4 days ago
5
Andrew Hastie has stunned colleagues and quit the Liberal frontbench Friday after staking out his own nationalist agenda on migration, manufacturing and net zero.
Hastie, who had been the opposition’s Home Affairs spokesman, phoned Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to inform her on Friday. Sources said the West Australian informed her he could no longer maintain shadow cabinet solidarity.
Andrew Hastie quit as the Coalition’s Home Affairs spokesman on Friday.Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald
Ley’s office confirmed the news on Friday evening. In the Australian Hastie said:
“The leader has made it clear that the shadow home affairs minister won’t lead the Coalition’s response to immigration matters or develop the Coalition’s immigration policy.
“On this basis, I made the decision that I was not able to continue in this role and remain silent on immigration.
“Therefore out of respect for Sussan’s leadership, I am resigning from the frontbench.
“Sussan deserves the opportunity to lead, unencumbered by interventions from shadow cabinet colleagues, especially as the Coalition builds out a policy platform for the 2028 election,” Hastie said.
In a statement after touching down on the east coast from Hastie’s state of Perth, where the pair did not appear in public together, Ley contradicted Hastie, saying he raised no policy matters with her.
Instead, according to Ley, Hastie said he could not agree to shadow cabinet solidarity as outlined in letters she sent her frontbench earlier this week, as first reported by this masthead.
Ley said she had spoken to her frontbench and issued expectations to them this week, informing them they were bound by conventions of solidarity, including on public commentary and votes in Parliament.
Loading
“This expectation is not new and is a fundamental feature of our Westminster system of government,” Ley said in a statement. “Compliance with this convention has always been a prerequisite for serving in both cabinet and shadow cabinet.”
“Today, Mr Hastie informed me via telephone, that he would be unable to comply with this longstanding and well-understood requirement, and on that basis he would be resigning his position as Shadow Minister for Home Affairs.
“Mr Hastie did not raise any matters relating to policy on this call. I thanked Mr Hastie for his service, and assured him he would continue to be a very valued part of my Coalition team.”
One Liberal source said colleagues had tried to get Hastie to hold off so that he could lead the Coalition’s response to the arrival of so-called ISIS brides on Friday.
Hastie has been telling colleagues he is not interested in an imminent leadership challenge.
However, the move adds to internal instability for Ley and allows Hastie to be even more outspoken than he has been in recent weeks as he has differentiated from Ley on net zero and immigration policy.
More to come.
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
Most Viewed in Politics
Loading
