With the exits of Simon Birmingham and Paul Fletcher, Albanese highlights the loss of moderate voices within the Liberal Party.
On the final day of Parliament, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused the centre-right Liberal Party of becoming increasingly reactionary.
In a speech aimed squarely at the party’s leadership, Albanese claimed that those with a vision for a “better Australia” are no longer welcome in the Liberal fold.
The departure of these key figures has sparked concerns about the future of centrist voices in Australian politics.
Albanese’s question, “Will the last moderate in the Liberal Party turn the lights out before they leave the building?” reflects the growing sense that the moderates’ influence within the Liberal Party is dwindling.
Earlier, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, echoing this sentiment, criticised the Liberal Party for shifting to the right and accused Peter Dutton’s leadership of driving moderates out.
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Chalmers, extremely critical in his analysis, described the Liberal Party as no longer a “middle-of-the-road” entity but instead an “extreme right party” that no longer welcomes diversity of thought.
Senator Birmingham was one of the last senior voices in the party’s moderate faction.
In his farewell speech, Birmingham lamented the rise of divisive politics on both the left and right, warning that the focus on culture wars and personal issues threatens social cohesion.
He called for a return to the values of John Stuart Mill, emphasising less government interference in both personal and economic matters.
The Decline of the Moderate Faction
The exodus of moderates from the Liberal Party is not a new phenomenon.
The 2022 federal election marked a significant turning point, with the loss of key figures such as Jason Falinski and Tim Wilson, who represented inner-city electorates that once housed the party’s more moderate wing.
Prior to that, the stepping down of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, former Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop, and former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne during 2017-19 marked the end of an era for the party’s moderate faction.
Among its current members, Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley, though still considered a moderate, has remained largely silent on factional divides.
Other moderate voices, such as Andrew Bragg, Dave Sharma, and Bridget Archer, continue to exist within the party but hold little sway in the current political climate.
Archer, despite her outspoken nature and occasional defiance by crossing the floor, does not possess the factional leadership needed to revive the moderate cause.
What is clear is that the voice of the moderate faction has significantly diminished within the party’s parliamentary ranks, as the conservative faction continues to dominate under Dutton’s leadership.
Labor’s Challenges: A Changing Political Landscape
While the Liberal Party grapples with its internal struggles, the centre-left Labor party is facing its own set of challenges.
Jones, who served as the assistant treasurer and minister for financial services, expressed his gratitude to his constituents while acknowledging that a new candidate would take up the mantle to continue the fight for the things that matter to the community.
Labor’s setbacks have been further compounded by the departure of former party leader Bill Shorten, who has opted for a career in academia.
Both figures were from the Labor Right faction.
The once-thriving moderate voices in both the Liberal and Labor parties now seem increasingly subdued, leaving room for the rise of more ideologically-driven politics.
How this shift will affect the country remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the political landscape is changing, and the voices of the moderates are fading into the background.
