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Sydney Morning Herald
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Coalition split will allow Liberals to modernise their policies
In announcing a split with the Liberals, National Party leader David Littleproud said the time apart was 'for us to be better' (' Coalition broken: Nationals split with Liberals ', May 20). Honest talking – it's not you, it's me. The Liberals will now be free to craft energy and climate-change policies that have a contemporary look and feel to them. All well and good, but what happens when the Nationals get lonely again and front up with more right-wing policies. I'll bet Sussan Ley just can't wait. Joe Weller, Mittagong So it's official – the Liberal Party has cleaved from the National Party. I sincerely hope the anti-Labor political parties (for that is essentially what they are) can get their act together because Australia needs a credible opposition to avoid the dangers of a one-party state. Democracy is such a precious commodity that it must be guarded jealously by everyone on both sides of the political spectrum. Pasquale Vartuli, Wahroonga Much has been said about the Liberals' difficulties with women. Watching the news conference with David Littleproud, these problems pale in comparison to the Nationals' stance. David Littleproud spoke in the most patronising way about Sussan Ley, as though she was a naughty girl needing to do her punishment and admit her transgressions before he would consider allowing the Liberals to rejoin a Coalition. He even referred to her as a 'lady' rather than the more respectful 'woman' at one stage. It was a master class in misogyny from the Nationals. Toni Lorentzen, Fennell Bay So much for the Nationals' vow to listen to the people. Splitting over nuclear power was plain stupid because nuclear power was never going to happen. It's entirely possible that the Nationals will self-destruct. However, provided Sussan Ley is able to prevent a civil war in her party, the Liberals have a chance of recovering sooner rather than later. Graham Lum, North Rocks The Nationals are now no more than an activist right-wing party with less power and influence than the Greens on the left. Shooting themselves in the foot is a predilection they have had for a while now. And well done, Sussan Ley, for standing your ground in answer to nonsensical demands. You are principled and so unlike Angus Taylor. The Nationals continue to be the party that keeps giving to a Labor Party determined to cement itself as the party representing middle Australia, wherever they live. Wendy Atkins, Cooks Hill The split in the Coalition signals that the now more successful Nationals see their boat tethered to populist parties. Littleproud says they won't fight over crumbs, so you can bet they want the full buffet. This means they'll play for more fringe city seats with the hope of preferences from right-wing populists. Christopher Hill, Kensington The Nationals are now on their own and therefore a minor party. The Greens are no longer the minor party but clearly the third force in parliament, with more members than the Nats. Looks like more was lost than first thought. Richard Lynch, Belbora I agree with correspondent Brendan Jones that no party should view itself as the natural party of good government (Letters, May 20). We have heard this claim from the Coalition for decades and judging by recent comments from shell-shocked MPs, they still believe this. They had three years since 2022 to form a credible opposition and seemingly sat on their hands believing their Trumpian leader would bully the electorate into returning them to their rightful position in government. Well, the Nationals have taken a historic stand, so Liberals, it's time to keep quiet and concentrate on getting your house in order behind closed doors before you lose even more credibility. You were actually never the natural party of government. James Allison, Dover Heights Israel outrage too little too late Your headline reads (' Australia blasts Israel in joint statement demanding aid for starving Gazans ', May 20). This is not a blast. This is a bleat coming three months after Israel stopped all food entering into Gaza and weeks after the first pictures of emaciated children started appearing on our screens. It is widely accepted, including by the ICC, that Israel is committing war crimes in Palestine. To issue a 'statement' at this juncture appears to be more window-dressing so future generations will not judge their inaction, rather than any real desire to seek justice for Palestine. Gina Hay, Bayview The ad hominem pile-on in response to Jamie Hyams's letter (Letters, May 20) simply shows how upset some people get when presented with facts that expose the flaws in their preferred narrative. That's hardly a surprise in today's polarised and increasingly uncivil public sphere, but I am surprised by how unwilling these letter writers seem to accept that Hamas bears any responsibility for the tragic plight of Gaza's civilians. Do those who condemn Israel and demand it refrain from further attacks really want Hamas to remain in control of Gaza and continue their long, sordid history of oppressing Gaza's people, stealing their aid and regularly starting disastrous wars? If not, how else do they propose the Hamas scourge be removed and replaced with an administration that rules for the benefit of Gaza's people, rather than pursuing, at all costs, a genocidal, terrorist ideology? Athol Morris, Forde (ACT) Those who still press for a two-state solution should listen to Israel. In statement after statement, Israel has been adamant – they will not accept a two-state solution. We should believe them. So what options does that leave? There are only three. A one-state solution with equal rights for all – anathema to Israel given the demographics – or one state with unequal rights, which would be equally unpalatable. From Israel's point of view, it would seem the best option is to get rid of everyone in Gaza. With the relentless bombing, destruction of all infrastructure, the killing and terrorising of civilians, it seems obvious which option they have chosen. Yet, in the face of that, we stay silent. Shame on us. Hans Knutzelius, Balmain Bradfield recount We know democracy is a messy business, but if Gisele Kapterian had any sense of fair play she would concede defeat now (' Teal edges ahead in Bradfield ', May 19). If Liberal voters had known that she was being actively supported by a religious sect during the election, many may not have voted for her. So if she 'wins' it will be with the accusation that it was by dubious means. While she's a perfectly nice person, she was thrown in at the last minute under the tagline 'international lawyer'. Democracy is being sorely tested by the 50 per cent rule; candidates should have to get at least 60 per cent to achieve the unequivocal acceptance of their electorate. James Cryer, Castlecrag Logging off After reading the report on the loss-making state forest logging by Forestry Corp, I am pleased that the delays caused by months of rain up here were blamed (' MPs call for state government to end its 'fiscally irrational' logging ', May 19). I will now stop whining about the weather and hope it keeps them from logging. Congratulations to the crossbenchers, who are very sensibly opposing the practice in all native forests. Kris McKeon, Goonellabah Berejiklian's rail fail Sydney peak hour trains may well run late on a regular basis (' Rail fail as commuters hit by peak hour delays ', May 18) but the blowout in costs of the rail system, particularly the new Mariyung intercity commuter trains, can be sheeted home to the previous Liberal government, particularly to then-transport minister and former premier Gladys Berejiklian who, in a politically ideological agenda, had the new trains ordered as driver-only. The impasse with the rail union was only resolved when then-premier Dominic Perrottet was facing re-election. His government could hardly have had the then-opposition saying that he couldn't even get the trains to run, let alone on time. The decision to require a guard, responsible for monitoring the complex computerised operation of the train, along with providing first aid to passengers when required, meant that hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent to retrofit the new rolling stock. Saint Gladys? I don't think so. Murray McLachlan, Wyong Bradley Wynne from Croydon must be pulling our leg (Letters, May 20). He lists a series of problems associated with transport projects, then has the temerity to suggest a whole new department will solve these, as if bureaucracy is the solution to all perceived ills. I, for one, am glad to be able to catch the CBD light rail to work every day. The Parramatta light rail is actually already operating. The Opal card has been extremely well received after the bungled T-Card before it. Sydney's ferries have excellent on-time running and performance. The trains that are 'too wide' are actually the width of every other train. The tunnels themselves were not to the network's standard, and have been widened. And the new airport with a new rail link, well, that will be the first major airport in Australia to open with one, and before Melbourne even gets one to boot. As for departments to review things, we already have one – the NSW Audit Office. Sydney should celebrate how far our transport system has come in the past decade, while acknowledging there is plenty more work to do. Sometimes doing big things is difficult and complicated, but not doing them leaves us far worse off. And there is clearly far more that needs to be done. Ash Roth, Sydney Wendy Cousins of Balgownie raises an issue dear to the hearts of most people in regional areas (Letters, May 20). Try getting to Tenterfield. You can get a daily train to Armidale from Sydney – in eight hours – but if you want to go further north forget it. The line from Tenterfield to Armidale has not been operational for 22 years. Residents needing to see a doctor, dentist or even get to a boarding school need someone to drive them to Armidale. With the 2032 Games looming, even people south of Tamworth are keen to see the line reopened to Wallangarra and on to Brisbane. Governments need to work together to remedy this woeful situation. Deni McKenzie, Armidale Help the homeless It is deeply disturbing to read about the extraordinary wealth in so few hands when so many Australians are homeless (' What you need to earn to be in the top 1 per cent in your Sydney suburb ', May 20). As a Sydneysider, I feel ashamed to see young and old alike sleeping rough under bridges and in shop doorways in the city. Close to my home, the homeless live in cars and vans near the beach while others live in makeshift camps in the bush, from where council moves them on from time to time. It gets worse each year. No one deserves to live like this. It's high time our government overhauled our tax system to share this wealth a little more equitably. Ingrid Haydon, Long Jetty Biden was better In his article (' Biden diagnosed with cancer', May 20), Michael Koziol relates that in the book Original Sin about the failure of Joe Biden's 2024 presidential campaign 'five people were running the country and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board'. Sounds like utopia to me compared to the scatterbrain amateurs now running the country and fiddling while countries burn. It is a sad outcome for a true gentleman. Lance Dover, Pretty Beach Speak of the devil What perfect timing. The very day after Ross Gittins' exquisite skewering of big business on the issue of productivity (' What businesspeople say about productivity is usually thinly disguised rent-seeking' ', May 19), we get Bran Black of the Business Council arguing that government needs to cut red tape, increase R&D tax incentives, address our retrograde taxation system and pursue fair and balanced industrial relations reform to make productivity progress (' Cutting red tape is essential for productivity boost ', May 20). Not a word from Mr Black about businesses being entrepreneurial and taking risks in the pursuit of profit – only ways for the government to 'help' big business be entrepreneurial and take risks. In other words, feather the big business nest. Ross Christ, Normanhurst Big brothers In his article on Australia becoming a hub for US AI, Peter Hatcher mentions unexplained communication devices found in Chinese made solar power equipment allowing outside control (' Australia could be a hub for US AI ', May 20). I wonder how many of the plethora of Chinese-made vehicles flooding our roads also have these instruments? Tesla is not our only big brother. John Elder, Brisbane (Qld) Brimming with compliments And here I am thinking how the PM was the only sensible person there in Rome wearing a hat under that sun (Letters, May 20). Elaine Hoyle, Avalon Beach You correspondent failed to notice that many hats were worn at that service held in the blazing sun of Rome. Australia is the skin cancer capital of the world. Common sense is not cringeworthy – not protecting against skin cancer is. Selwyn Glynn, Paddington (Qld) Rather than being criticised for donning an Akubra hat while sitting in the hot Roman sun, the prime minister should be applauded for showing the rest of the balding men attending the confirmation the importance of protecting their scalps from skin cancer. Jennifer McKay, Ashbury Further to the 'cringeworthy' hat our PM wore, did you see the funny hats the Catholics were wearing? Wayne Fitness, Rankin Park Unlike your correspondent who found Albo's headwear in Rome 'cringeworthy', I was pleased to see our dashing PM facing the world in such a stylish and sun-safe Australian way. Jill Merrin, Austinmer Who needs enemies? Barbara Chapman's comment, based on Freud's research, that the 'most intense enmity occurs ... between people(s) with a great deal in common' could also be applied to political parties. Tony Brownlow, Glebe Gough the deep end Correspondent Les Sisley's comment about a possible stroll across Lake Burley Griffin by the prime minister (Letters, May 20) brings to mind a story (possibly apocryphal) that Gough Whitlam related in the 1970s. Whitlam was bemoaning the constant negative press he was receiving at the time and to combat this he invited members of the press to watch him walk across Lake Burley Griffin. Headlines the following day screamed 'Whitlam can't swim!' Ken Webb, Epping Yes, Les Sisley, but if Albo were to walk on Lake Burley Griffin, you can bet that the 'other paper' would be reporting 'Albo can't swim'. Ryszard Linkiewicz, Caringbah South
Sydney Morning Herald
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australia election results 2025: Labor now rules the centre right. Those remaining on the left must gather their forces
While the Greens harbour a romance of an alliance with Labor, that is ever less likely as Labor shifts further right and delights in its utter contempt for them. The Greens, though, like a spurned lover, keep seeking to be embraced by the ALP once more. As well as preferencing Labor in almost all electorates, the Greens went into the election sounding not like an environmental party but the unloved left of Labor – the same party that election after election uses the Greens for preference harvesting and then rejects its advances. Green-shaming is Labor's political equivalent of slut-shaming. Loading The only way out of this vicious dilemma that sees the two main parties continuing to decline as a popular force but dominate as an electoral force would seem to be some new alliance that seeks to create a closer working relationship between independents and Greens. With this kind of agreement, they would preference each other at elections rather than Labor, and work more closely together in parliament on the matters on which they are agreed. None of this would be easy: while voters have liked the crossbench co-operating on issues such as gambling reform and an integrity commission, they are less happy when they think an independent is electorally aligned with others. Despite the unremitting propaganda wheeled out through the election, independents are not Greens, and on many issues are far from the Greens' positions, while the Greens in turn find some independents' positions anathema. The problem for all is that the left is becoming an increasingly Balkanised landscape. The possibility of a new national ecology party forming to pursue the goals the Greens have abandoned only worsens the picture. Unless some way of coming together can be found, the alternative will be the spectre of the left's growing irrelevance. In an Australia where the vote for non-major parties is the size of the vote for Labor – and growing – the crossbench could begin reimagining its ranks as the place out of which governments of the future can be built. If independents could re-conceive their roles not just as individual representatives but as future national leaders, finding within themselves the ambition to ultimately aspire to create a government of allies, they may escape being condemned to the sidelines of history and show the larger, as yet unrealised, possibilities of Australian democracy. In some ways, the plight of the left today mirrors the crisis in which crushed conservatives found themselves in the 1940s when Robert Menzies united 18 anti-Labor groups into a new, single force of conservatism that would become the most electorally successful federal political party in Australia's history: the Liberals. Whether there is a comparable figure or figures on the left today who might bring together these disparate but important voices into some form of partnership or alliance that can hold Labor to account is a question only time can answer. But it is the question that must now be asked. Richard Flanagan won the 2014 Man Booker Prize for his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North . In 2024, he won the Baillie Gifford Prize (for non-fiction) for his most recent book, Question 7 . He is the first writer to win both prizes. The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here.
ABC News
06-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Liberal preferences may help elect Climate 200-backed independent in Fremantle who vows to end gas
Peter Dutton, who vowed to be the "best friend the gas industry has ever had", allowed the Liberal Party to preference ahead of Labor a Fremantle independent who says she will use her potential seat in parliament to fight WA's North West Shelf expansion and ban new gas. Climate 200-backed Kate Hulett, who told The West Australian newspaper on Monday that she would be "raging" against the Woodside expansion slated for federal approval at the end of May, is ahead in a tight preference count that could unseat Labor's assistant climate minister, Josh Wilson. The stunning preference decision exacerbates the Coalition's disastrous 2025 campaign, which kicked off with Mr Dutton's cornerstone promise to announce an interventionist gas reservation policy that shocked the industry and triggered warnings of future supply shortages. The Liberals are understood to have backed Ms Hulett ahead of Mr Wilson because they believed another independent would deny Labor a majority. Fremantle has emerged as one of just a handful of potential setbacks for Labor, which was returned for a second term after a nationwide landslide. WA has also remained one of the government's strongest states, where it gained a 0.5 per cent swing. The AEC's official count showed Ms Hulett on Tuesday morning had a 541-vote lead over Mr Wilson, who garnered 39.4 per cent of the primary vote after suffering a nearly 5 per cent anti-Labor swing. Ms Hulett came in second, with 23.3 per cent of the vote, followed by Liberal candidate Tait Marston with 18.6 per cent. Mr Marston told his Liberal supporters to put the climate action independent in third place, behind Pauline Hanson's One Nation and ahead of Labor's Mr Wilson in fourth. Josh Wilson is the Labor member for Fremantle. ( ABC News: Matt Roberts ) WA independent would rail against gas projects Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly emphasised the role of gas in Australia's energy transition, and is supportive of new projects as the country shifts away from coal-fired generation towards renewables. Resources Minister Madeleine King, the most senior WA federal cabinet minister, was scathing of the Liberal Party preference deal with Ms Hulett, who is being supported by media and communications adviser Jesse Noakes, who was fined for trespassing on Woodside chief executive Meg O'Neill's Perth home in 2023. "The Coalition chose to preference an anti-gas activist in the seat of Fremantle, whose campaign employed an individual who has pleaded guilty to trespassing and damaging the home of a prominent WA business leader," Ms King told the ABC. "The Coalition also announced sweeping gas policy changes on the fly with no detail and no consultation, sidelining both the shadow minister for resources and the gas industry. "This only proves that Peter Dutton and the Coalition were simply not ready to campaign and were not ready for government". Just before the election was called in late March, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek postponed until May 30 a final decision on whether to approve the 50-year Woodside LNG expansion, following state approvals in December. Election fallout and analysis: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Gas industry lobby Australian Energy Producers CEO Samantha McCulloch said the North West Shelf project was "critical" for WA's long-term energy security and economic prosperity. "After six years of environmental assessment and having secured state government approval, there is simply no justification for further regulatory delays to the NWS extension," she said. Mr Noakes told the ABC the tight Fremantle vote count was almost a "rinse and repeat" copy of the March state election, which saw Labor narrowly fend off a state teal independent challenge. "The only difference this time, honestly, is the Liberal preferences," he said. "We were beaten by 400 votes last time when they preferenced Labor as part of a state-wide deal. This time they are not. Labor was asleep at the wheel. "They tried very hard ahead of the state election to ensure Liberals exchanged preferences. " They did not appear to expend the same energy and capital on Fremantle for the federal campaign. And here we are. " Mr Noakes, who said he was a volunteer on the Fremantle campaign, added that Ms Hulett shared common ground with the Coalition, chiefly on ensuring a gas reservation that pushed more energy extracted by "foreign multinationals" into the domestic market. He said her potential election "says a lot about what Labor can expect if they continue to take the mandate they've been [given] on climate and environment for granted". Ms Hulett said on Sunday that her team "campaigned hard on the North West Shelf, on AUKUS and on real solutions to the housing crisis, and people went for it in droves". Calls and text messages from the ABC to Mr Marston were not returned in time for deadline.
The Age
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
‘What's going on?': Why the Exclusive Brethren are out in force this election
'Why are they campaigning?' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese asked on Tuesday, referring to Plymouth Brethren Christian Church members in Liberal and National Party T-shirts staffing pre-poll stations around the country. Their church was a cult, he said, adding: 'They don't vote ... but they all of a sudden have found this enthusiasm in their hundreds to travel around the country to hand out how-to-vote [cards]. What's the quid pro quo? What is going on there?' This is what's going on: a systematic, lavishly funded attempt by an organisation with a strong financial agenda to influence the federal election without disclosing who they are or what want. Its campaign is part of a long history of attempted political influence, money politics and secrecy, from the sect once known as the Exclusive Brethren. In 2004, its global leader, Sydney businessman Bruce D. Hales, feared Labor's Mark Latham might win power and urged followers to act in support of John Howard. Letters, witnesses and public documents emerged two years later showing that, within days of Hales' callout, Brethren businessmen had set up a holding company, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from mystery sources, funded anti-Labor and anti-Greens advertising and put boots on the ground. Initially, none of this was linked to the church. The authorisations for material came from unknown individuals, sometimes using their middle names, in obscure places, or using false addresses. Confronted later, the Brethren denied any involvement, saying its members had acted independently. Taken together it was a material intervention. Its advertising spend in the 2004 Australian election exceeded $370,000 – the fifth largest of any third-party donor that year.
Sydney Morning Herald
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘What's going on?': Why the Exclusive Brethren are out in force this election
'Why are they campaigning?' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese asked on Tuesday, referring to Plymouth Brethren Christian Church members in Liberal and National Party T-shirts staffing pre-poll stations around the country. Their church was a cult, he said, adding: 'They don't vote ... but they all of a sudden have found this enthusiasm in their hundreds to travel around the country to hand out how-to-vote [cards]. What's the quid pro quo? What is going on there?' This is what's going on: a systematic, lavishly funded attempt by an organisation with a strong financial agenda to influence the federal election without disclosing who they are or what want. Its campaign is part of a long history of attempted political influence, money politics and secrecy, from the sect once known as the Exclusive Brethren. In 2004, its global leader, Sydney businessman Bruce D. Hales, feared Labor's Mark Latham might win power and urged followers to act in support of John Howard. Letters, witnesses and public documents emerged two years later showing that, within days of Hales' callout, Brethren businessmen had set up a holding company, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from mystery sources, funded anti-Labor and anti-Greens advertising and put boots on the ground. Initially, none of this was linked to the church. The authorisations for material came from unknown individuals, sometimes using their middle names, in obscure places, or using false addresses. Confronted later, the Brethren denied any involvement, saying its members had acted independently. Taken together it was a material intervention. Its advertising spend in the 2004 Australian election exceeded $370,000 – the fifth largest of any third-party donor that year.
