Latest news with #Falinski
Sky News AU
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘It's not working': Former Liberal MP urges rethink on Coalition deal after election loss
As Coalition talks continue between the Liberal and National parties following a landslide defeat in the recent Australian federal election, former Liberal MP Jason Falinski has suggested a pause between the two parties. 'I just don't think it's been a good deal for the Liberal Party for a number of decades now,' Mr Falinski told Sky News Australia. 'One of the structural weaknesses of the coalition is that the leader of the Liberal Party is the leader of the Coalition, and the Liberal Party doesn't have anyone standing up for it, and we saw the results at the last election. 'In the last three elections, we have seen the Liberal Party reduced to nothing in the cities. Now, you can't win government unless you're winning seats in the cities. 'I think the Liberal Party should just say, look, it's not working for us anymore. Perhaps we should all take a break from each other and reconsider our positions.'
The Advertiser
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Liberals warned to ditch culture wars ahead of vote
The next leader of the Liberals has been urged to fight for Australians and to forgo ideological or culture wars. Liberals deputy leader Sussan Ley and shadow treasurer Angus Taylor are vying for the top spot, with Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price joining forces with Mr Taylor in a tilt for deputy leader. As the party tries to rebuild after its worst election defeat since World War II, ex-NSW Liberal president Jason Falinski has called on MPs to rethink their priorities. "I don't think we need to focus on left or right," Mr Falinski told ABC radio on Monday. "I don't think Australians think along that sort of ideological spectrum. "What we need to focus on is helping Australians get ahead." Mr Falinski used to hold the Sydney seat of Mackellar but came under scrutiny during the 2022 federal election after he attended an event with controversial Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves, who once claimed transgender children were being "surgically mutilated and sterilised". Both lost their respective battles in those seats during an election that arguably marked the start of the Liberal Party's downward trajectory. The former politician urged Liberals to move away from the culture wars over societal issues. "You can't say we want government out of the boardroom, just so we can put it in the bedroom," he said. "When the Liberal Party is framing its policies in terms of the so-called culture wars, we're losing votes, we're splintering our electorate coalition. "When we are framing issues in terms of economic policy, we're bringing our electoral coalition together. NSW Liberal senator Dave Sharma warned that whoever wins the leadership can't allow the party to break into warring left-right camps. "They're both honest about the scale of the challenge we face and they're both committed," he said of the two main contenders. "It's important to make a collegiate approach after this leadership ballot - there are not enough of us to break apart into warring camps. "We need to all pull in the same direction." Senator Sharma also said the outside leadership contender, Victorian Tim Wilson, hadn't been in touch with him but he was aware of the support being given to Mr Wilson by Mr Falinski. Mr Wilson has claimed victory in the Melbourne seat of Goldstein over independent Zoe Daniel, although she is yet to concede. "Tim is a fighter, and I think our supporters - any supporters of any political party after the loss that we've just had - want someone who's going to fight," Mr Falinski said. "But it's not really a pay-in to Tim Wilson. "Whoever the next leader is has to embody that fighting spirit if we're going to get ahead." The Liberals will elect the new opposition leader on Tuesday, while the National Party will go to a leadership vote on Monday. The Labor government is likely to have at least 92 seats in the lower house, and the coalition 40, out of 150 spots. Some eight seats are still in doubt. The next leader of the Liberals has been urged to fight for Australians and to forgo ideological or culture wars. Liberals deputy leader Sussan Ley and shadow treasurer Angus Taylor are vying for the top spot, with Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price joining forces with Mr Taylor in a tilt for deputy leader. As the party tries to rebuild after its worst election defeat since World War II, ex-NSW Liberal president Jason Falinski has called on MPs to rethink their priorities. "I don't think we need to focus on left or right," Mr Falinski told ABC radio on Monday. "I don't think Australians think along that sort of ideological spectrum. "What we need to focus on is helping Australians get ahead." Mr Falinski used to hold the Sydney seat of Mackellar but came under scrutiny during the 2022 federal election after he attended an event with controversial Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves, who once claimed transgender children were being "surgically mutilated and sterilised". Both lost their respective battles in those seats during an election that arguably marked the start of the Liberal Party's downward trajectory. The former politician urged Liberals to move away from the culture wars over societal issues. "You can't say we want government out of the boardroom, just so we can put it in the bedroom," he said. "When the Liberal Party is framing its policies in terms of the so-called culture wars, we're losing votes, we're splintering our electorate coalition. "When we are framing issues in terms of economic policy, we're bringing our electoral coalition together. NSW Liberal senator Dave Sharma warned that whoever wins the leadership can't allow the party to break into warring left-right camps. "They're both honest about the scale of the challenge we face and they're both committed," he said of the two main contenders. "It's important to make a collegiate approach after this leadership ballot - there are not enough of us to break apart into warring camps. "We need to all pull in the same direction." Senator Sharma also said the outside leadership contender, Victorian Tim Wilson, hadn't been in touch with him but he was aware of the support being given to Mr Wilson by Mr Falinski. Mr Wilson has claimed victory in the Melbourne seat of Goldstein over independent Zoe Daniel, although she is yet to concede. "Tim is a fighter, and I think our supporters - any supporters of any political party after the loss that we've just had - want someone who's going to fight," Mr Falinski said. "But it's not really a pay-in to Tim Wilson. "Whoever the next leader is has to embody that fighting spirit if we're going to get ahead." The Liberals will elect the new opposition leader on Tuesday, while the National Party will go to a leadership vote on Monday. The Labor government is likely to have at least 92 seats in the lower house, and the coalition 40, out of 150 spots. Some eight seats are still in doubt. The next leader of the Liberals has been urged to fight for Australians and to forgo ideological or culture wars. Liberals deputy leader Sussan Ley and shadow treasurer Angus Taylor are vying for the top spot, with Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price joining forces with Mr Taylor in a tilt for deputy leader. As the party tries to rebuild after its worst election defeat since World War II, ex-NSW Liberal president Jason Falinski has called on MPs to rethink their priorities. "I don't think we need to focus on left or right," Mr Falinski told ABC radio on Monday. "I don't think Australians think along that sort of ideological spectrum. "What we need to focus on is helping Australians get ahead." Mr Falinski used to hold the Sydney seat of Mackellar but came under scrutiny during the 2022 federal election after he attended an event with controversial Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves, who once claimed transgender children were being "surgically mutilated and sterilised". Both lost their respective battles in those seats during an election that arguably marked the start of the Liberal Party's downward trajectory. The former politician urged Liberals to move away from the culture wars over societal issues. "You can't say we want government out of the boardroom, just so we can put it in the bedroom," he said. "When the Liberal Party is framing its policies in terms of the so-called culture wars, we're losing votes, we're splintering our electorate coalition. "When we are framing issues in terms of economic policy, we're bringing our electoral coalition together. NSW Liberal senator Dave Sharma warned that whoever wins the leadership can't allow the party to break into warring left-right camps. "They're both honest about the scale of the challenge we face and they're both committed," he said of the two main contenders. "It's important to make a collegiate approach after this leadership ballot - there are not enough of us to break apart into warring camps. "We need to all pull in the same direction." Senator Sharma also said the outside leadership contender, Victorian Tim Wilson, hadn't been in touch with him but he was aware of the support being given to Mr Wilson by Mr Falinski. Mr Wilson has claimed victory in the Melbourne seat of Goldstein over independent Zoe Daniel, although she is yet to concede. "Tim is a fighter, and I think our supporters - any supporters of any political party after the loss that we've just had - want someone who's going to fight," Mr Falinski said. "But it's not really a pay-in to Tim Wilson. "Whoever the next leader is has to embody that fighting spirit if we're going to get ahead." The Liberals will elect the new opposition leader on Tuesday, while the National Party will go to a leadership vote on Monday. The Labor government is likely to have at least 92 seats in the lower house, and the coalition 40, out of 150 spots. Some eight seats are still in doubt. The next leader of the Liberals has been urged to fight for Australians and to forgo ideological or culture wars. Liberals deputy leader Sussan Ley and shadow treasurer Angus Taylor are vying for the top spot, with Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price joining forces with Mr Taylor in a tilt for deputy leader. As the party tries to rebuild after its worst election defeat since World War II, ex-NSW Liberal president Jason Falinski has called on MPs to rethink their priorities. "I don't think we need to focus on left or right," Mr Falinski told ABC radio on Monday. "I don't think Australians think along that sort of ideological spectrum. "What we need to focus on is helping Australians get ahead." Mr Falinski used to hold the Sydney seat of Mackellar but came under scrutiny during the 2022 federal election after he attended an event with controversial Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves, who once claimed transgender children were being "surgically mutilated and sterilised". Both lost their respective battles in those seats during an election that arguably marked the start of the Liberal Party's downward trajectory. The former politician urged Liberals to move away from the culture wars over societal issues. "You can't say we want government out of the boardroom, just so we can put it in the bedroom," he said. "When the Liberal Party is framing its policies in terms of the so-called culture wars, we're losing votes, we're splintering our electorate coalition. "When we are framing issues in terms of economic policy, we're bringing our electoral coalition together. NSW Liberal senator Dave Sharma warned that whoever wins the leadership can't allow the party to break into warring left-right camps. "They're both honest about the scale of the challenge we face and they're both committed," he said of the two main contenders. "It's important to make a collegiate approach after this leadership ballot - there are not enough of us to break apart into warring camps. "We need to all pull in the same direction." Senator Sharma also said the outside leadership contender, Victorian Tim Wilson, hadn't been in touch with him but he was aware of the support being given to Mr Wilson by Mr Falinski. Mr Wilson has claimed victory in the Melbourne seat of Goldstein over independent Zoe Daniel, although she is yet to concede. "Tim is a fighter, and I think our supporters - any supporters of any political party after the loss that we've just had - want someone who's going to fight," Mr Falinski said. "But it's not really a pay-in to Tim Wilson. "Whoever the next leader is has to embody that fighting spirit if we're going to get ahead." The Liberals will elect the new opposition leader on Tuesday, while the National Party will go to a leadership vote on Monday. The Labor government is likely to have at least 92 seats in the lower house, and the coalition 40, out of 150 spots. Some eight seats are still in doubt.
Perth Now
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Liberals warned to ditch culture wars ahead of vote
The next leader of the Liberals has been urged to fight for Australians and to forgo ideological or culture wars. Liberals deputy leader Sussan Ley and shadow treasurer Angus Taylor are vying for the top spot, with Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price joining forces with Mr Taylor in a tilt for deputy leader. As the party tries to rebuild after its worst election defeat since World War II, ex-NSW Liberal president Jason Falinski has called on MPs to rethink their priorities. "I don't think we need to focus on left or right," Mr Falinski told ABC radio on Monday. "I don't think Australians think along that sort of ideological spectrum. "What we need to focus on is helping Australians get ahead." Mr Falinski used to hold the Sydney seat of Mackellar but came under scrutiny during the 2022 federal election after he attended an event with controversial Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves, who once claimed transgender children were being "surgically mutilated and sterilised". Both lost their respective battles in those seats during an election that arguably marked the start of the Liberal Party's downward trajectory. The former politician urged Liberals to move away from the culture wars over societal issues. "You can't say we want government out of the boardroom, just so we can put it in the bedroom," he said. "When the Liberal Party is framing its policies in terms of the so-called culture wars, we're losing votes, we're splintering our electorate coalition. "When we are framing issues in terms of economic policy, we're bringing our electoral coalition together. NSW Liberal senator Dave Sharma warned that whoever wins the leadership can't allow the party to break into warring left-right camps. "They're both honest about the scale of the challenge we face and they're both committed," he said of the two main contenders. "It's important to make a collegiate approach after this leadership ballot - there are not enough of us to break apart into warring camps. "We need to all pull in the same direction." Senator Sharma also said the outside leadership contender, Victorian Tim Wilson, hadn't been in touch with him but he was aware of the support being given to Mr Wilson by Mr Falinski. Mr Wilson has claimed victory in the Melbourne seat of Goldstein over independent Zoe Daniel, although she is yet to concede. "Tim is a fighter, and I think our supporters - any supporters of any political party after the loss that we've just had - want someone who's going to fight," Mr Falinski said. "But it's not really a pay-in to Tim Wilson. "Whoever the next leader is has to embody that fighting spirit if we're going to get ahead." The Liberals will elect the new opposition leader on Tuesday, while the National Party will go to a leadership vote on Monday. The Labor government is likely to have at least 92 seats in the lower house, and the coalition 40, out of 150 spots. Some eight seats are still in doubt.
Sky News AU
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Liberal Party's organisation needs to get a ‘hell of a lot better'
Former Liberal MP Jason Falinski says the Liberal Party's organisation needs to get a 'hell of a lot better'. 'This is just typical, you know, playbook of the Labor Party 101, which is delegitimise the opposition, say don't pay them any attention, they're not serious, and therefore they get away without any critique in Australian society,' Mr Falinski told Sky News Australia. 'The political movement that the Liberal Party represents is one of the oldest in the world, one that says the rights of individuals are important and are critical to the way that any community and society works. 'Our movement's not going anywhere, the parliamentary party needs to get better, the organisation needs to get a hell of a lot better.'
The Guardian
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Train takes, diss tracks and TikTok clips: politicians pull out the stops to win over gen Z voters
The 2025 federal election marks an important time for voters born in the internet age, as gen Z and millennial voters significantly outnumber baby boomers heading to the polls. And what better way for politicians to connect with the youth than through TikTok – right? While the Greens might have captured the zeitgeist with their recent Brat-themed DJ set, an analysis by marketing company Fabulate found Anthony Albanese is actually leading in engagement on TikTok. The analysis found the prime minister's most popular video on the platform, a pretty sanitised clip spruiking Medicare, had more than 400,000 views. Meanwhile, Peter Dutton's top rating video was a sombre slideshow on his policies with more than 130,000 views. Adam Bandt's top video was on legalising cannabis, raking in more than 90,000 views. We've already seen a number of political diss tracks, as well as AI action figure memes, as political parties fight for young eyeballs online – so who knows what else they might have up their sleeves. Fortunately for young Australians, there's still yet to be a viral dance routine from leaders. For now. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter While we're still on 'trying to make politics fetch for anyone under 45', the independent candidate for Bradfield has taken a bold step. Channelling Kareem Rahma's popular Subway Takes series, Nicolette Boele is launching her own – T1 Takes. In a preview video on Instagram this week, the teal candidate asks commuters riding on Sydney's north shore train line for their takes. Like the original series, it's low budget, with interviewees using their Opal cards as microphones. One woman quips: 'If men were the ones staying at home, we would have had universal childcare 20 years ago.' 'Your generation kind of screwed us over,' a (presumably) gen Z punter says. We can't wait for more takes. This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Who says life after politics is dull? Probably not former Coalition MPs Julian Simmonds and Jason Falinski, who are exacting revenge on the pesky challengers who took their seats in the 2022 election. Falinski, the former Mackellar member, and Simmonds, the former Brisbane MP, have been getting busy putting out ads for their anti-super-tax group, Australians for Prosperity. The 'grassroots' group has spent nearly $113,000 in the three months to 13 April across 182 ads, according to Meta's ad library. Most of those ads target teal candidates, including Sophie Scamps, who unseated Falinski last election, as well as featuring street interviews. One ad targeting the Wentworth MP, Zali Steggall, resembled a product recall notice, with supposed 'defects' including 'increases costs'. When they're not targeting the teals or the Greens, the group's main gripe is with Labor's proposal to double the tax rate for superannuation accounts of more than $3m. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Like almost everyone living in Australia, you've probably seen or heard an ad from Clive Palmer and his Trumpet of Patriots party. This is because the bulk of his digital ad spending since the start of the campaign – at least $1.4m so far according to Meta and Google data aggregated by Populares' political AdTracker – has targeted the entirety of Australia. The only significant spend outside the national spree has been on several YouTube ads targeting the seat of Hunter, near Newcastle, and surrounding electorates. One ad takes aim at the major parties' support for a net zero target and claims that the major parties want to close down the coal industry in the Hunter Valley. The Trumpet's focus on the Hunter is no doubt due to the Trumpet of Patriots' candidate in the area, Suellen Wrightson, being the party's 'lower house party leader' and proposed next prime minister. Sound familiar? We've been tracking everywhere the leaders have been since the start of the campaign, and now that we've reached the midway point, we can reveal the locations each leader has visited the most. In this map (using the same modified cartogram design we use for election results so smaller seats are more visible) you can see where they've been, and how many times. Not surprisingly, both leaders have been spending plenty of time in marginal electorates – marginal seats have comprised 50% of Albanese's visits and 57% of Dutton's so far. According to the Australian Electoral Commission, 51 of Australia's 150 federal electorates are considered marginal in 2025 (held with a margin of 6% or less). Election campaigns are full of oopsies moments and it's our privilege to bring them to you. One eagle-eyed X user spotted a typically divisive post by Facebook page 'Election News', run by rightwing activist group Advance Australia, that seems to have gone astray. The post contained a link to a YouTube video by Labor-aligned YouTuber FriendlyJordies, AKA Jordan Shanks, with the hyperbolic title (and matching comically large thumbnail) 'Labor is too WOKE'. In the video, posted after the US election in November, Shanks expressed concern the party was risking the same fate as the Democrats by focusing on 'elitist' and 'censorious' policies. But in a cheeky move, Shanks has since changed the video's title, thumbnail and caption to 'The Liberals WILL Privatise Medicare'. 'Now Liberal party funds are going towards a MediScare campaign', he said in a follow-up video detailing the move. 'Thanks again for my only paid sponsorship for the election, Libs.'
