Commentary
The weariness within Australia’s two major political parties has become a regular feature of late.
The latest chapter is written by MP Tania Mihayluk from New South Wales (NSW). He left a former politician who spent his 11 years in the Labor Party to join One Nation.
One Nation is clearly a more conservative party than Labor. It still attracts disgruntled Labor voters.
Voters, traditionally a party that defends the interests of the workers, a party that wanted their children to have good health care, good education, and good jobs to follow, were awakened/disappointed by left-wing dominance. In turn, you can start a family.
They see their children being told they can choose gender and other issues instead of looking after their basic needs.
Similarly, One Nation and other smaller parties are attracting disaffected Liberal voters. The Liberal Brains Trust, which won an unsuccessful 2019 election on a policy of not setting a CO2 target, not increasing ABC funding, and committing to religious liberty legislation, met its CO2 target and increased funding for ABC. and failed to enact religious liberty legislation. And they are still scratching their heads as to why, as the Teales have been witnessing gaining momentum, they have lost support to more conservative parties and failed to win even the wake vote.
Mikhailuk’s move will be a blow to Labor and a boost to One Nation.
The motives for such movements are undoubtedly varied. Some suspect that Mark Latham had an epiphany and saw the damage and corruption of the role played by the Left in his party and in Australian society at large.
Others may be motivated by the need for political means to run for re-election successfully.
In Mikhailk’s case, her allegations about manpower and manipulation within the party structure seemed to have caused dissatisfaction for some time.
Her concern that her home state of New South Wales will “wake up and fall apart” under a Labor government is very compelling.
Major parties are bleeding voters
Mikhailuk came from the right, and among prominent figures was convicted MP Eddie Obeid. She previously held a portfolio of natural resources, but spoke of corruption within Labor for which she was demoted from the front bench.
A good ship’s labor seems to have rot in the hull as well as just below the waterline.
Following South Australian tactics, the New South Wales laborers are fair-skinned, seemingly non-threatening leaders, and have an easy-going disposition, but their team is a pack of far-left awakened operatives, You don’t know what a day of manual labor is. that.
Mikhailuk’s concerns about a future Labor government are well founded.
But when we look at liberals in New South Wales, preselection decisions are made on gender rather than ability, and the intervention excluded 3 men in favor of 3 women. And that was the pitch. sex.
The Liberal Party used to pride itself on a meritocracy based on equal opportunity. Equality of outcome and the politics of identity have never been a liberal approach. That approach has been rightly denounced as unfair and divisive.
But that is what voters are witnessing. And I suspect they won’t like it.
The replacement of the late great liberal Senator Jim Moran in New South Wales is already being played in the media by factional warlords who give damaging background briefings under the guise of anonymity. And before the funeral of this great Australian. Respectful? No messy? yes. In short, it looks bad.
Moran was no obscure senator. He is a Major General, the highest military rank holder to have found his way into Congress since World War I. But he clearly cares more about the public debate about which faction the seat belongs to than finding the best alternative to serve the people of New South Wales.
In the last federal election, Labor’s primary was very poor at 32.58%, less than a third of the vote. Liberal he was not very good at 35.78%.
Mihailk’s fatigue is plaguing both parties, and people are turning their backs on truly honorable convocations of public service through democratically elected parliaments.
Congressional service should be just that. Service. It is not a personal vanity project or a trade between factions, or a signal of empty virtue.
We have a great democracy where the best and brightest deserve, not the weak and awakened.
Views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Epoch Times.
Eric Abetz is the former leader of the Australian Senate for the Liberal Party and was Minister for Australian Election Law for nearly six years in Prime Minister John Howard’s government.