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Defeated opposition leader Peter Dutton has laid significant blame for the Coalition’s election loss at the feet of Liberal MP Andrew Hastie in explosive secret submissions to the party’s election review that accuse Hastie of going “on strike” and fumbling key policies.
Hastie’s shock exit from Sussan Ley’s frontbench on Friday opened the door to speculation about Ley’s leadership as MPs return to Canberra on Tuesday, likely dulling the opposition’s attacks on the government on the Optus saga and the repatriation of so-called ISIS brides.
The West Australian’s social media musings on net zero by 2050 and migration have excited some colleagues but they have led others to question his strategic nous and his interest in keeping the party on the rails.
Peter Dutton and Andrew Hastie at the release of the opposition’s defence spending policy during the election campaign.Credit: James Brickwood
Dutton, who spent years alongside Hastie as senior leaders of the Right faction before losing his seat, was scathing about Hastie’s performance in his arguments to the Liberal Party’s election review probing the historic loss.
“It was inconceivable to Dutton and his senior colleagues that Hastie effectively went on strike during the last term,” said one source who is familiar with Dutton’s submissions, but not authorised to speak publicly.
Read the full exclusive by chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.
