by NAZIYA ALVI RAHMAN – ANTHONY Albanese claimed this week that Peter Dutton was catering to the “fringe Right” as Leftist Liberal MPs flee parliament.
In a speech aimed at Liberal leadership, the Prime Minister said those with a vision for a “better Australia” were no longer welcome in the Party fold.
- Moderates continue to exist within the Liberals but hold little sway over policy.
- Opposing the Voice and embracing nuclear are examples of Right faction influence.
- The dumping of Turnbull was also a major blow to the Liberal Left.
“Will the last moderate in the Liberal Party turn off the lights before they leave the building?”
Meanwhile Labor Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the Liberals were no longer “middle-of-the-road”.
He claimed the Party had become an “extreme Right party” no longer welcoming diversity of thought.
PLAYERS
His comments come as Liberal MPs including former Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Simon Birmingham and Opposition Leader of the House Paul Fletcher – key Left faction players – announced they would step away from politics.
Traditionally, the Liberal Party has been divided into two major factions – the Right and Moderates, with smaller factions coming and going.
The Moderates historically stood for free market liberalism and not social conservatism, preferring to eschew “culture war” debates, whereas the Right has tended to embrace both.
Since the accession of Peter Dutton to the leadership – and the defeat of the Morrison Government in 2022 – the Right has steadily gained more influence with the moderate faction waning.
The Party’s decision to oppose the Voice referendum and embrace nuclear are examples of Right faction influence.
In his farewell speech, Senator Birmingham lamented the rise of divisive politics on both the Left and Right, warning that the focus on culture wars and personality clashes was a threat to social cohesion.
He called for a return to the values of John Stuart Mill, emphasising less government interference in both personal and economic matters.
The exodus of moderates from the Liberal Party is not a new phenomenon.
The 2022 federal election marked a significant turning point, with the “teal” movement stripping the Liberal Party of several key figures, such as Leftist MPs Jason Falinski and Tim Wilson.
Prior to that, the dumping of then PM Malcolm Turnbull and resignations of former Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne was also a major blow to the Left.
Among its current members, Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley, though considered a moderate, has remained largely silent on factional divides.
Other moderate voices, such as Andrew Bragg, Dave Sharma and Bridget Archer, continue to exist within the Party but hold little sway over policy.
Archer, despite her outspoken nature and occasional defiance by crossing the floor, does not possess the factional power needed to revive the moderate cause.
Meanwhile, the centre-Left Labor Party faces its own internal challenges.
The retirement of Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones of Labor’s Right faction, represented the seat of Whitlam since 2010, and departure of former Party leader Bill Shorten for a career in academia, leaves the Right faction weakened.
This will see Labor’s lunatic Left continue to dominate.PC
