How Queensland will shape the new-look Libs
Amid the turmoil of Angus Taylor winning leadership of the federal Liberal party this morning, QUT Adjunct Associate Professor John Mickel says the Canberra team should take heed of Queensland’s unique role in its potential success.
Queensland’s strength in the Liberal-National Party at a national level is incomparable but the state’s representatives still struggle to win a leadership spot, QUT Adjunct Associate Professor John Mickels says.
Mickel spent four years working on a PhD exploring the 2008 merger of the LNP in Queensland, which he describes as a state issue which still has federal implications.
“The Liberal Party presence from Queensland in Canberra is huge but it (the federal Liberal team) really is sending a message to Queensland that in spite of your contribution, none of you are worthy of a leadership spot,” Mickel said.
“Queensland is still the largest contributor to the Federal Opposition. Even in the face of a landslide defeat of the Coalition at the Federal Election last year, Labor did not get a majority of the vote or a majority of seats in Queensland.
“But it says something about how that representation is viewed by their colleagues, that none of them are considered worthy of a leadership spot. Queensland makes this huge contribution in the face of a landslide, still gets the majority, unlike every other mainland state, and no leadership spot.”
On the topic of Angus Taylor’s win in taking over the Liberal Party’s leadership from Sussan Ley this morning, Mickel says only time will tell if Taylor will be any different to his predecessor.
“How he will go in Queensland will very much depend on the extent to which he involves himself in the state. He’s not from the urban areas, he represents an outer urban seat which may have some appeal.”
In the midst of so much recent destabilisation under Ley’s leadership, Mickel explains that this change will likely bring some relief and new hope to the party, especially with the rise of One Nation’s popularity.
“One Nation will be huge in regional Queensland, as well as the outer Brisbane metropolitan areas like Longman, Forde, and Wright. There are a lot of people that feel the system has let them down and they have lost faith in traditional parties,” Mickel explains.
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Mickel suggests the coalition take a leaf out of a former Queenslander, the late Senator Ron Boswell’s book, who he says was always prepared to take on extreme right wing groups like the League of Rights and latterly One Nation.
“It’s a fool’s paradise to try to out right wing a minority party like One Nation. Why? They will never be or up until now have never been a party of government, so, if you move to their position, they can always outflank you on the right.”
Mickel explains that in Australia, the votes are always won in the centre and suggests that the solution lies in looking at the economic policies for a Liberal party to argue from the centre.
“If you have a look at the current Queensland LNP government, they have a very marketable commodity in their leader and they are seen to have been a government of moderation, so there is a model there and again, that model comes from Queensland.”
“The former and now late senator, well respected, highly regarded, Ron Boswell, who was prepared to take them on and they should look at his career, read the book and see how they can apply those lessons.”
