POLITICAL PARTIES – AUSTRALIA

Taylor’s purge of frontbench rewards conservative backers

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 18-Feb-26

Opposition leader Angus Taylor says his frontbench reshuffle marks a "fresh beginning" for the Coalition. Six members of the Liberal Party’s conservative faction have been promoted to the shadow cabinet, including Jacinta Price, Andrew Hastie and Sarah Henderson. Meanwhile, Tim Wilson has been shifted to the treasury portfolio and Clare Chandler will take on the finance portfolio. Four moderates have been demoted to the outer shadow ministry and four will join the backbench. Taylor has also reinstated the portfolios of Nationals frontbenchers who had been ‘sinbinned’ by Taylor’s predecessor Sussan Ley after they voted against Labor’s hate speech laws.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Taylor backers plot mass resignations as Ley’s allies invoke Turnbull hardball tactics

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Original article by Paul Sakkal
The Age – Page: Online : 11-Feb-26

Opposition leader Sussan Ley is under renewed scrutiny amid growing speculation of an imminent move to oust her. Sources have indicated that Liberal MP Angus Taylor is preparing to resign from the shadow frontbench as a prelude to launching a leadership challenge. Supporters of Taylor are also believed to be planning to quit the frontbench en masse in order to put further pressure on Ley. MPs from the Liberals’ moderate and conservative factions have urged Taylor to declare his hand. Meanwhile, Ley’s supporters want her to invoke a rule that requires a majority of the partyroom to sign a petition calling for a leadership ballot. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull used the same rule in 2018 in an attempt to ward off a challenge by Peter Dutton; Scott Morrison won the resulting ballot.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Taylor claims to have numbers but Ley digs in

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 10-Feb-26

Sources close to Opposition leader Sussan Ley contend that there is "zero chance" of her stepping aside, despite ongoing scrutiny over her future and dismal public opinion polls. Members of the Liberal Party’s moderates faction have expressed support for Ley, and dispute claims by supporters of would-be leadership contender Angus Taylor that he has sufficient numbers in the party-room to force a spill and win the resulting ballot. However, shadow attorney-general Andrew Wallace says the focus should be on rebuilding the newly-unified Coalition, arguing that the Liberals will face a backlash if the party’s first female leader is ousted.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Last-ditch bid to reunite Coalition

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 4-Feb-26

It has been revealed that Opposition leader Sussan Ley outlined several ‘non-negotiable’ conditions in talks with National Party leader David Littleproud about re-forming the Coalition. However, some Nationals MPs are said to have firmly rejected a requirement for three of its senators to remain relegated to the backbench for six months; their decision to breach shadow cabinet solidarity rules by voting against Labor’s hate speech laws had prompted the Coalition to split for the second time in less than a year. Nationals MP Llew O’Brien has indicated that he will not support reunification unless the Liberals and Nationals agree to repeal the hate speech laws. Littleproud is expected to seek another meeting with Ley today in a final attempt to reach a deal between the former Coalition partners.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Bernardi backs One Nation to replace Libs

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Original article by David Penberthy
The Australian – Page: 7 : 4-Feb-26

Former Liberal senator Cory Bernardi says that frustration over the lack of a viable opposition in South Australia was a key driver of his decision to re-enter politics. The state election will be held on 21 March, and Bernardi says the SA Liberals have failed to make any inroads against Premier Peter Malinauskas. Bernardi will be the lead candidate on One Nation’s ticket for the state’s upper house; he says that One Nation could potentially replace the Liberals as Australia’s major conservative party. He adds that voters are desperate for both a political alternative and an open environment where they can state their views without being criticised.

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ONE NATION PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Former senator Cory Bernardi is One Nation’s latest recruit

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Original article by Paul Sakkal
The Age – Page: Online : 3-Feb-26

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has confirmed that former Liberal senator Cory Bernardi has joined the right-wing minor party. He will be One Nation’s lead candidate im the upper house in the upcoming state election in South Australia; Bernadi says SA is essentially a one-party state, because it currently has no effective Opposition. Bernadi left the Liberals in 2017 to establish the Australian Conservatives, but he disbanded the party in 2019 and resigned from parliament in early 2020. There is speculation that Liberal senator intends to defect to One Nation, amid growing support for the party in public opinion polls.

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ONE NATION PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

First steps to seal Coalition rebirth

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 3-Feb-26

The National Party’s 14 MPs are expected to sit on the lower house’s crossbench today, with a deal to rebuild the Coalition unlikely to be struck before parliament sits for question time. Liberal leader Sussan Ley and Nationals counterpart David Littleproud held talks aimed at mending the rift on Monday evening. The Nationals’ deputy leader Kevin Hogan says there was goodwill on both sides and a lot of progress had been made. The Liberals and Nationals will both hold partyroom meetings today, with Gippsland MP Darren Chester expected to receive strong support for a motion to reunite the Coalition as quickly as possible; some Liberals are said to be considering a similar motion. Meanwhile, a leadership challenge against Littleproud failed on Monday after the Nationals’ partyroom rejected a spill motion put forward by backbencher Colin Boyce.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Albanese defends two-party politics

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Original article by Thomas Henry, Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 20-Jan-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has responded to public opinion polls which show that support for One Nation is rising. Speaking on ABC Radio, Albanese said he does not want One Nation’s vote to exceed that of the Coalition, contending that Australia’s two-party system has "served the nation pretty well". He also argued that One Nation promotes division rather than social cohesion, adding that the party has been a divisive force ever since it was established. Meanwhile, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says the public is "fed up" with a lack of leadership from the major political parties and sees her as someone who wants to fight for them. Hanson added that "I stand up for what I believe in".

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ONE NATION PARTY

‘Furious’: Nationals MP says Littleproud misled the party

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Original article by James Massola
Brisbane Times – Page: Online : 28-May-25

National Party leader David Littleproud is under scrutiny in the wake of the recent falling out with the Liberal Party which briefly ended their long-standing coalition. Nationals MP Colin Boyce has accused Littleproud of misleading his colleagues regarding the scope of the Nationals’ demands in four key policy areas which prompted the split. Boyce has described the split as a ‘fiasco’ and says he cannot support a leader who misleads the party room. Boyce adds that he opposes the Coalition’s net zero emissions target of 2050, and contends that the issue should have been discussed in the Nationals’ party room meeting last week.

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NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Steph Hunt (Melbourne) and Aaron Violi (Casey) are the only two Liberals to achieve a primary vote swing of +4%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-May-25

The Liberal Party suffered a crushing defeat at the Federal Election held earlier this month, and the recriminations continue under new leader Sussan Ley. However, there were some bright spots for the party with 20 Liberal/LNP candidates achieving a positive primary vote swing, led by Liberal candidate for Melbourne, Steph Hunt, who achieved a primary vote swing of +4.6% from 2022, and Liberal MP from Casey (Victoria), Aaron Violi, with a primary vote swing of +4.4%. Other notable performances included Simmone Cottom with a primary vote swing of +3.9% in the Victorian seat of Hawke, Benson Saulo with a swing of +3.5% in the inner Melbourne seat of Macnamara, Tim Beddoe with a swing of +3.3% in the western Melbourne seat of Maribyrnong and re-elected Liberal MP Tim Wilson reclaiming his seat on Melbourne’s bayside with a primary vote swing of +3.1%. Of the 20 Liberal/LNP candidates to achieve a positive primary vote swing in their electorate, 15 were in Victoria, three were in New South Wales and two were in Queensland.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA