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Divide over net zero deepens as Sussan Ley packs for WA
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ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Sussan Ley's authority tested as Liberals stamp their feet
As any leader of a political party knows, when you demote people, they can become difficult, or worse. Among Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's multiple problems are two very unhappy former frontbenchers: Sarah Henderson, who was opposition education spokeswoman last term, and Jane Hume, who had a high profile in finance, were dumped to the backbench in Ley's reshuffle. There were mixed views about Ley's judgement. But it was clear neither would take the relegation lying down. Henderson at the time declared she found it regrettable that "a number of high-performing Liberal women have been overlooked or demoted". Hume said, ominously, "there is something very liberating about being on the backbench and being able to speak without having to stick to the party line and without having to stick to talking points". This week, both women used their freedom to freelance. On the government's student debt legislation, Henderson made her presence felt by moving an amendment designed to cap indexation. It got only a handful of votes from the crossbench. The opposition abstained. Also in the Senate, Hume put down her marker on a motion moved by One Nation repudiating the net zero target. Predictably, Matt Canavan (Nationals) and Alex Antic (right-wing South Australian Liberal) voted for the motion. The Liberals' official position — given they're in no-man's land, reviewing their policy — was to abstain. But Hume and Andrew McLachlan (a moderate from South Australia) voted against the motion. Hume has kept a regular spot on Sky News Australia, an opportunity to use her "liberated" voice. Then there's Andrew Hastie, who, despite being a frontbencher, doesn't feel under collective discipline. Hastie, whom some see as a possible future leader, didn't get his wish for a non-security portfolio in the reshuffle. Instead, the former defence spokesman was moved to home affairs, a broad job that presents many opportunities. When the Western Australian Liberal council passed a motion rejecting net zero at the weekend, Hastie gave his enthusiastic backing. He then got stuck into state Liberal leader Basil Zempilas, who had said the WA parliamentary party supported "the status quo on the net zero targets". Hastie fired off a newsletter to supporters, declaring, "This motion — moved and supported by my division of Canning — reflects a growing concern from mainstream Australians about our expensive energy bills, unreliable supply, and the erosion of our national sovereignty. "I was therefore disappointed to see [Zempilas] publicly dismiss those concerns." The government was quick to exploit this, with Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen telling parliament on Thursday that Hastie "will undermine any opposition leader he can find. He's taking a practice run in Perth for what he intends to do in Canberra, sometime in the next 12 months, as we all know. He loves undermining leaders of the opposition." Peter Dutton was a disaster for the Liberals, as the election drubbing showed. But he was (mostly) able to impose substantial unity on the parliamentary party. That was seen as a big achievement. But it had two downsides. At the time, it stifled what might have been useful internal debate, or warnings, that could have helped the opposition. And now it has left some Liberals who felt they held their tongues last time determined not to do so again. Even those not aggrieved for specific reasons are likely to be more inclined to be outspoken this term. Ley will not be able to impose the degree of discipline that Dutton did. Meanwhile, as the aggrieved Liberals were stamping their feet, their colleague James Paterson, new to his post of finance spokesman, was seeking to repair some of the political damage the opposition had done by its attacks on the public service. The hostility to the public service goes back a long way — some might argue it's ingrained in the Liberals' DNA. It was strong during Scott Morrison's prime ministership. Dutton promised massive cuts to the Canberra-based public service, which even the Liberals admit would have been unattainable. Hume's plan to force public servants back into the office five days a week, a policy the opposition had to drop midway through the election campaign, has also left deep suspicion. For the Liberals, attacking the public service has always appeared a ready road to savings. But the political dangers are obvious. It is not the seats directly affected — the ACT always votes Labor. But assaults on the public service can be readily segued by the Coalition's opponents into code for attacks on government services. Paterson, who's also shadow minister for the public service, told an Australian Financial Review summit on government services, "It is not lost on me that promising significant cuts to the size of the APS or changing the way public servants work from home was poorly received and not just here in Canberra." Paterson said, "I have great respect for public servants, and I recognise the significant contributions they make to our democracy. "The Coalition aspires to have a respectful, constructive relationship with the APS. We want a motivated, high-performing public service that works in genuine partnership with government to deliver the services Australians rely on. And we want it to do so as a trusted steward of taxpayer dollars." On the basis of history, the public servants will remain suspicious of the Liberals; Paterson's aim will be to mitigate that as much as possible. In a twist on the working-from-home debate, the secretary of the health department, Blair Comley, this week expressed some concern about the implications of the trend. "I don't think anyone is suggesting we go back to a rigid five days a week and no flexibility," Comley told the AFR summit. But he was worried about what was happening to "learning, development, mentoring, and what's happening to the social capital". Knowing the sensitivities of the issue, Comley was extremely careful with his words. Hume, having been burned once, was not putting her hand into this particular fire again. "That is not a policy that the Coalition has now, not a policy that we took to the election", she said. There is a limit to being liberated. Michelle Grattan is a professorial fellow at the University of Canberra and chief political correspondent at The Conversation, where this article first appeared.
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Sussan Ley finds her feet as Albanese reaches for the Medicare card again
Welcome back to your weekly federal politics update, where Brett Worthington gets you up to speed on the happenings from Parliament House. To the casual observer, Question Time is little more than an insult to intelligence. Sit in there for five minutes and it's clear why it was never called Answer Time. When they get a question from the opposition or crossbench, ministers filibuster their three minutes to prevent having to give an actual answer. When they get a question their side of politics has scripted, ministers find themselves talking about opposition policies. In one of the more ridiculous moments this week, Labor tasked new MP Ali France, who has arrived in parliament with one of the most compelling life stories, to ask the prime minister how Labor's pursuit of its agenda compared to others in the parliament. It's as if Labor forgets the nation just made very clear what it thought of the policies the Coalition took to the last election. It won the battle, now its job is to get on with governing, rather than looking in the rear vision mirror. The Coalition finds itself in the political wilderness, numbers diminished and at sea over which policies it will retain. Sussan Ley is fledgling in her leadership and yet to assert her control of the opposition. Ley and her office have taken steps to open up the party, making it a more professional operation and moving it away from the closed shop Peter Dutton led. At an optics level, you can see just how timid her early steps are, including quite literally when she arrives at Question Time. When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives (or even when Dutton used to arrive), the frontbencher sitting in their seat immediately vacates it. Ley instead enters and takes her old seat on the frontbench, patiently waiting for the person sitting in her seat to vacate it. More telling of her uncertainty at the top was her handling of the scenes of starvation emanating from Gaza. Ley found herself unwilling to say if starvation was occurring in Gaza, something even Benjamin Netanyahu's biggest backer, Donald Trump, was willing to concede this week. The opposition leader said she was "incredibly distressed by the images" but declined to say if starvation was occurring. She wasn't alone. Fellow frontbencher Dan Tehan laid the blame solely at the feet of Hamas. Liberal Dave Sharma, a former Australian ambassador to Israel, struck a different tone, arguing there was overwhelming evidence of malnutrition and food shortages and argued the way to counter Hamas would be for Israel to allow for aid to flow freely into Gaza. Detractors of Ley will say partyroom changes since she became leader have seen her support in the room go backwards — a point her supporters flatly reject. But if she's having to spend her days looking over her shoulder, it makes it hard to navigate a path forward. She's also not alone in finding herself in a bind over Gaza. As nations by the day offer their support for Palestinian statehood, Albanese has repeatedly insisted it was a matter of when, not if. To date, his line has been to accuse those calling for recognition of seeking to win political points. It's a criticism he's intending to level at the Greens. But as France, then Britain, then Canada all moved to recognise Palestine, Albanese has unintentionally found himself offering a rebuke of the leaders he otherwise says he respects. A House of Representatives attendant walked into the chamber on Tuesday about 30 minutes into Question Time. They handed Albanese a yellow envelope, which he discreetly opened. A flash of green could be seen between his fingers as he slipped the item into his suit jacket. It wouldn't remain hidden for long. Four minutes after its arrival, Albanese was brandishing his Medicare card, repeating in parliament a stunt he became renowned for during the campaign. A day earlier, Liberal frontbencher Melissa McIntosh showcased her digital dexterity as she sought to cover the numbers on the Medicare and credit cards she was holding up, accusing Albanese of misleading voters over their prospects of a bulk-billed visit to the GP. Speaker Milton Dick, who on Monday was quick to remind McIntosh to "not use props", was more muted in his rebuke of the prime minister. "The member for Lindsay used a similar tactic yesterday," he said. "I'm sure the prime minister will look after that card carefully and will continue with his answer." By Wednesday, Albanese was again brandishing his Medicare card, in another clear rebuke of the Speaker's earlier rulings. Dick was again elected to parliament as a Labor MP at May's election. But like in the last term, he resigned from the parliamentary party and doesn't attend caucus meetings, in a bid to bolster his impartiality credentials overseeing the chamber. A clearly respected figure, the Coalition broke with convention and supported his return to the prestigious position last week. His ability to retain respect in the chamber rests on politicians seeing him as an impartial figure, something the prime minister has repeatedly tested this week. Where there has been no shortage of respect is between an unlikely duo on the outer fringes of Labor's back bench. First-term man-mountain Matt Smith finds himself squeezed into a two seater alongside fellow giant Dan Repacholi for Question Time. Across the aisle sits Labor's Tracey Roberts, the second term WA MP who the Queenslander physically towers over. Earlier this year, Roberts announced she'd been diagnosed with multiple systems atrophy, a rare progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects her mobility and speech. Despite the diagnosis, she vowed to serve a full term if the voters of Pearce again backed her in, which they did in spades. On paper, there's little the former professional basketballer from Far North Queensland and a former mayor from Perth's northern suburbs would have in common. But their seating arrangements has led to gentle moments of quiet kindness. After Roberts stood to ask a question in Question Time, Smith reached out his lengthy arm to assist her. When Roberts leaves the chamber, he's often nearby, offering a stabilising guide. They say if you want a friend in politics get a dog. But every so often you see signs that alternatives to a dog still exist.
West Australian
3 days ago
- West Australian
SailabilityWA amongst clubs at risk of potential closure following announcement of Matilda Bay ferry terminal
The West Australian exclusive SailabilityWA amongst clubs at risk of potential closure following announcement of Matilda Bay ferry terminal
