Latest news with #AlanStockdale
The Guardian
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Rambling rubbish': inside the battle for the soul of the Liberal party in NSW
Intense discussions are under way within the Liberal party about an alternative to the three-person administrative committee now in control of its NSW branch, with a growing consensus that it must be replaced when the federal executive meets next week. Younger members of the party have had enough after a scandal triggered by comments by one member of the trio, former Victorian MP Alan Stockdale. Stockdale, in his 80s, last week told the NSW Liberal Women's Council that Liberal women were 'sufficiently assertive ' and men might need a leg up. Although meant as a joke, the remarks appalled many in the party and raised questions about why two octogenarians from Victoria – Stockdale and ex-senator Richard Alston – and another retired politician, former NSW MP Peta Seaton, were tasked with reforming the Liberals' biggest branch. Stockdale further stoked outrage when he couldn't tell the women's council meeting whether the committee would retain Menzies-era rules that guarantee Liberal women members significant roles in the party's governance structure. 'It was just rambling rubbish,' one former member of the NSW executive, a moderate, said. A prominent member of the right said of the three-person committee's address to the women's council: 'Doing a meeting by Zoom meant it was always bound to be recorded and become public.' More concerning for members than off-target jokes is the lack of progress made by the troika installed to run the NSW branch by the federal Liberals after the 2024 council elections farce. Stockdale, Alston and Seaton were charged with reviewing the NSW branch's lumbering 279-page constitution, overhauling the NSW administrative machinery and helping conduct the federal campaign in May. The administration of the NSW division was sparked by its failure to nominate 140 candidates for 16 local council elections last August, a mistake that exposed long-held worries about the state branch's professionalism. 'The big picture here is that party membership is collapsing,' said one former member of the state executive. 'If we have another three years like the last six years, the party will disappear.' Liberals who spoke to Guardian Australia on the condition of anonymity, because they are not permitted to comment publicly, said there had been little engagement by the trio with the NSW party over the past eight months. The meeting with the women's council last week came just weeks before their commission is due to run out on 30 June. Members also criticised the committee's stewardship during the federal election. The Liberals had hoped to pick up two or three seats in NSW – instead, they lost three, including the heartland seat of Bradfield by just a handful of votes. Despite it being clear months before the election that the seat of North Sydney was to be abolished, funds raised by the North Sydney conference were only partially allocated to the surrounding seats, with the result that tens of thousands of dollars sat in a bank account, according to one member close to the federal campaign. Head office Liberals said this was not due to the committee, but to the conference itself, which distributed some funds to the seat of Warringah and held onto other funds. The federal opposition leader, Sussan Ley, will be highly influential in deciding what happens next to the NSW division. One close observer of the process said: 'I have yet to see the federal executive make a decision that goes against the federal leader's wishes.' Ley said last week: 'The Liberal party must reflect, respect and represent modern Australia and that means recognising the strength, merit and leadership of the women in our ranks.' Former prime minister Tony Abbott and then Liberal leader Peter Dutton pushed for the October 2024 intervention. Abbott remains a strong advocate for continuing the three-person panel's brief beyond 30 June. Two weeks ago, he publicly warned Ley not to be swayed by the factions, particularly her own centre right faction which is helmed by federal MP Alex Hawke. The leader of the right faction, Anthony Roberts, weighed in on Monday, telling the Daily Telegraph the administration of the NSW Liberals should continue and that those opposing the intervention were 'cockroaches' trying to sabotage reform. But increasingly, moderates, centre right and some right faction members are favouring either letting it lapse, which would result in the old state executive taking over, or coming up with third path – such as a streamlined committee made up of NSW figures who could complete the overhaul quickly and return the party to its members. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Simply restoring the state executive could be problematic as the president, Don Harwin, has indicated he is not willing to return to the role. 'It's a poison chalice, particularly as the party is facing a class action from the failed local government candidates,' said one former member of the state executive. 'We're telling the state reps on federal executive that if they extend the intervention in NSW, then South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia will be next … because they are in even worse shape,' said another Liberal. 'We are just over 18 months away from a state election, we need to focus on that, because we already have a minority Labor government and we could actually win.' The most likely result is a compromise where a small committee of NSW Liberals takes over, with each of the factions represented. So what's at the heart of the problems with the NSW branch? Aside from an unwieldy 29-strong state executive, which acts as the equivalent of a board for the NSW Liberal party, the other problem is the rules surrounding branches. In the interests of stopping branch stacking and to ensure members are ideologically aligned with Liberal values, branches can reject members – and frequently do. Internal analysis showed that up to 75% of applications to join the Liberal party in some branches were rejected in recent years, Guardian Australia was told. There are limits on how many members can be admitted each month – another safeguard to stop the mass signing-up of members. In some heartland Liberal-held areas – known as conferences within the Liberal party – there can be many branches, so a person who wants to join can usually find one to accept them. But in Labor-held and marginal seats, there might only be two branches, which are often tightly controlled by a few families. 'This means they turn into fiefdoms, and it's really unhealthy for the party,' said one Liberal who has studied branch structures. Yet these are precisely the seats the party needs to win. Some Liberals, including the NSW leader, Mark Speakman, have floated the idea of abolishing branches altogether and returning to much larger party units based on conferences. Others want to relax the sign-up rules and the power of branches to reject members. Whatever solution is adopted will have implications for the factions – and the future of the Liberal party in NSW which has, for the last 40 years, been dominated by the moderates. 'This is a battle for the soul of the Liberal party: whether we become a far-right rump run by octogenarians or whether we become a centrist election-winning party again,' the former state treasurer and leading moderate Matt Kean told Guardian Australia last week. Stockdale, Alston and Seaton were contacted for comment.
The Age
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
Tasmania cannot beat the $1b cost of an AFL stadium
Alternative universe In what world did Peter Dutton think it was a good idea to appoint Alan Stockdale and Richard Alston as administrators to run the NSW division of the Liberal Party (″ Ley slams reverse quota talk ″, 5/6)? Having these two gentlemen lead any aspect of reforming the Liberal Party to ensure its relevance in the 21st century seems to be a great example of why the ″back on track″ slogan and strategy was such a disaster in the 2025 election campaign. Alex Donaldson, Hawthorn East See merit in reform Age chief political commentator James Massola puts forward a convincing argument as to why Jim Chalmers should cede some negotiating ground with the opposition on the question of superannuation reform (Comment, 6/6). However, the arguments put forward by the opposition on behalf of a small number of rich Australians have insufficient substance to be accepted. Superannuation is designed to provide a comfortable living in retirement. It is not a tax haven for a family farm nor expensive artwork. Adding to this point, it is disingenuous to project forward the impact of these changes 30 years, when an estimated 1.2 million people will have more than $3 million in their super accounts. As with our tax scales, adjustments will occur as time passes. It should also be noted that, Paul Keating in achieving significant economic reforms, didn't negotiate with John Howard. Rather, the opposition saw the merit of the Hawke-Keating reforms and didn't oppose them. If the opposition wants to seen to be more relevant, its challenge is to negotiate with Chalmers, not the other way around, and certainly not by pursuing a public relations campaign on behalf of rich Australians who just don't like paying tax. James Young, Mount Eliza Parental responsibility I can see that principals might be concerned about the introduction of disciplining students for out-of-school misbehaviours. Perhaps one way of reducing the need might be to tell boys and their parents when they start the school that this might occur if they misbehave in any serious way. And then, if the government follows the American tendency to give parents of such children's activities some legal responsibility for the child's behaviour, the number of such incidents might, over time, decrease. Anthony Whitmarsh, Bulleen Different in government In 2020, the ALP opposition decried – rightly – the Morrison government's 'gas-led recovery'. Now very securely in government the ALP has continued very strong support for the gas industry. Supporting the science and our environment was easy in opposition; in government apparently less so. The Woodside North West Shelf extension (until 2070) is outrageous. The emissions released will totally negate any reductions from our welcome but too slow transition to renewables. Peter Moore, Clifton Hill Not capital idea While there is some justification in increasing the tax on superannuation balances over $3million, there is absolutely no justification to attempting to tax 'unrealised' capital gains. It is inherently unfair. Those smug people who think that this is a tax on the super rich, be aware. Be really aware. Once it is established in the tax system that a such a tax is applicable where will it end? Why not tax share portfolios, investment properties, farms and, dare I say it, the family home. All may have unrealised capital gains and the principle has been established. Be aware. Be really aware. Vince Vozzo, Elwood History lesson The article ″ Trump fears Harvard's excellence ″ (5/6) outlining the critical value of universities, should be read in tandem with Cardinal Newman's The Idea of a University, first published in 1852. Though canonised as a saint in 2019, much of the Part 1 titled ″University Teaching″ focuses on the universal, secular issues confronting universities today. Elizabeth Douglas, Melbourne Silent epidemic Thank you for drawing attention to anorexia as the deadliest mental health condition (″ Anorexia a deadly illness but treatment is lagging ″, 5/6). It is unbelievable that more Australians die from this than they do from the road toll, and yet nothing seems to be being done to improve those terrible statistics. One can't help wonder if the disease wasn't perceived as something that just affects teenage girls, whether we would have a cure by now, instead of relying on 50-year-old treatments. It really is a silent epidemic that no one seems to acknowledge or care about. Anne Clisby, Alphington End UN veto power The US has blocked a resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza by exercising its veto power on the UN Security Council as a member of the permanent five big powers. If it's not the US doing this, then it's member Russia stopping effective UN support for Ukraine's struggle against its invader. The UN could be an effective force for world peace but it urgently needs reconstruction to become fully democratic, with the General Assembly the final decision maker and the veto power of the big five – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the US – rescinded. A large UN combat force is also required, not just to maintain peace after the blood is shed, like the current UN peacekeeping force, but one capable of rapid deployment to take the side of oppressed peoples like the Gazans and those heroically fighting imperialism like the Ukrainians. 'Peace through strength' based on collective security is why the UN was set up in 1945. Barry York, O'Connor, ACT How low can it go? Each day's news from Gaza leaves many of us wondering how the suffering could possibly worsen, yet it does. The recent deaths of 27 people waiting for food marks a horrifying new low. They were parents desperate to feed their children. What kind of war justifies the shooting of the starving? Beyond those points, Israel's leaders have stated their intent to destroy Gaza, and their conduct matches those words. If a state shows no willingness to limit its own violence, the world must act. Sanctions, an arms embargo, the deployment of peacekeepers, or even military intervention must be urgently considered. Waiting for a sudden outbreak of conscience is not a strategy. Zoe Kenny, St Kilda East No Israel is their plan Your correspondent (Letters, 6/6) says that the creation of a separate Palestinian state is the only solution to resolving Palestinian resentment at their plight. But he ignores the fact that this is precisely what they were offered not just in the 1947 UN Partition plan, but several times thereafter. That this has never been achieved has ultimately been because the leadership of one or more of Israel's neighbours until this day have only been prepared to accept a Palestinian state that was instead of, rather than alongside the Jewish state. Geoff Feren, St Kilda East Indefensible act Since when did starving innocent people to death become 'self-defence'? Jody Ellis, Thornbury Stakes are high No matter how much American beef hits these shores, I for one will never be persuaded to buy anything that comes from Trump's America (″ US beef on the table in Trump trade-off ″, 6/6). Dudley Chamberlain, Beaumaris English in express lane After reading student essays, a colleague remarked to me: 'I have to concede that English is changing, but not that fast.' James Goding, Princes Hill AND ANOTHER THING Politics Alan Stockdale's template for a Liberal Party preselection process: assertive women and non-assertive men to the left; short, assertive men with bushy eyebrows to the right. Bernd Rieve, Brighton There may be one dinosaur in the room (Letters, 6/6), but they are not extinct. There are still many circling the house, mouths gaping, roaring prehistoric ideas to the Liberal Party in what is a new world. Anne Carroll, Brighton East Alan Stockdale turns to the standard reply of those caught out by something they've said: 'It was just a joke.' Tim Durbridge, Brunswick I wish columnists like Shaun Carney (Comment, 5/6) would stop writing advice to the Liberal Party about how to recover support in the electorate. I'm very happy with their present position. Peter Hepburn, Claremont, Tas Trump/Musk Donald Trump and Elon Musk with their clashing outsized egos live in an echo chamber that must be cacophonous. Barrie Bales, Woorinen North The reality show between Donald Trump and Elon Musk ″Ugly and uglier' has finally gone to air after many previews. Take a seat and enjoy. Ruth Davis, Carrum Furthermore I withdrew $1000 from my account in the High St last week. There is no ATM. Later, I was staggered to find I was charged $2.50 for a ″staff-assisted service fee″. Have banks no shame? George Stockman, Berwick The AFL has made an overdue Tasmanian team dependent on building an expensive stadium. This has helped bring down the Tasmanian government. Malcolm McDonald, Burwood
SBS Australia
5 days ago
- Business
- SBS Australia
Ley rebuffs Liberal Party member's comments on "reverse quotas" for men
Ley rebuffs Liberal Party member's comments on "reverse quotas" for men Published 5 June 2025, 7:54 am Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has slammed comments made by senior member of the Liberal Party Alan Stockdale that women had become so assertive, the party may need reverse quotas for men. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the Coalition has lost its way, as he faced questions over Labor's newest recruit.
The Age
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
Discipline out of school matter for the parents
Late yesterday, the Premier Jeremy Rockliff lost a no-confidence motion in parliament and was seeking a snap state election, Letters Ed Dinosaur in the room The Liberal Party's quest to annihilate itself goes on. It is not just at a national level, but, in Victoria and NSW, the destructive behaviour continues. Just when you thought dinosaurs were extinct, up pops Victorian Liberal, and former state treasurer Alan Stockdale endeavouring to leave his imprint on the NSW branch with the advice that quotas for women were not necessary and that 'no one cares about the Liberal Party' (CBD, 5/6). At a national level leader Sussan Ley has the unenviable task of trying to resuscitate a party that is yet to heed the message the electorate delivered at the election. The party elders either need to face the realities of modern life or exit the political world. Anne Lyon, Camberwell Oblivion beckons Alan Stockdale's suggestion on a NSW Liberal Women's Council Zoom that assertive women might necessitate reverse quotas for men exposes a party dictated by octogenarian white men, hopelessly out of touch. Sussan Ley's call for assertive women to join is admirable but futile against a culture that marginalises them. The Liberals' 'women problem' with unwinnable candidacies and policies like banning work-from-home arrangements drove their May election rout. The Liberal Party is past its use-by date, stuck in a bygone era. Women seeking progress, agency and leadership can turn to Labor, the Greens, or the dynamic community independents model, where grassroots voices champion equality and diversity. Why join a party where elderly men dictate direction and flinch at women's assertiveness? Whether the Liberals can shed this outdated mindset and embrace alternatives reflecting today's diverse values will dictate their future. So far, it looks like they're doomed to fade into oblivion. Sue Barrett, Caulfield South Empathy imbalance A ″Freedom boat″ is sailing to Gaza with aid and is receiving media publicity worldwide. Could such boats be launched to Sudan? It is the world's worst humanitarian crisis right now: 13 million displaced; a severe famine and up to 150,000 people killed. Do the Sudanese matter? Or are some humanitarian crises more important than others? Pia Brous, Armadale In aid of defence Australia's continuing foreign aid programs are still our most effective defence. Graeme Macmillan, Blackburn Sense of betrayal Who needs a strong opposition when the Labor Party has a strong right faction? There has been the removal of two perfectly fine ministers, the deputy prime minister open to the US administration's calls on defence spending and the 40-year extension of Woodside's gas project, well in excess of Australia's zero emissions target by 2050. Sure, gas to support the transition to renewables, but not extra gas to continue exorbitant offshore exports. I imagine Labor voters are feeling betrayed, angry and disillusioned. Is it a naive hope that the defection of Senator Dorinda Cox will somehow bring the Labor Party more left? The mandate adhered to should be first and foremost, protection of the environment. Bronwyn Davis, Kennington The past in the present The double tragedy of the Labor government's early squandering of the massive political capital it was given 'in one awful decision' (ie extension of Woodside Energy's North West Shelf gas tenure) and the harm already done to Murujuga rock art that predates the building of the Egyptian pyramids – because of the former – is sorrowful (' In one awful decision, Albanese has revealed his do-nothing plan ', 4/6). Indeed, it would be incomprehensible to the French as it would be to the British to allow companies to ″screw around' with their nation's respective monumental legacies in the implicit understanding that it is a cornerstone testament to their cultural identity. Perhaps herein lies the rub. That is, our nation's unreconciled history and successive leadership's failure to unite our country whereby, unjustly, First Nations Australians continue to bear the collateral damage in the present time of our nation's brutal and bloody antecedents. Jelena Rosic, Mornington Promises broken As usual, Ross Gittins nails it (4/6). Anthony Albanese fooled enough people into believing his promises to act on climate change. I lost faith in Labor on this issue long ago, and am sure many more will over the approval of further drilling on the North West Shelf. Of course, he may say that it was Minister Murray Watt's decision, but it was, as Gittins points out, at the behest of the big mining companies through the Western Australian premier. And Albanese just waited until after the election to let us all in on the news. I don't want to see Albanese sympathetically nodding and handshaking with victims of extreme weather events any longer. It is hypocritical in the extreme to promise to help people who have lost lives, homes and livelihoods through natural disasters, which are no longer ″natural″ but extremely worsened by rapidly worsening climate change. Kerry Echberg, Princes Hill Bin there, too hard The article ″ Too hard to build ″ (3/6) referenced the delays and red tape involved in building developments. Specifically it cited North Sydney council taking 41 days just to lodge a planning application on their system. It's meant to take 14. Last week I applied to upsize my garden waste bin on Darebin Council's website. The reply? Up to 21 business days for the bin change. That's a calendar month. Peter Harris, Preston Moving lines Reading the articles by Nicola Redhouse and Daniel Rabin (Comments, 31/5), each looking at the present situation differently, makes me wonder why we seem to have forgotten that statehood within fixed boundaries is both modern and temporary. Throughout the last several millennia, people mostly lived in language-cultural-ethnic groups in different parts of the world, overlapping with each other. Many present countries, e.g. India, Italy and Germany, are very recent constructs brought about by their constituent kingdoms, sultanates and so on being forcefully brought together by powerful leaders. Most of the world has been run by empires formed by one entity conquering neighbouring ones, with their boundaries continually fluctuating. Neither the Israelites nor the Palestinians ever had a ″state″ as such – they just lived in the same area of the world with much overlap in where their people lived. The European Zionists had the idea of a ″national home″ for Jews, with few Palestinians in it, and were successful in getting the British government to create it for them. It's easy to see why Palestinians resent their treatment and want to return to their land and have it recognised in the same way Israelis are recognised for theirs. It seems to me that the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is the only just solution. Don Jordan, Mount Waverley Protect the trees When we bought our home 30 years ago, it was surrounded by trees outside our boundary, providing complete privacy (″ All the leaves are brown, and the neighbours are warring ″, 4/6). Over time, all were removed except one majestic gum tree just beyond our back fence. Its canopy, mostly over our side, attracts lorikeets, wattlebirds, magpies, noisy miners, nesting crows ,possums and fruit bats – I love it. Seven years ago, the neighbouring property was sold and redeveloped into a two-storey home nine metres from our fence. After demolition, I found an arborist on my shed roof quoting to remove the gumtree. In Bentleigh East, owner-occupiers can mostly remove trees without restriction. I messaged the new owner, offering my architect wife's help to design around the tree, which is the only visual barrier between our yards, but received no response. The tree was eventually protected after correspondence with the council and planning consultants. The new owner pruned his side harshly. Fortunately, it's now fuller on our side, still providing privacy and attracting beautiful wildlife. More protection should be afforded to our native trees and the ecosystems they support. Russell Brims, Bentleigh East Opportunity missed Sad to hear Donald Trump and Elon Musk have fallen out. I was hoping Musk would put Trump on his first passenger flight to Mars. Ron Mather, Melbourne AND ANOTHER THING Politics More of the same from the opposition (″Coalition shuts down hope of super tax deal″, 5/6). Phillip Ross, Somerville For the Coalition, the only good tax is no tax. Bernd Rieve, Brighton Sticking to the plan of former opposition leader Peter Dutton of saying no to everything will guarantee the Coalition plenty of years in opposition. Pete Garfield, Echuca How long before Labor has ″buyer's remorse″ with Dorinda Cox? Tom Stafford, Wheelers Hill Literally Before lamenting lost adverbs, shouldn't we first mourn the subjunctive? If only it were still widely used. Mark Summerfield, Northcote I agree that it is useless trying to set English in concrete (Letters, 5/6). The headline on page 5 of The Age (5/6) ″We are treating it wrong″ shows that the adverb is already buried. Sandra Torpey, Hawthorn Furthermore A friend usually requests or suggests. A bully demands. We now know where US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth fits. And as for confidential defence discussions – forget it. Arthur Pritchard, Ascot Vale Your correspondent (Letters, 3/6) says that Anthony Albanese should stick to his guns after the US defence secretary suggested an increase in defence spending for Australia. Surely he meant to say he should stick to his subs? Alan Inchley, Frankston Will Elon Musk now put his billions behind Rand Paul (″Musk puts political clout to the test″, 4/6)? Marie Nash, Balwyn
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Foot in the mouth elder statesman has done the Liberals no favour
Just when the Liberal Party is struggling to rebuild and move into the 21st century following a series of self-inflicted wounds and May 3's near-death electoral defeat, a blundering tribal elder has glanced backwards and shown that political parties are quite capable of rotting from the top. Alan Stockdale, a former Liberal Party federal president and ex-Victorian treasurer, brought in to save the NSW Liberal branch from self harm, has managed to shoot himself and the party in the feet, telling a Zoom meeting of the NSW Liberal Women's Council this week, 'women are sufficiently assertive now… we should be giving some thought to whether we need to protect men's involvement'. As bewildered outrage raced along the Liberals' bush telegraph and federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley all but sneered, Stockdale apologised. 'Following a discussion of quotas, I made a light-hearted but poorly chosen remark. I certainly intended no disrespect to anyone, and I regret that people felt disrespected,' he said. Not good enough, sir. A current perspective on Stockdale could explain such shellback obstinacy: as a state treasurer he played Elon Musk to Jeff Kennett's Donald Trump when the Liberals swept a floundering Labor government aside and imposed radical financial reforms and massive public service cuts. Post politics, board chairmanships and a six-year stint as federal president followed. Former leader Peter Dutton last year appointed Stockdale, 80, another outsider, former Victorian senator Richard Alston, 84, and former NSW MP Peta Seaton, 65, as administrators to run the NSW division after its failure to nominate 144 candidates for local government elections. However, there is deep division over whether their planned term should end on June 30. The federal executive of the party will consider an extension of the trio's term at a meeting on June 17. The Liberals' plight has forced modernisation. But Stockdale's antediluvian comments on Liberal women are absurd, especially when commonsense demands the party abandon the entrenched opposition to affirmative action and quotas for women. His words also display political ineptitude unworthy of an elder statesman charged with rebuilding his party to recapture its lost heartland. As the Herald 's state political editor Alexandra Smith noted, Stockdale's pitch to Liberal women should be enough to send the clear message that he and Alston were not the right pick, let alone demographic, to turn around a troubled party which has been reduced to a rump of just six federal seats in NSW. Their term should not be extended, and consideration to appointing talented women of the Liberal Party should take the reins. This does not mean the end of federal intervention. The Liberals remain a mess that must be cleaned up and a new beginning found. Democracy needs the party to be fighting fit and move beyond internecine brawling, factionalism and living in the past. The cause has not been helped by Stockdale's foot in mouth. He is a case study of the people put in charge of the Liberals who have brought the party to its current parlous state.
