Category Archives: Liberal party

Moira Deeming serves Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto with defamation concerns notice

Posted on by

MPs expected to proceed with a vote to determine if Deeming is expelled from the party on Friday

A vote on whether Moira Deeming will be expelled from the Victorian Liberal party room will go ahead on Friday, despite the suspended MP’s decision to serve the opposition leader, John Pesutto, with a legal letter warning he could face possible defamation action for doing so.

The Australian on Thursday reported Deeming’s lawyer sent Pesutto a defamation concerns notice, warning of possible federal court proceedings if he does not immediately seek the withdrawal of Friday’s expulsion motion, publish an apology to her on his website, and pay her compensation and legal costs.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Moira Deeming supporter Richard Riordan urges delay of Victorian Liberal’s expulsion vote

Posted on by

The Polwarth MP claimed Friday’s meeting could risk a ‘messy legal dispute’ due to an ‘invalid’ motion

Richard Riordan, a Victorian Liberal MP, has written to the party’s state leader, John Pesutto, calling for a delay to Friday’s vote to expel the suspended MP Moira Deeming or “risk a very messy legal dispute”.

The Polwarth MP also wrote on Tuesday to the five MPs who put their names to the expulsion motion – Roma Britnell, former leader Matthew Guy, Wayne Farnham, Cindy McLeish and James Newbury – saying it was invalid as they did not sign it or provide reasons.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Moira Deeming facing new expulsion push as she denies threatening to sue Liberal party

Posted on by

Five MPs have given John Pesutto a notice of motion seeking her expulsion, which will go to the party room on Friday

In the latest instalment of a saga engulfing the Victorian Liberal party, the suspended MP Moira Deeming has put out a statement declaring that she “never once considered suing the Liberal party”.

That claim comes days after she emailed MPs saying she had advised her lawyers to prepare a legal challenge to her suspension.

Continue reading...

Stuart Robert: former minister and ally of Scott Morrison to retire, sparking byelection

Posted on by

Robert’s retirement means a second byelection test for Peter Dutton’s opposition, this time in the Queensland seat of Fadden

The former Morrison government minister Stuart Robert has officially announced his retirement from federal politics, to become a “full time husband, father and son”.

Robert’s retirement announcement means a second byelection test for the opposition, this time in Liberal National party heartland, with Robert’s seat of Fadden on the Gold Coast traditionally a conservative stronghold.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Moira Deeming faces new challenge as Victorian Liberals push for vote to expel her from party

Posted on by

Peter Dutton tells state colleagues ‘I want this mess sorted out’ after MP threatened to sue

Suspended Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming will face a new challenge to expel her from the party as early as next week after she threatened the party’s leader, John Pesutto, with legal action.

Amid warnings from the federal opposition leader, Peter Dutton, of an intervention into the Victorian party, seven state Liberal MPs told Guardian Australia they are willing to put forward the motion to expel Deeming.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Victorian Liberals plunge into chaos as John Pesutto faces second coming of Moira Deeming

Posted on by

Internal warfare has spiralled into threats of legal action and accusations of ‘terrorists’ holding the state opposition party ‘hostage’

Returning from a break, this week’s sitting of parliament was meant to signal a fresh start for the Victorian Liberal leader, John Pesutto.

The dust from his aborted plan to expel controversial MP Moira Deeming from the parliamentary party six weeks earlier – exposing his vulnerability in the top job – seemed like it was starting to clear.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia news live: defence strategic review ‘a cannibalisation of army mobility’, Hastie says; Victorian jockey dies after race fall

Posted on by

Review calls for ADF to develop ability to precisely strike targets at longer range and to develop stronger network. Follow the day’s news live

Plibersek v Joyce on Newspoll

In their regular spot on Sunrise, environment minister Tanya Plibersek and Coalition frontbencher Barnaby Joyce weighed in on those Newspoll results.

They’re very strong support numbers, and I tell you the reason is not based on polling but what people tell me when I’m out around the country.

People tell me that they’re pleased to see a government that is just getting on with the job, doing what we promised and they’re impressed that the prime minister is just sticking with what he said he’d do.

We don’t have an election tomorrow and that’s a good thing.

A lot of people are starting to focus now on issues such as the voice and saying, “I don’t feel comfortable with this.”

Continue reading...

Advice on voice a ‘cynical political tactic’ to confuse voters, Coalition claims – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed

Ed Husic says board appointments alone won’t guarantee RBA diversity

The ministry for industry, Ed Husic, says he believes new appointments to the RBA board alone isn’t enough to bring diversity to the central bank – he says there need to be “deeper structures” put in place.

As a government, I can give you this assurance. We do like to take into account people’s views from different vantage points. I do think it is important that where decisions have an impact – not just in terms of investors or industry but the people that work in them or the broader community – I think it’s a healthier decision …

Some people will fix on ‘well, someone should have a seat at the board’ for that to occur and I understand why they’ll make those arguments. I’m not necessarily convinced that that specifically guarantees that will occur, just having one person on the board. There need to be a lot deeper structures for people to have that sense that they’ve had a say and that they can have an ability to influence and inform decision making.

Continue reading...

Australia news live: Labor will not lift jobseeker despite recommendation for ‘substantial increase’ to base rate

Posted on by

Follow the latest news live

Joyce describes Indigenous voice as ‘a consultative power by selected group’

Joyce says the voice will affect all Australians, not just Indigenous Australians, because a selected rather than elected body will move away from the democratic process.

It is a massive change to how democracy works because we’re now dealing with a consultative power by selected group, not an elected group … and that move away from the democratic process.

What I’m asking you is that you say on one hand that there’s no legislation … But you also make a claim about a model which doesn’t exist, you can’t have it both ways.

In all the narrative from Mr Pearson, to his Ms Langton, to the Calma Langton report, they talk about selection, not election.

So then you do think you’ve got a model?

Then let us see the legislation.

I just don’t believe that we should be inserting a racial clause into our constitution in 2023.

Tick the box that you believe in racial differentiation. You’ve just ticked the box that you believe in racial differentiation.

It’s the form that it comes in. I’ve got no problems with the statement of fact that Indigenous Australians were the first people in Australia.

I’ve got no problems with the constitutional recognition referendum on the premise that we see the details first … I’m talking to about a more proper and pertinent alternative approach, which means that we get all the details not some of the details, we see the legislation before we vote, we don’t get a blank check. And we also make sure that we see the proper legal opinion before we vote not someone’s opinion of the opinion, which is what Mr Albanese is going to give us.

Continue reading...

Peter Dutton says he didn’t raise specific allegations of child abuse with PM

Posted on by

Opposition leader tells Sky News he mentioned general concerns about abuse in Alice Springs which Anthony Albanese confirmed

Peter Dutton says he did not raise specific instances of alleged child abuse with Anthony Albanese but maintains that he raised broad concerns about assaults in Indigenous communities with the prime minister in private and in parliament.

Dutton’s comments to Sky News on Tuesday were the latest in a back-in-forth between Labor and the Coalition, with the opposition highlighting abuse and neglect in Aboriginal communities as a reason for opposing the Indigenous voice referendum.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia news live: household assistance on energy bills to be detailed in budget, Chalmers says

Posted on by

Treasurer says volatility in the global economy to have ‘flow-on effect on budget’. Follow the day’s news live

The shadow minister for foreign affairs, Simon Birmingham, is chastising the PM for letting there be any doubt whether he will be attending the Nato security summit.

Bangarra Dance Theatre supports voting ‘Yes’ in voice referendum

For over three decades, Bangarra Dance Theatre has been privileged to be entrusted with sharing the powerful voices of the world’s oldest living cultures – the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures of this nation.

The stories we tell have awakened a national consciousness to the deep scars of our colonial history, and the legacy of unseen trauma left in its wake. We attend to this knowing that by carrying Story, we also carry a responsibility to give insight into our experiences, promote understanding, and effect change. But is this enough?

Continue reading...

NSW Labor will hold off on Hills Shire council inquiry ‘at request of Icac’

Posted on by

Premier says government will not proceed with public inquiry as it could affect investigation being conducted by commission

The New South Wales state parliament will hold off on conducting further public inquiries into alleged impropriety at Hills Shire council while the state’s anti-corruption commission conducts its own investigation.

A previous upper house inquiry, launched after allegations aired in parliament by NSW Liberal MP Ray Williams about senior members of his own party, became a focal point of the recent election campaign when it sparked a manhunt for one of former premier Dominic Perrottet’s brothers.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Peter Dutton accused of misrepresenting locals’ views on Indigenous voice to parliament

Posted on by

Residents of Leonora in country WA say the opposition leader was more interested in discussing the cashless debit card

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is being accused of misrepresenting his visit to the Western Australian town of Leonora, with locals claiming he was more interested in their views on the cashless debit card, than canvassing their opinion on the Indigenous voice to parliament.

Dutton said he travelled to communities, including Leonora, about 800km north-east of Perth, seeking grassroots opinions on the voice and this had helped inform the Liberal leader’s decision to oppose the yes vote.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Simon Birmingham the latest Liberal party frontbencher who will not campaign against Indigenous voice

Posted on by

Senator’s show of reluctance comes after Julian Leeser resigned as shadow attorney general over referendum stance

The Liberal frontbencher Simon Birmingham says he won’t campaign against the Indigenous voice to parliament, becoming the latest opposition member to show reluctance to support the party’s official position on the referendum.

Former Liberal minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said some of his former colleagues were being “tested” after the party’s policy to campaign against the voice was revealed, as fallout continues from Julian Leeser’s resignation from the opposition frontbench.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Albanese says yes campaign ‘factored in’ Dutton’s opposition to Indigenous voice to parliament

Posted on by

Prime minister confirms AFL, NRL and cricket stars are lined up for ad blitz, and he expects businesses and faith groups to add support

Anthony Albanese says the government has “factored in” the prospect of Peter Dutton’s Liberal party campaigning against the Indigenous voice, and it doesn’t mean the referendum will fail.

He has confirmed that the yes campaign will soon feature sports stars from the NRL, AFL and cricket – and he expects the business community and faith groups to add their support.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

NSW Liberals win final lower-house seat of Ryde two weeks after state election

Posted on by

Ryde becomes most marginal electorate in NSW after Liberal candidate Jordan Lane wins by just 50 votes

Two weeks after New South Wales voters headed to the polls, the final seat in the state election has been called, with the Liberal party to hold the Sydney electorate of Ryde.

The ABC election analyst, Antony Green, called the seat for the Liberal candidate, Jordan Lane, on Saturday with a margin of just 50 votes as check counts of remaining postal votes were completed on Saturday.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

At least three senior Liberals pushed back against Indigenous voice opposition in shadow cabinet meeting

Posted on by

Exclusive: Simon Birmingham, Marise Payne and Paul Fletcher spoke out against plan as Julian Leeser proposed allowing MPs a free say

At least three leading Liberal moderates – Simon Birmingham, Paul Fletcher and Marise Payne – spoke out in a shadow cabinet meeting against the party’s plan to oppose the Indigenous voice to parliament.

Guardian Australia understands the meeting considered an alternative stance put forward by the shadow attorney general, Julian Leeser, to allow all members a free say on the voice at least until a parliamentary committee could consider calls to amend the constitutional alteration bill.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Pat Dodson takes leave from Senate – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed.

Former Tasmanian Liberal premier condemns party’s opposition to voice

Tasmania is the last Liberal state government left in the country and its former premier has taken to social media this morning to speak out against the federal party’s decision to oppose the voice to parliament.

Should the Liberal party maintain its opposition to the voice it will simply accelerate its increasing irrelevance.

I have asked for Cyber Security NSW to issue advice to NSW government employees, to implement this change as soon as possible.

I will no longer be using TikTok.

Continue reading...

Australia news live: Peter Dutton confirms Liberals will campaign against Indigenous voice to parliament

Posted on by

Opposition leader continues his narrative of calling the proposal a ‘divisive Canberra voice’. Follow the day’s news

Birmingham calls for end to culture wars on ‘fringe issues’

So Simon Birmigham wants the party to modernise, but keep its Liberal values. So essentially ditch the culture wars and get back to Liberal basics – small government, small business, families (although Birmingham argues for inclusive family support now).

Well, it is, in that it concerns only a relatively small numbers of people, frankly, on either side of the debate. And so having, in the lead-up to the Aston byelection, debate ensuing in the Victorian division of the Liberal party around trans rights, Nazis, all of those sorts of things that were being thrown around, was clearly very, very counterproductive.

And I think that’s acknowledged right across the leadership of the Liberal party. And so trying to make sure that, whilst there has to be space to deal with issues where international sporting organisations are making rules and laws, but we shouldn’t take that into into a realm where suddenly there are public protests supported by Liberal MPs or anything that suggests there is a sense of disrespect other than careful, thoughtful policy consideration.

Continue reading...

Peter Dutton confirms Liberals will oppose Indigenous voice to parliament

Posted on by

Opposition leader says he will actively campaign against the voice, claiming it ‘won’t deliver outcomes to people on the ground’

Liberal leader Peter Dutton will actively campaign against the Indigenous voice referendum, directing his frontbench to oppose the proposal.

Dutton has instead proposed symbolic recognition in the constitution and a legislated voice, both suggestions which have long been rejected by Indigenous communities and the Uluru statement from the heart.

Continue reading...