‘Please don't leak': New Liberal senator's email missive to party colleagues
New NSW senator Jess Collins marked the first day of her term on Tuesday by sending out a lengthy email missive to party delegates containing a few gags, and a few more barely disguised swipes at factional rivals. Bold. In fact, 'Labor' only appeared once.
'I am tired of factional hacks trying to weaponise the Constitution to consolidate or hold on to power,' she said. 'We are not going to find our way out of the wilderness if we can't change the status quo.'
Collins entered the upper house after knocking off sitting senator Hollie Hughes in a tough preselection fight last year, thanks in part to support from conservative frontbencher Angus Taylor, whom she thanked in her email missive.
The new senator also had intriguing words on the foot-in-mouth comments made last month by party elder Alan Stockdale, who said that Liberal women were so 'sufficiently assertive' that the party might need quotas for men. But not about what he actually said.
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'I was disappointed that comments made by Alan Stockdale were leaked to the press,' she said.
'That very afternoon I had just spent two hours with Alan and the Administrative Committee telling them how to improve the outcomes for women. If he suggested women were sufficiently assertive perhaps I am to blame. (Sorry, bad joke – please don't leak it!).'
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