Latest news with #LiberalNationals
SBS Australia
28-05-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
Reunited Coalition reveals new shadow cabinet
Reunited Coalition reveals new shadow cabinet Published 28 May 2025, 8:39 am Eight days after the Coalition sensationally split up, the Liberal and Nationals are back together. It's a deal struck on key policies that paved the way for the unveiling of a shadow cabinet with plenty of surprises.
News.com.au
11-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan calls for ‘unconventional' approach in party leadership shake-up
In the wake of a crushing defeat for the Liberal-Nationals Coalition, Nationals senator Matt Canavan has called for a fresh approach in the party's leadership. Senator Canavan is challenging incumbent Nationals leader David Littleproud when the party room meets in Canberra. on Monday. 'We obviously didn't do a good enough job to convince people to change,' he said. 'Liberal-Nationals Coalition has suffered the worst defeat since World War II, and so I think it is a time where we perhaps look to unconventional responses to get ourselves back in the game. '(The Labor Party) has got a big task to do. We are, as a country, losing our income, losing our industries, losing our laid-back culture … I do hope Albanese can find the leadership that he lacked in the last few years to change the direction of our country.' Senator Canavan refused to comment on whether he or Nationals leader David Littleproud was being backed by the party's former leader Barnaby Joyce. 'I think David's done an excellent job over the last term in changing the policy agenda for the Coalition,' Senator Canavan said. 'They're putting nuclear energy on the table for the first time, divestiture policy in our competition law has been a longstanding goal of the Nationals party, and he was a part of the team that took the Voice down as well. 'We didn't win though and ultimately his job, like any major leadership role, is a performance-based job.' Senator Canavan is the only challenger against Mr Littleproud for the top job as 'discontentment' runs rife within the party. 'I'm glad I put my hand up because I think our party deserves a choice. I think the people deserve a choice,' Senator Canavan said. Another MP said Mr Littleproud would likely stay on as leader, but there was 'a lot to discuss post-election'. 'All of our party members and all of our party elected members should be demanding leadership that works, and no one should take it for granted, and they should always be questioned,' one senior Nationals source told The Australian.
RNZ News
07-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Clear battle lines drawn over New Zealand politicians' interpretations of Australian election
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese waves beside his partner Jodie Haydon after winning the general election at the Labor Party election night event in Sydney on 3 May, 2025. Photo: SAEED KHAN / AFP Clear battle lines have been drawn in New Zealand politics when it comes to the interpretation of the Australian election. The Australian Labor Party's Anthony Albanese's landslide victory on the weekend saw him become the first Australian prime minister to be re-elected in 20 years. His opponent Peter Dutton, who leads the Liberal-Nationals coalition was ahead in the polls as recently as February, but on election day Labor had 82 seats to the coalition's 36. Many commentators compared Dutton's policies and campaign to that of US President Donald Trump, concluding the victory was a rejection of that style of politics on trend with the Canadian election. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon this week rejected that. "I think that's really about strong economic management," he said. "When you see the parties that have lost it's because they've been focused on things that haven't actually mattered to the population. You've got to be able to be focused ruthlessly on lowering the cost of living, that's what people care about." Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says strong economic management is what mattered to Australians. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi He rejected the suggestion this meant the left-leaning Australian Labor Party were the stronger economic managers compared to the right-leaning, broad-church coalition. "I'm not commenting on the individual elections ... you could argue a centre-right government in Singapore that increased its vote because it's got strong economic management in very uncertain times." ACT leader David Seymour took a similar tack. "You've got to have a message of hope that has wide appeal, and that means a coherent vision of a country where people are equal and have opportunity, and have equal opportunity. Seems to me like a lot of parties in the election over there got sidetracked." ACT leader David Seymour said the key was a message with wide appeal and hope. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel He said some voters seemed to make up their mind based on Trump, but "because everything Donald Trump seems to be in vogue for media reporting, that effect may have been exaggerated". "When there is uncertainty beyond our borders, New Zealanders look for stability. In happier times, we look for growth. In my view, New Zealand's at a point where we must do both. "We respect foreigners' rights to have their elections, good on them, we're glad they do - but we're focused on our own people." New Zealand First leader Winston Peters had two words to explain his view on the Trump effect: Nigel Farage, whose right-wing populist party Reform UK secured five seats last July, with more than 14 percent of the vote. "You saw what happened in England, didn't you, and he has a close connection with Donald Trump, and so all those who are giving that cheap, uneducated explanation have been proven wrong," he said. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said he was not surprised by the results. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel The Australian election result was no surprise to him, he said. Across the aisle, Labour's Chris Hipkins could not resist turning Luxon's words against him. "I'm glad the prime minister seems to have had a road-to-Damascus conversion and now believes that Labor Party approaches to economic management are responsible economic management, I happen to agree with that." Labour leader Chris Hipkins says there's been backlash to divisive populism internationally. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone From there, the agreement ended. "I also do think there's an international backlash to the sort of nasty, divisive populism that we've seen from centre-right parties around the world." The Greens' Chlöe Swarbrick also said it was "a pretty resounding rejection of a Trumpian-style of politics". "I think that the current actions from our very own coalition government - to, for example, make moves towards defining what a woman is in legislation, not actually meaningfully caring about policies that progress women's rights, and then on the other hand deciding to wage a bit of cultural warfare by taking away the votes of approximately 10,000 prisoners while the cost of living crisis rages on - to me, indicate that this government hasn't really and isn't taking those lessons." Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the current government isn't taking lessons from an overseas rejection of "Trumpian-style" politics. Photo: RNZ / Reece Baker Asked if the prime minister was right that people wanted stability and a focus on the economy, she said New Zealanders were concerned about cost of living and climate - but that the coalition was focused on other things. "I think that we can see very clearly across the world that we are currently experiencing a rate of wealth inequality that rivals the aristocracy. That inequality is precisely what breeds poverty and homelessness and many of the social ills that are then being weaponised under the guise of cultural warfare." Te Pāti Māori's co-leader Rawiri Waititi said he "absolutely" believed Australia's election showed the Trump effect. "I think the Australian election was a last ditch effort of the boomer generation to hold on to any kind of political power and control. I absolutely believe that. "They're anti everything and you can see it in this government. Backfired in Australia, backfired in Canada, and no doubt it will backfire here in New Zealand, I have total confidence in that." Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said he was expecting a dirty election campaign next year. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Expecting a dirty election campaign next year, he said New Zealand First needed a political football to rile up voters. "But we're not the enemy. Their enemy is ACT because they will be fighting over the same voters and so what ACT and New Zealand First will have to do is see who can kick the 'Maoris' the hardest in order to please their voters ... absolutely it will be a dirty campaign." The context in Australia is not the same, with a different parliamentary system, state governments, a transferable vote system, mandatory voting, and a different media landscape. New Zealand's MMP system means parties only need 5 percent of the total party vote to get into Parliament - and the numbers and negotiating skills to gain the government benches. And with plenty of time before New Zealanders go to the polls next year, the US President will undoubtedly make countless new headlines, it's anyone's guess what will be weighing on the polls then. 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SBS Australia
04-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
'Battle for the soul of the party': How the Liberals will pick a new leader after Dutton's exit
Opposition leader Peter Dutton lost his seat of Dickson, which he had held for 24 years. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas Sussan Ley will become Opposition leader temporarily as contenders emerge for Peter Dutton's post. Dutton lost his outer-Brisbane seat of Dickson — which he had held for 24 years — to , making him the first opposition leader to lose their seat in a federal election. The result ended his leadership of the Liberal Party. SBS News has been told that Sussan Ley, the deputy leader of the Liberal Party, is now considered the acting leader of the Opposition. "Last night was a very difficult night for the Liberal Party and today we reflect on these results with humility," she said in a statement. "As per our party rules following an election defeat, the Liberal party room will meet in order to elect a Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Opposition. These positions will be declared vacant at this meeting. "I have consulted with our party's senior leadership and it is clear that there are several seats where preferential counting must continue before this meeting can take place." Each party has its own method for choosing its leader. For the Liberals, this process is quite simple: a majority vote within the party room will determine who leads the party. "The party room is where the members of the Liberal party who've been elected to federal parliament will meet, and one or more people will nominate for the leadership position," Rodney Smith, a professor of Australian politics at the University of Sydney, told SBS News. "If one nominates for the leadership position and is unopposed, they become the leader," he said. "[The candidate] has to be somebody who's been elected as a Liberal candidate, who is successful and has a seat in the House of Representatives." If there are two or more candidates, the process gets a little bit more complicated. "Then the members of the parliamentary party room will vote until one of those candidates has a majority vote," Smith explained. "They'll have a first round of voting, and then the least popular candidate will be eliminated until they arrive at a candidate who has a majority." In this case, the party room includes members of the House of Representatives and the Senate who identify as Liberals, including Liberal Nationals. Party members may have to wait until the final election results for all seats are announced to choose their new leader. "It would be only fair if they wait, a minimum of a week to possibly two weeks, to see for sure who members of parliament from their party are going to be," Graeme Orr, a professor and an expert on the Law of Politics at the University of Queensland, told SBS News. There is also another scenario, in which the process can run much quicker: the party coming up with only one candidate. "In which case, the party room would simply endorse that candidate. And if there was maybe one seat still undecided ... they might go ahead with that. But I think they will wait until the return for the election so they know how many members they actually have," Smith said. Although no-one has officially declared their candidacy, speculation surrounds figures including Opposition treasury spokesperson Angus Taylor, deputy leader Ley, Opposition defence spokesperson Andrew Hastie, and Opposition immigration spokesperson Dan Tehan as potential candidates. Considering the election results, Orr believes that: "there will be a battle for the soul of the Liberal party". "There's going to be a lot of soul searching and infighting, not just between the traditional, small 'L' liberals versus conservatives." He said there will be some "who'll be trying to pull the Liberal party in a more populist nationalist approach". While the Liberal Party may experience an internal battle, Dutton may have to make a new decision for his future. In his , the Opposition leader said: "Twenty-four years is a long time to be in public life, and it has been an amazing honour ... I love this country, and I've fought hard for it." He also noted being defence minister as a career highlight and described serving as the party leader as "the greatest honour". Smith does not think Dutton will "try to return to the parliament". "That's my sense from what he said last night. I don't know his intentions exactly, but I suspect he will not return to parliamentary politics ... "He will find some kind of alternative employment for the rest of his working life. That will be his future. "I think particularly people within the Liberal and National parties would look on his years of public service and if there are appropriate positions in the public sector over which they have control, they might ask him if he was interested in serving in one of those." Visit the to access articles, podcasts and videos from SBS News, NITV and our teams covering more than 60 languages.
