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Australia

Complete rubbish’: Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley rips into Labor and the Greens over Australia’s political landscape

Complete rubbish': Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley rips into Labor and the Greens over Australia's political landscape

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley says Labor and the Greens believing Australia had become a “lefty country” is “complete rubbish”.

Ms Ley made the remarks during a speech to the NSW Liberal state council meeting on Saturday as she discussed the Coalition’s defeat at the May Federal Election.

“Two months on from the Federal Election and the Labor Party, the Greens, their supporters, their cheerleaders on Twitter, want you to believe that the Liberal Party will never form government again,” she said.

“They want you to believe that Anthony Albanese will be Prime Minister for the next 20 years.

“They want you to believe that Australia, the lucky country, has become Australia, the lefty country – it is complete rubbish.”

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The Coalition was reduced to 58 seats nationwide following the Federal Election, which saw them booted from office after nine years in power.

The Liberals lost the NSW seats of Bennelong, Reid and Robertson to Labor, and Mackellar, Wentworth and North Sydney to teal independents.

Peter Dutton took over the Liberal Party leadership from Scott Morrison in the wake of the election defeat, while Ms Ley became deputy leader after Josh Frydenberg lost his seat of Kooyong in Melbourne.

Ms Ley said Australians were “relying on us to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and stand up for them”.

“The Liberal Party has been written off before but let me assure you, under Peter Dutton’s leadership we’ve got a big three years ahead,” she said.

“Because Peter and I have a three year plan. It’s not a six year plan, it’s not a nine year plan, it’s a three year plan. And NSW is central to that plan.”

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, in his speech to the meeting, noted a lesson from the Coalition’s federal election loss in May was how the Liberal Party chooses its candidates.

He said he wanted the party to have more female and culturally diverse candidates contesting the March 2023 state election.

“One of the most important rights of our party members is the power to select candidates that represent your values. This state council made a decision for democratic reform,” Mr Perrottet said.

“Today I can announce that within two weeks we will open preselections across the state for the next election.

“As the leader of the parliamentary party, I want to see more women, I want to see more cultural diversity, I want the best talent to put their hands up for a future government in 2023.”

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Australia

Anthony Albanese lashes out at Sussan Ley’s ‘totally hypocritical’ claims after the Coalition were ‘disruptive’ in Parliament

Anthony Albanese lashes out at Sussan Ley's 'totally hypocritical' claims after the Coalition were 'disruptive' in Parliament

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended claims made against him over a “dismissive gesture” towards Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.

Ms Ley called out Mr Albanese for his “hypocrisy” in Parliament following the Prime Minister’s dismissive hand motion made towards her during a typical heated Question Time on Thursday afternoon.

Mr Albanese spoke with ABC Melbourne on Friday where he brushed off the suggestions and claimed the Opposition was itself being “completely disruptive” towards him.

“I dismiss the comments as being totally hypocritical given the yelling that occurred every time I was on my feet, including non-stop gestures, yelling for me to sit down,” he said.

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“People who ask questions should expect to hear the answer.

“The Coalition had a bad day yesterday. They continue to be completely disruptive during Question Time.”

Paul Fletcher, Manager of Opposition Business, stepped up to the dispatch box shortly after Ms Ley and demanded Mr Albanese “withdraw”.

“The Prime Minister made a dismissive gesture towards the Deputy Leader of the Opposition,” he said on Thursday.

“It was disrespectful to a sitting woman parliamentarian and (I) asked him to withdraw.”

Mr Albanese was pressed further by the ABC host on the incident where he declared, “I have been respectful and I’ll continue to be”.

“We engage respectfully across the Parliament, in order to get the legislation through including with independents and crossbench members,” he said.

“The Opposition have chosen the road of disruption. That is what they’re engaged in.

“The Opposition counted themselves out of the debate on climate change when Peter Dutton, for reasons beyond my comprehension, ignored the mandate and ignored the message that the Australian people gave that they wanted action on climate change.”

Ms Ley was questioned earlier on Friday by Sky News Australia host Peter Stefanovic about what happened where she unleased on the Prime Minister.

“I can take the rough and tumble, every woman in this place knows how to do that,” she said.

“What I can’t accept is the hypocrisy.

“Anthony Albanese said it was going to be a family-friendly parliament.”

The Albanese Government is celebrating a win after its Climate Change Bill passed the lower house, but Opposition Leader Peter Dutton warned Labor’s focus away from cost-of-living proved it would take Australia down “very dangerous path”.

The legislation will enshrine the government’s 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction targets into law and received support from a majority of the crossbench and Bridget Archer – the only Liberal member who crossed the floor.

But the Liberal Party remained staunchly opposed to the legislation which would prevent a future government ratcheting down the 43 per cent 2030 target.

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Categories
Australia

Sussan Ley criticizes Anthony Albanese for ‘hypocrisy’ after she was ‘shooed away’ during Question Time in Parliament

Sussan Ley criticizes Anthony Albanese for 'hypocrisy' after she was 'shooed away' during Question Time in Parliament

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has labeled Anthony Albanese a “hypocrite” after a “disrespectful” gesture from the Prime Minister in Parliament.

The members had gathered for Question Time on Thursday afternoon when the Labor leader briefly “shooed away” Ms Ley during a heated exchange.

The move caused uproar in the room and the Opposition then repeatedly demanded Mr Albanese to “withdraw” the “disrespectful” action.

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Ms Ley was questioned by Sky News Australia host Pete Stefanovic on Friday about what happened where she unleased on the Prime Minister.

“Yes, look, shooing motion across the table in the parliament, I can take the rough and tumble, every woman in this place knows how to do that,” she said.

“What I can’t accept is the hypocrisy.

“Anthony Albanese said it was going to be a family friendly parliament, there were going to be new notes of respect and this sort of sit down and shut up motion across the table to a woman who is speaking as she is entitled to in the Parliament , simply breaks all of his own rules.

Stefanovic then posed whether being “shooed was that bad”.

“Do you see it at any modern workplace? Do you see it in a boardroom?” Ms Ley argued, before the First Edition host agreed he would never make such a move.

Earlier, the Deputy Liberal leader was posed whether the passing of the Climate Change Bill in the House of Representatives will force their own party to change its targets.

The legislation – which aims to enshrine its 2030 and 2050 emissions targets – passed on Thursday in the Lower House 89 to 55 votes.

Ms Ley argued the Albanese Government had to focus on other issues that are currently affecting Australians who were struggling with inflation.

“Just remember, this was legislation that the government’s own energy minister said it did not need, spent half a day toing and froing in Parliament when the real issue this week is the rising cost of living and the government’s $275 of broken promises on power bills,” she said.

“That was the figure by which they said your power bill would go down. So, there was some grandstanding, sure, there was legislation that everyone agreed, including the government, wasn’t even necessary, and there was a deal with the Greens .”

Stefanovic then pushed again on how much the Coalition would lift its emissions targets after Australians resoundingly showed at the polls they wanted to see more climate action with nine teal independents voted in.

Ms Ley insisted there would be ongoing discussions about climate change and net zero, which the party has committed to before the election, but their first focus was on providing cost-of-living relief to households.

“We’ll be tuning in very carefully to the international situation because that’s what matters to Australians – how we keep their power prices affordable, how we don’t have manufactures that go offshore,” she said.

“How we actually, as the prime minister has often said, keep a strong manufacturing industry where Australia makes (its own) things.

“It won’t be if the energy prices continue to escalate, so right now, that’s our focus, not on legislation that the government admits itself was not actually needed, that is not what the Parliament is for.”

She added the Albanese Government are “off the training wheels” but they have not advocated for “real policies” to help struggling families and small businesses.

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Categories
Australia

West Australian Liberal Leader tells state conference party must become ‘credible alternative’ as rebuild continues

West Australian Liberal Leader tells state conference party must become 'credible alternative' as rebuild continues

West Australian Liberal Leader David Honey has told the party faithful he’s “optimistic” about the future, after members agreed to significant pre-selection reforms yesterday.

At the first Liberal state conference since the federal election, members yesterday voted to overhaul the way the party chooses its candidates and take control off powerbrokers.

It was seen by many in the party as a landmark moment, which illustrated it had listened and learned from two devastating election results at the state and federal level.

By comparison, the second day of the conference was described as “flat” by one member, with far more seats left empty for Dr Honey’s opening address than the day before.

A man stands at a lecture with a crowd in front and empty chairs in the foreground.
David Honey’s address drew a smaller crowd than the numbers attending the first day of the conference. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)

In his speech, Dr Honey set out a clear agenda for the next three years: to demonstrate that the state and federal Labor governments should be “sacked” and prove the Liberals are a “credible alternative.”

“I’m not pessimistic about our political future. I am realistic. We face an enormous challenge to return as a major political force in Western Australia,” he said.

“What makes me optimistic for the future of the Liberal Party in Western Australia is the good work that is being done at this conference to get our internal affairs in order, a strong foundation for the future.

“We have clearly demonstrated that we are willing to embrace progressive change as part of our continued evolution as a dynamic political force in Western Australian politics.”

Party falls short of supporting quotas

After this year’s federal election result, some former female Liberal MPs urged the party to adopt quotas for women in parliament.

Federal deputy leader Sussan Ley has previously expressed her support for a target, rather than a quota.

Deputy state leader Libby Mettam said she was of the same view.

“We just want, in each seat, to see the best people come forward,” she said.

“If that is a quota and not a target, that will be something that the Liberal Party as a whole considers, and there will be much debate around that.

“Up until now, I’ve been very supportive of targets. I’m yet to be convinced that we necessarily need quotas at this stage.”

A woman with blonde hair looks to the side, as a man in a suit stars ahead.
Libby Mettam (right) says her preference is for the party to set targets for gender representation.(ABC News: Keane Bourke)

Her colleague, Dr Honey, said he was “not averse” to a quota, but would wait to see what the party decided.

“Knowing the nature of the party, it’s probably unlikely we’re going to have quotas, but there will be a really high expectation [that] we have significantly more excellent women candidates, but also candidates that represent the diversity of our society,” he said.

Long reform journey ahead, party elder says

The Liberal Party has dozens of other recommendations to work through from its election review.

One of those recommendations — to require candidate pre-selections to be accompanied by a statutory declaration — also passed this weekend.

However, there are many others still being worked through, prompting former party president Norman Moore to describe the changes as “a small step, not a giant leap.”

A group of men in suits sit along a table.
Former state president, Norman Moore (third from right), says he’s hopeful about future reform.(ABC News: Keane Bourke)

“The president (Richard Wilson) has said that he’s interested in ongoing reform of the party, and we’re going to have another conference, I think, in the next 12 months,” Mr Moore said.

“I think that’s a great opportunity to look at some of the other issues that the Road to Reform report talked about, which haven’t been addressed yet.

“I’m very comfortable about the president’s position and I hope that we’ll be able to make further progress in the future.”

Motions put forward by the Curtin branch — to implement other recommendations — were voted down, while changes to who can pay for party memberships passed.

Dr Honey said he remained confident the party was moving quickly enough.

“If we did nothing else but [reform pre-selections]this whole process would be a success,” he said.

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