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The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Moderate Liberals say the party has a choice – be a far-right rump run by octogenarians or move to the centre
The latest extraordinary chapter in the saga involving the NSW division of the Liberal party underscores how much work they have to do before again being considered a viable alternative government. With the loss of Bradfield, the Liberals have relinquished all federal representation in their former heartland of Sydney's north shore. The alarm bells should be deafening. Instead, the party is dealing with the latest crisis following Alan Stockdale's comments about 'assertive women' in the party. Stockdale is a member of the troika installed to run the NSW branch by the federal Liberals after the 2024 council elections farce. In a Zoom call this week, Stockdale sought to convince Liberal women that the federal takeover should be extended, effectively keeping the division in a state of administration, rather than being run by members. In his pitch to the NSW Liberal Women's Council, Stockdale said that Liberal women were 'sufficiently assertive' and he suggested the party might need to consider quotas for men. 'Stockdale thought he was making a joke, but we are facing an existential crisis in the Liberal party – it's about the future of our party,' one NSW Liberal woman told Guardian Australia on Thursday. 'It was received with white hot anger by everyone.' The former federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton and the federal executive appointed Stockdale, a former Victorian MP in his 80s, to run the NSW division along with ex-Victorian senator Richard Alston, also in his 80s, and former NSW MP Peta Seaton. It came after the NSW division spectacularly failed to nominate 144 candidates for the local government elections last year. That monumental stuff-up led Dutton to argue that with a federal election fast approaching, a takeover was needed until 30 June 2025. An extension of that timeline has become the latest battleground between the hard Right of the party, personified by former prime minister Tony Abbott, and the moderates who have the numbers in NSW. The outrage over Stockdale's comment is palpable. 'There is nothing wrong with being an assertive woman, in fact, I encourage assertive women to join the Liberal party,' the federal Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, said in a statement on Thursday. '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.' The NSW opposition leader, Mark Speakman, avoided directly criticising Stockdale but said he 'wanted more assertive women, not fewer assertive women' in the party. He said 45% of his frontbench were women MPs and he argued the party needed to reflect the demographics of NSW – a not-so-subtle dig at the ageing and shrinking membership of the Liberals. 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 The NSW Liberal party membership has dwindled to between 8,000 and 10,000. The former NSW treasurer Matt Kean, one of the most outspoken moderates in NSW, said the only person supporting the ongoing intervention was Abbott. '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,' Kean said. Much now depends on Ley, but the Right of the party has severely damaged its cause – and provided fodder for Labor. 'I must say … the Liberal party have lost their way,' the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, told reporters on Thursday. 'People just shake their heads. There are more women in the Labor caucus … whose first name begins in A, literally, than there are Liberals and National women on the floor of the House of Representatives. That says it all.' Anne Davies is Guardian Australia's NSW state correspondent.
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Factional shenanigans': Labor's left and right jostle for coveted ministry positions
Labor MPs from the party's New South Wales right faction say any move to cut their numbers in the next ministry would be a backwards step for Labor, amid concerns the industry minister, Ed Husic, or another Sydney-based frontbencher could be demoted. Victorian right faction MPs – led by the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles – are pushing for NSW to lose a place at the top of the government, after Labor significantly expanded its numbers at the election. MPs from Victoria and other states believe the NSW right faction is overrepresented, with six places in the ministry. The left is expected to add an extra position, due to its growing presence in the party's caucus. Amid the jostling, supporters told Guardian Australia that Husic brought religious and cultural diversity to cabinet and had performed strongly in the industry and science portfolio. 'It would be disappointing if any member of the government's leadership group was moved,' one MP said. 'Factional shenanigans like this aren't in anyone's interest and rank and file members don't want to see disunity from Labor when we should be riding high.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Husic conceded last year that many Muslim and Arab Australians did not feel listened to by the Albanese government over Israel's war in Gaza, describing his public interventions as necessary so that people believed 'that their concerns have somewhere to go to be vented and aired'. He also called for a cut to the corporate tax rate last year, in a bid to encourage artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, frustrating some colleagues. MPs speaking on the condition of anonymity on Wednesday, due to the sensitivity of factional discussions ahead of a caucus meeting on Friday, said cultural and religious diversity should be respected on Labor's frontbench. 'The ministry has provided support to the prime minister and we should stick with what is a winning formula,' one said. There is a view internally that women won't be cut from cabinet, though the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, could be shifted to another portfolio. Frontbenchers including Chris Bowen, Tony Burke and Jason Clare all come from the NSW right. Bowen could be chosen to lead the United Nations climate summit expected to take place in Adelaide in 2026, a position usually held by a senior government figure. The NSW senator and assistant minister Tim Ayres is considered close to a sure bet for elevation, in the position vacated by former assistant treasurer Stephen Jones. Ayres is personally close to Albanese, well regarded among colleagues and is a member of the ALP's powerful national executive. Along with the incoming Tasmanian MP Rebecca White, a former state opposition leader, likely appointments from the left include Victorians Jess Walsh and Ged Kearney. Labor MPs and party figures all stressed that Albanese's decisive election victory meant his authority within the party had reached a new peak. 'In one sense it is a return to government as usual,' one factional player said. 'The PM can decide whatever he wants but the numbers are what is important.' Labor's rules dictate that the factions choose members for 20 cabinet positions, with the leader assigning portfolios. Another 10 outer ministry roles and other appointments are also chosen by the leader. Albanese is part of the NSW left faction, along with ministers including Tanya Plibersek and Pat Conroy. Ayres and MPs Julian Hill and Sharon Claydon are national conveyors for the faction. Along with Bowen, Burke and Husic, NSW right members include Michelle Rowland, Tony Sheldon and Deborah O'Neill. The trade minister, Don Farrell, and Matt Thistlethwaite are the right's national conveners. In Victoria, left powerbrokers include Andrew Giles and Hill. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and the assistant minister Anthony Chisholm are powerful within the Queensland right. Known for sometimes savage tactical fights, the factions help set policy and organise candidates. The left has been traditionally more progressive and focused on social issues, while the right is more economically focused and socially conservative. The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, on Wednesday said Labor wanted to deliver on its policies, including through cabinet makeup. 'A lot of people want to play a role in that, which is expected, and there's huge opportunities for everyone, I think.'
