSW rushed protest and speech laws through parliament in February after explosives, anti-Semitic messaging and a list of addresses of Jewish people and institutions were found inside a caravan at Dural in Sydney's northwest in January. Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job". Ms Schwartz, who doubles as Jewish Council of Australia executive officer, said the Victorian government was similarly resorting to "knee-jerk measures" instead of addressing the root causes of racist attacks. "Jacinta Allan really risks going down the same path that NSW Premier Chris Minns did when he enacted regressive, anti-protest measures in response to what we know now was an opportunistic criminal conspiracy," she said. Other Jewish groups have suggested the task force should consider Victoria adopting a NSW-style protest permit system, an idea Ms Allan has long dismissed. In a separate incident on Friday night, Israeli restaurant Miznon in the Melbourne CBD was targeted by about 20 pro-Palestine protesters who chanted "death to the IDF" - a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. The chant, which has gained notoriety after English punk rap duo Bob Vylan led it at Glastonbury music festival, was repeated at another Melbourne rally on Sunday. Victoria passed beefed-up anti-vilification laws in March but Ms Allan was unsure if the chant or signs with words to that effect would constitute an offence when the changes take effect in September. "I'll take their (Victoria Police's) advice on that matter," she said. Jacinta Allan has been warned against following the lead of a fellow state premier in rushing through law changes to curb anti-Semitism without all the facts on high-profile attacks. The Victorian government has been drafting laws to ban protests outside places of worship and demonstrators wearing face coverings. The proposed changes were announced in December after rallies from masked neo-Nazis and a synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne being firebombed. Another arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue, one of four alleged anti-Semitic incidents at the weekend, has prompted the premier to set up a task force and promise further action if required. Human Rights Law Centre legal director Sarah Schwartz stressed everyone has the right to worship in safety and without fear. But she accused Ms Allan of conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "Neither the attack on Adass Israel Synagogue or the arson attack on East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation were in any way protests," she told AAP. "These laws around places of worship would not have done anything to prevent those attacks." The motivation for both incidents remains unknown, though counter-terrorism police continue to investigate the Ripponlea firebombing and a 34-year-old man from Sydney has been charged over the other alleged arson. Ms Schwartz cited sexual abuse survivors outside churches as a legitimate form of protest that may be impinged under the plan and said mask ban exemptions for health, disability and religious reasons would be "impossible" to enforce without discriminatory policing. "These new laws taken altogether will have a chilling effect on peaceful protest," she said. NSW rushed protest and speech laws through parliament in February after explosives, anti-Semitic messaging and a list of addresses of Jewish people and institutions were found inside a caravan at Dural in Sydney's northwest in January. Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job". Ms Schwartz, who doubles as Jewish Council of Australia executive officer, said the Victorian government was similarly resorting to "knee-jerk measures" instead of addressing the root causes of racist attacks. "Jacinta Allan really risks going down the same path that NSW Premier Chris Minns did when he enacted regressive, anti-protest measures in response to what we know now was an opportunistic criminal conspiracy," she said. Other Jewish groups have suggested the task force should consider Victoria adopting a NSW-style protest permit system, an idea Ms Allan has long dismissed. In a separate incident on Friday night, Israeli restaurant Miznon in the Melbourne CBD was targeted by about 20 pro-Palestine protesters who chanted "death to the IDF" - a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. The chant, which has gained notoriety after English punk rap duo Bob Vylan led it at Glastonbury music festival, was repeated at another Melbourne rally on Sunday. Victoria passed beefed-up anti-vilification laws in March but Ms Allan was unsure if the chant or signs with words to that effect would constitute an offence when the changes take effect in September. "I'll take their (Victoria Police's) advice on that matter," she said.
The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
What ‘morons' mentioned the Q word? They'd be the smart Libs trying to save their party
There is no single word more certain to create a deep schism within the Liberals than quotas. And there is nothing more likely to aggravate many in the party than a petition calling for quotas. So it follows that some party members, such as former federal vice-president and Sky After Dark regular Teena McQueen, had conniptions when such a petition was launched. According to three Liberal women, it was McQueen who once joked that she 'would kill to be sexually harassed' as the party reckoned with its treatment of women. Last week, McQueen posed this question in relation to the quotas petition: 'What absolute moron is behind this?' Those 'morons' – plural – would be NSW Liberal Women's Council president Berenice Walker, vice president Adelaide Cuneo, former NSW minister Rob Stokes and his wife, Sophie, and Charlotte Mortlock, executive director of Hilma's Network, which was established to boost female representation in the Liberals. To date, some 500-plus people have signed the petition, which pleads: 'If we do all want more women in parliament, then we must stop the preoccupation with theory, rhetoric and excuses, and accelerate this historic change.' Notably, one of the signatories is Manly MP James Griffin. He is the only senior NSW frontbencher to publicly put his name to the quotas push. It was a bold move for Griffin. Only a fortnight earlier, NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman made his position clear. 'I don't think we need quotas at the moment in the Liberal Party,' he told the Herald in an interview before his budget reply speech. Speakman noted that his state parliamentary party was close to reaching gender parity. Loading That is worth celebrating, sure. And it's a damn sight better than the federal Liberal position: just six of the 43 Liberal MPs to sit in the House of Representatives will be women. It must be noted, however, that the improved representation of women in the NSW parliament was achieved because former premier Dominic Perrottet intervened ahead of the last state election to stop the party running an all-male upper house ticket. Perrottet prevailed, and three male MPs were sacrificed to guarantee equal gender representation on the ticket. (Perrottet did not, however, manage to win the fight over the northern beaches seat of Pittwater. He wanted a woman to run, but the party insisted on Rory Amon. Amon is now facing child sexual assault charges, which he denies, and the seat is in teal hands, won by Jacqui Scruby in a byelection.) The decision of Griffin, widely viewed as the most likely leadership rival to Speakman, to sign the petition creates an obvious divide between him and his leader. Griffin's take is: 'Quotas are not a compromise on merit; they're a practical response to a system that needs improvement.'
The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
What former Greens leader Adam Bandt did next
The association is longstanding. The UFU backed Bandt in his 2010 election campaign for Melbourne when he took the seat off Labor, and several times since. Bandt was elected five times before losing his seat to Labor this year in a loss neither side saw coming. In 2013, Bandt introduced legislation to the federal parliament extending protections for Commonwealth firefighters who contracted cancers. Support was unanimous. A nice win. The Age reported in 2014 at the height of the dispute between the UFU and volunteer CFA and the Andrews Labor government: 'Marshall is renowned for his loyalty to those who back him – like Bandt – and fierce on those who cross him.' Neither man got back to us when CBD got in touch. We have said it before, and we will say it again: everything is connected, folks. Public sector surprise There has been an almighty union boilover at the Community and Public Sector Union Victorian branch, where secretary Karen Batt was composing a concession email to staff on Wednesday after nearly 33 years in the post. Sources say Batt has lost the contested ballot to left-wing firebrand Jiselle Hanna, a Corrections Victoria project officer, who scrutineers say garnered about 66 per cent of the vote among 15,000 members. The result is yet to be officially declared by the Australian Electoral Commission. Batt's surprise was matched by those in the Allan Labor government, who are scratching their heads about how to take the loss. The election campaign was one of the fruitiest in recent times. Regular readers will recall how Hanna was attacked by an anonymous email sent to prison officers about her supposedly 'troubling campaign' that pointed out it had received a donation (later returned) purportedly from underworld identity Mick Gatto. Supporters of Hanna were able to trace the email back to the account of a staff member of the CPSU. Awkward. It was the first fully contested election in more than 30 years, and there were 38 positions up for grabs. Batt was apparently clearing out her desk on Wednesday, a source said. Loading 'She was astonished,' one source told CBD. 'The government is obviously very surprised.' Public servants are in a mood after Treasurer Jaclyn Symes flagged a cull in the May budget of about 1200 full-time jobs. Hanna's campaign was launched by Victorian Socialists Senate candidate Jordan van den Lamb, also known as PurplePingers, but Hanna said she was not a member of the Victorian Socialists. And the email? Hanna referred it to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Fair Work Commissioner, claiming breach of privacy and misuse of personal data. We guess when she is formally declared as secretary she can swiftly get to the bottom of the matter. More, more, more Readers might be bemused by the flurry of Labor staffers quitting their jobs just months after helping Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to a landslide election victory. Why help to secure a stonking mandate and then, er, quit? It's like pouring time and effort into baking a delicious cake and then refusing to tuck in. CBD has one theory: staffers who leave in a two-month window after the election get a far more generous severance payout, about four times more, than they would had they left during regular times. Because Canberra. The deadline for those departures came this week, which explains the sudden rush for the exits. And so, here are a few more. Former Labor deputy national secretary Nick Martin, once touted for a federal seat before Kevin Rudd intervened, has left as Health Minister Mark Butler's chief of staff. He's also the ex-husband of Labor strategist turned TikTok lobbyist Sabina Husic. Albanese's digital media guy Lachlan McKenzie is leaving the PMO. His other half, Liz Fitch, departed as the prime minister's top spinner in late 2023, but has since landed a government relations gig at Microsoft. Katie Connolly, strategic communications director, is also out Albo's office door, as is media adviser Irene Oh. By our count, it still leaves eight bodies in the PM's media team to dodge CBD's calls. Meanwhile, Lanai Scarr, formerly political editor at The West Australian has quit as deputy chief of staff and press secretary to Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth. Former ABC political correspondent and one-time press gallery journalist of the year Lyndal Curtis has left Infrastructure Minister Catherine King and jumped ship to assistant treasurer and Labor rising star Daniel Mulino 's office.
