Defunct
121-588: Cory Bernardi (born 6 November 1969) is an Australian conservative political commentator and former politician. He was a Senator for South Australia from 2006 to 2020, and was the leader of the Australian Conservatives , a minor political party he founded in 2017 but disbanded in 2019. He is a former member of the Liberal Party of Australia , having represented the party in the Senate from 2006 to 2017. He
242-622: A constitutional monarchy . In the early 20th century, "Conservatism" was used as a disparaging epithet by detractors of right wing politics and politicians within Australia, often by supporters and members of left leaning movements and parties such as the Australian Labor Party and later the Australian Greens . People on the right often called themselves "liberals". That only changed in the late 20th century; John Hirst says that as
363-407: A monarchy or become a republic was a contentious issue in the 1990s. It has since not been a priority for the government as of 2019. In 1998 when debate peaked, Howard took the monarchist position favoured by most conservatives. Howard argued that the monarchy had provided a long period of stability and while he said there was no question that Australia was a fully independent nation, he believed that
484-539: A victim mentality among Aboriginals. Former Aboriginal conservative politicians include: 2007 Australian federal election John Howard Liberal/National coalition Kevin Rudd Labor The 2007 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 24 November 2007. All 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 of the seats in the 76-member Senate were up for election. The election featured
605-429: A 2005 recommendation for higher renewable energy targets by his Environment Minister, but Howard declined to confirm or deny the claim. The Coalition announced a promise to open 50 new emergency medical centres on Australia if re-elected. Adding to the campaign trend of both major parties criticising their opponent for plagiarism and "me-tooism", Labor responded that the government had copied its policy. Peter Garrett
726-458: A 39-day campaign, with 13.6 million Australians enrolled to vote. The centre-left Australian Labor Party opposition , led by Kevin Rudd and deputy leader Julia Gillard , defeated the incumbent centre-right Coalition government, led by Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister, John Howard , and Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Vaile , by a landslide . The election marked
847-460: A 39-day campaign. The prime minister of the day chooses the election date and requests the governor-general to dissolve the House and issue the writs for the election. On 14 October, John Howard gained the agreement of the governor-general, Major-General Michael Jeffery , to dissolve the House of Representatives and hold a general election for the House and half the Senate on 24 November 2007. During
968-616: A 5-point increase on the Liberal target, assisted by the use of renewable energy , but without the use of coal pollution mitigation , arguing that it would ultimately be a benefit, not a detriment to the economy. John Howard said the Coalition would not match Labor's promise of 20 per cent renewable energy target. Howard claimed Labor's policy "imposes too many additional costs to industry". Peter Garrett replied that lack of government action has cost jobs. ABC Radio reported that Howard had rejected
1089-401: A conservative outlook is represented by Sky News Australia . and ADH TV . Newspapers and other publications owned by News Corp strongly favour the right wing of Australian politics. The publications owned by News Corp include The Australian , The Daily Telegraph , The Mercury , The Advertiser and The Courier-Mail . Sky News is also owned by News Corp. Whether Australia should remain
1210-633: A conservative stance. Since the 1970s, the Financial Review has advocated economic liberalism in Australia, driving a consistent editorial line favouring small government , deregulation , privatisation , lower taxes and trade liberalisation . Major conservative regional newspapers include The Daily Telegraph , The West Australian , The Mercury , The Canberra Times , The Advertiser and The Courier-Mail . The primary conservative magazines in Australia are News Weekly , Quadrant and The Spectator Australia . On television,
1331-538: A fall in government support. In February 2017, he attracted criticism for speaking at the Q Society of Australia . The event received protests who called the event "racist". Bernardi has publicly expressed his concern over the effect of Australia's public broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation , on commercial operators. His view is that the ABC has grown beyond its initial charter and its size
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#17328484053031452-578: A highly engineered racing car and I tell you what, I wouldn't be putting an L-plate driver in the cockpit at the moment". August 2007 saw, for the first time during an election campaign, a 0.25-point interest-rate rise to 6.5 per cent by the Reserve Bank , the sixth rise since the last election in 2004. Labor used the news to argue that the Coalition could not be trusted to keep interest rates low, while Costello argued that interest rates would be higher under Labor. In November 2007 interest rates were raised for
1573-557: A key issue in 2001 , scored 43 per cent. The poll showed that voters considered Labor marginally better-placed to handle health and education, and gave the government strong backing on the economy and national security. Kevin Rudd promised Labor would introduce a greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 60 per cent by 2050, ratify the Kyoto protocol and introduce a mandatory renewable energy target (MRET) of 20 per cent by 2020. The Howard government reiterated their position of not ratifying
1694-405: A majority at the federal level until the 2022 election . This remains the most recent election in which both major parties won over 40% of first preference votes. Rudd became the third Labor leader after World War II to lead the party to victory from opposition, after Gough Whitlam in 1972 , Bob Hawke in 1983 , and before most recently Anthony Albanese in 2022 . Although the Coalition
1815-523: A member of the Liberal Party to get into Parliament. If I lived in a Labor seat I would have joined the Labor Party." Frankly I was aghast at this response. Where was the conviction, the beliefs, the values that I believe should motivate our political leaders? Several follow up questions disclosed that the only motivation for his own political involvement was for him to become Prime Minister. The MP involved
1936-582: A member of the Liberal Party, a member of that party would fill the vacancy caused by his resignation. The former President of the South Australian Legislative Council Andrew McLachlan filled Bernardi's vacancy on 6 February 2020. Defunct Defunct Prior to forming the Australian Conservatives , Bernardi was a member of the conservative faction or right-wing of the Liberal Party . On 21 April 2007, Bernardi published an essay questioning whether global warming
2057-405: A minimum of three debates between himself and Howard, while Howard, who had been rated poorly by studio audiences at past leadership debates, pressed for a single debate. A total of 2.4 million Australians watched the event, with Nine averaging 1.42 million, the ABC averaging 907,000, and Sky News averaging 62,000. The last election debate in 2004 was watched by 1.77 million on Nine and
2178-736: A political activist. Both major parties had their official campaign launches in Brisbane, Queensland ; the Liberal Party on Monday 12 November and Labor on Wednesday 14 November. At their launch, the Coalition pledged a rebate for education costs, including private school fees, of all Australian children, totalling $ 9.4 billion. Under the plan, primary school students would have been eligible for $ 400, while secondary-school students would have been eligible for $ 800. Tax cuts worth $ 1.6 billion over four years were proposed to encourage people to save for first homes, and extra funding of $ 652 million for child care and $ 158 million to support carers
2299-411: A poor result in the 2019 Australian federal election , and that the removal of Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister meant that his supporters would return to the Liberal Party. The AEC confirmed the party had been deregistered on 25 June 2019. In November 2019, Bernardi announced that he would resign from his Senate position; his resignation formally occurred on 20 January 2020. Because he was elected as
2420-460: A proposed reform relating to same-sex relationships. He stated, "Same-sex relationships are not the same as marital relationships and to treat them the same is to suspend common sense." A month later, Bernardi questioned the ethics of granting human rights to great apes while ignoring the rights of the unborn child on the ABC "unleashed" website. In August 2008, the Herald Sun newspaper reported that
2541-518: A scholarship and furthering his rowing career at the Australian Institute of Sport in 1989. After a back injury terminated his rowing career, Bernardi travelled Europe and Africa, working as a labourer. Returning to Australia, he managed the family's hotel before spending four months in a hospital with tuberculosis . He subsequently worked as a stockbroker and financial adviser before entering politics. Bernardi entered politics in 2006 when he
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#17328484053032662-612: A separate party, the Australian Conservatives , which was born out of Bernardi's Australian Conservatives movement. The Australian Conservatives movement was formed by Bernardi in July 2016 to "unite conservatives", and which by August claimed 50,000 members. In June 2019, Bernardi announced that the Australian Conservatives would apply to be voluntarily deregistered with the Australian Electoral Commission. He cited
2783-424: A significant political movement, conservatism is "a very recent arrival in Australia". John Howard , who became prime minister in 1996, was the first holder of the office to describe himself as a conservative." In the 21st century the term covers similar political issues as found in other Western democracies. In the early 20th century the liberals had connections with reform movements. However, as Howard has argued,
2904-451: A swing to Labor, increasing their two-party-preferred lead to 58 per cent, a rise of 2 points. Labor's primary vote increased 3 points to 51 per cent, and the Liberals decreased by 2 points to 34 per cent. Rudd extended his lead by 2 points to 50 per cent, with Howard down by 2 points to 37 per cent. On the first full day of the campaign, Howard and Costello announced a 'major restructuring of
3025-504: Is anti-abortion , saying those who support it are "pro death". On 16 November 2017, Bernardi moved a motion in the Senate to ban abortion on gender grounds. He was one of the 10 senators who voted in favour of the motion, which was defeated 10 votes to 36. Bernardi supports the legalisation of nuclear fuel cycle activities in Australia which, as of November 2017, are prohibited under the EPBC Act and ARPANS Act. In November 2017, he presented
3146-613: Is liberal conservatism . On economic issues, conservatives typically support lower taxes and less government spending. Unlike in the United States, mainstream Australian conservatives often support some liberal reforms, such as same-sex marriage (which was legalised by the Coalition government of Malcolm Turnbull ), while typically remaining conservative on other issues such as legalising recreational cannabis . Mainstream Australian conservatives also typically support Australia remaining
3267-765: Is a far-right anti-Muslim association that works closely with the Australian Liberty Alliance . Some of these may have connections to existing political leaders, such as Senator Cory Bernardi 's Conservative Leadership Foundation (which is dedicated to fostering community based conservative leadership) or explicitly reject party politics in favour of cultural restoration, such as the Sydney Traditionalist Forum and Edmund Burke's Club (which are described as "an association of 'old school' conservative, traditionalist and paleoconservative individuals"). In Australia however there are some differences in
3388-617: Is seen to be of the New Right . The Menzies Research Centre is an associated entity of the Liberal Party. The Samuel Griffith Society is a legal think tank that advocates constitutional conservatism, federalism and black letter law jurisprudence, and has reportedly been influential in recent Coalition appointments to administrative tribunals and the Judiciary. Apart from political parties, conservative grass-roots movements have also arisen in Australia in recent years. Q Society of Australia
3509-536: Is the author of The Conservative Revolution . Bernardi was born on 6 November 1969. Raised in Adelaide , he attended Prince Alfred College in Kent Town, South Australia . His father was an Italian immigrant who migrated to Australia in 1958. His maternal grandfather was a trade unionist and staunch Labor supporter. Bernardi took a business and management course at South Australian Institute of Technology , before winning
3630-554: Is unjustifiably encroaching into the online news sphere at the expense of commercial operators and media diversity. However, Bernardi supports the continued existence of iView (internet based television service) and podcasting services. Bernardi agrees that the ABC provides useful services to regional areas often under-serviced by commercial operators; however, he suggests that the scale of the ABC's funding should be reviewed. Bernardi has said that permitting same-sex marriages would lead to legalised polygamy and bestiality ; and said that
3751-481: Is when the Liberal Party emerged, establishing itself as a big tent party of the right, taking influence from classical conservative thinker Edmund Burke . Mainstream political conservatism is primarily represented by the Liberal Party of Australia , and its coalition partner, the National Party , which historically was the party of the conservative small farmers and espoused agrarianism . The Liberal Party
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3872-515: The Australian Democrats held their campaign launch in Melbourne under the banner of Bring Back Balance , a reference to their central campaign theme of preventing the government from regaining absolute control of the Senate. The Reserve Bank of Australia adjusted interest rates upwards by another 0.25 per cent, the sixth rise since the last election, to a 10-year high of 6.75 per cent, and
3993-635: The Australian Greens . Despite this, there are numerous Aboriginal activists, politicians and individuals affiliated with the political right. The most prominent Aboriginal Conservative was Neville Bonner who was the first Aboriginal Australian elected to federal Parliament. In the Northern Territory , the Country Liberal Party has had a fluctuating relationship with the state's Indigenous communities (even providing Australia's first Indigenous head of government, Adam Giles ) and holds several of
4114-652: The Democratic Labor Party , One Nation Party , Liberal Democratic Party , Family First Party , Australian Christians , Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party , and Katter's Australian Party , although some would not champion the classical liberal approach to economics adopted by the Liberal Party. In the 45th Australian Senate , the Liberal Democratic Party's David Leyonhjelm , the Independent Cory Bernardi , Independent Fraser Anning and
4235-599: The Institute of Public Affairs advocates free market economic policies such as privatisation and deregulation of state-owned enterprises , trade liberalisation and deregulated workplaces, climate change scepticism , the abolition of the minimum wage, and the repeal of parts of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 . The H. R. Nicholls Society focuses on industrial relations , and advocates full workplace deregulation, contains some Liberal MPs as members and
4356-608: The Kyoto Protocol . Neither Howard nor Turnbull denied the story. The story said that "internal critics" are claiming Turnbull is "selfishly positioning himself for a Coalition defeat" and a "possible post-poll leadership battle with Treasurer Peter Costello". The story led to claims of major splits in Cabinet. Labor also suffered from mixed messages. Kevin Rudd was compelled to clarify Labor policy on climate change after an interview in which Peter Garrett suggested Labor would sign up to
4477-710: The Navy (1969–1971), James Killen , was considered to be a Tory, or a "Tory Liberal", especially in his younger years. Unlike the various forms of conservatism across the world, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States , Australian conservatism has a short history. In the late 19th century, the Free Trade Party and the Protectionist Party were the two major parties in Australia. The Free Trade Party
4598-712: The nationals interstate events that year were cancelled when a cyclone hit the Wellington Dam course in WA, part-way through the programme of events. Three weeks later at Carrum in Victoria, Bernardi's South Australian crew placed second in an unofficial men's eight race attended by the Victorian, Western Australian and South Australian crews who raced for the Patten Cup. That same year Bernardi became an Australian national representative when he
4719-493: The "safe schools program" designed to make homosexual children feel safer at school "bullies" heterosexual children. Several of his colleagues from the Liberal Party at the time distanced themselves from Bernardi's comments, including Tony Abbott who also opposes same-sex marriage. Bernardi was one of twelve senators who voted against what became the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017 . Bernardi
4840-456: The "separation of the ceremonial and executive functions of government" and the presence of a neutral "defender of constitutional integrity" was an advantage in government and that no republican model would be as effective in providing such an outcome as the Australian constitutional monarchy . Despite opinion polls suggesting Australians favoured a republic, the 1999 republic referendum rejected
4961-508: The $ 328 million regional grants program, with a bias toward their marginal seats, where projects under the Regional Partnerships Program were apparently approved without proper assessment, or none at all, and that there was an increase in approvals prior to the 2004 election. Newspoll stated Labor's two-party-preferred level was down one point to 54 per cent. Former Liberal Party campaign director Lynton Crosby said that
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5082-474: The 1990s, the label "conservative" had rarely been used in Australia, and when used it tended to be used by pro-Labour forces as a term of disparagement against their opponents. Electorally, conservatism has been the most successful political brand in Australian history. Like other countries with a Westminster system of government (but unlike the United States ), the mainstream form of conservatism in Australia
5203-531: The ABC, while in 2001, average audiences on Nine, Seven and the ABC totalled 2.44 million. David Speers , Sky News's political editor, moderated the debate which was held in the Great Hall of Parliament House . The debate audience was 400, with the Coalition and Labor each selecting 200. Kevin Rudd argued that the Liberal Party was being influenced by the H. R. Nicholls Society to make further reforms to industrial relations, citing Nick Minchin 's speech at
5324-439: The Australian Conservatives and the party was voluntarily deregistered by the Australian Electoral Commission on 25 June 2019. Bernardi announced his resignation from politics on 19 November 2019, and on 20 January 2020 resigned from the Senate with immediate effect. After leaving the Senate, Bernardi became a commentator and podcaster with Sky News Australia . Bernardi made state representative appearances for South Australia in
5445-471: The Australian usage refers to free markets and small government ). Moser and Catley state, "In America, 'liberal' means left-of-center, and it is a pejorative term when used by conservatives in adversarial political debate. In Australia, of course, the conservatives are in the Liberal Party." Jupp points out that, "[the] decline in English influences on Australian reformism and radicalism, and appropriation of
5566-730: The Coalition Spokesman for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector. In October, Bernardi caused a stir with a speech to the Senate against the Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws-Superannuation) Bill 2008 supported by the Liberal Party. The bill led to discontent within the Party's conservative faction—of which Bernardi was a key figure. Turnbull was "unhappy that Party authority
5687-411: The Coalition was "closing in on Labor" in the final week and could "still win a tight election" on a campaign of defending marginal seats, declaring a win still possible on 48.5 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote. On 20 November, John Howard defended the government's advertising spending in the months prior to the campaign, paid for with public money. The advertising, which covered topics including
5808-496: The Coalition will be facilitating this visit." Abbott rejected suggestions that Bernardi was trying to bring Wilders to Australia, saying the Coalition had nothing to do with the organisation of any trip. In September 2016, Bernardi proposed the Turnbull government take up a modified version of the immigration policy of One Nation, aiming to mollify people fearing Muslim immigration as he felt soft immigration policies were to blame for
5929-483: The Conservative Leadership Foundation, "a fundraising entity that inhabits a grey area in the political donations system and permits gifts from foreign donors." and that "it has never made a disclosure to the Australian Electoral Commission as an associated entity, nor disclosed any political expenditure." In February 2017, seven months after the 2016 election, Bernardi left the Liberal Party to form
6050-511: The Federal Parliamentary Library had, following a request from Bernardi, identified a loophole in government legislation that allowed some women who aborted their pregnancies to claim a $ 5,000 " baby bonus ". The Government later stated that the bonus was not available for aborted pregnancies and was committed to following up on any such occurrences. In September 2008, new Federal Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull appointed Bernardi
6171-453: The Kyoto protocol, setting "voluntary aspirational emission reduction targets" and introducing a carbon emissions trading scheme by 2012. Labor pledged a $ 4.7 billion fibre-to-the-node broadband network. On 7 June in a speech promoting the government's handling of the economy, Treasurer Peter Costello recalled the learner driver slogan of the 2004 election : "This [the economy] is like
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#17328484053036292-547: The Liberal Party became the trustee of both the classical liberal and conservative traditions. That is, it combines liberal (market-based, pro-business, anti-union) economic policies with conservative social policies. Although used much less than the term conservative, former Prime Minister Scott Morrison ( Liberal ) described himself as a traditionalist upon his ascent to party leader and appointment as Prime Minister (2018–2022). Similarly, former Liberal MP for Moreton (1955–1983) and Minister for Defence (1975–1982) and
6413-561: The National Press Club in Canberra. Hockey argued that Labor's policy to drop Workchoices was Australia's biggest threat to inflation. On 8 November, Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull and opposition spokesman Peter Garrett debated environment issues at the National Press Club in Canberra. Garrett criticised the government's record on climate change to which Turnbull responded that Garrett's current claims betray his previous career as
6534-551: The National Press Club on ABC television. Abbott's character and ministerial capacity were questioned by Roxon for his comments about terminally ill asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton and for arriving 35 minutes late to debate. At the end of the debate, Roxon suggested to Abbott that he "could have arrived on time" if he had "really wanted to", to which Abbott replied "bullshit". Former Liberal campaign strategist Sue Cato said "you just don't run late for things like that". Abbott apologised to Banton but not to Roxon. On 10 November,
6655-515: The Nuclear Fuel Cycle (Facilitation) Bill in the Senate to repeal these prohibitions, effectively enabling future proposals for activities such as: nuclear waste importation, storage and disposal, nuclear power generation, further processing of uranium and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel . On 28 September 2015, Tony Jones , host of the television program Q&A on ABC , referred to "Cory Bernardi's Golden Dawn or something" in
6776-459: The Senate. In September 2012, Bernardi resigned from his position as parliamentary secretary as a result of statements he had made the day before, when he argued that permitting same-sex marriages would lead to legalised polygamy and bestiality. In January 2014, Prime Minister Tony Abbott again distanced himself from Bernardi after the latter called for a new debate on abortion, called for more flexible industrial relations laws, stated his belief in
6897-587: The Society's 2008 conference where he told the audience that the Coalition "knew its reform to WorkChoices were not popular but the process of change must continue", and that "there is still a long way to go... awards, the IR commission, all the rest of it..." In response to the Liberal Party message that 70 per cent of Labor's front bench was made up of former union officials, Rudd said 70 per cent of Liberal Party ministers were either lawyers or former Liberal Party staffers. On
7018-763: The State Youth VIII at the Australian Rowing Championships in 1987 and 1988. In 1988, as part of a Mercantile Rowing Club eight, he won the Ladies' Challenge Plate —open to 2nd grade/varsity/college crews below the heavyweight international standard —at the Henley Royal Regatta in England. In 1989, Bernardi was selected in the seven seat of the South Australian Men's Senior VIII. Unfortunately,
7139-546: The Tuesday, showed a stronger than expected underlying rate of inflation of 3 per cent. Treasurer Peter Costello argued against an increase in interest rates, saying the Reserve Bank should concentrate on the headline consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate which rose of 1.9 per cent for the period. Controversy arose over the Coalition's climate change policy, with The Financial Review citing "government sources" who claimed Turnbull told Cabinet six weeks ago it should sign
7260-634: The United Australia Party's Brian Burston formerly formed a "conservative bloc". Since the 2010s, an increasing number of prominent conservative members of the Liberal/National coalition have left the party, such as in 2017 with Senator Cory Bernardi and in 2022 with MP George Christensen . Some think tanks in Australia have a conservative focus. The Centre for Independent Studies , for example, focuses on classical liberal issues such as free markets and limited government , while
7381-563: The comments. Bernardi has shared values with Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders whom he met while on a trip to Europe. Bernardi offered to assist Wilders in a visit to Australia but, in February 2013 when Wilders did come, Bernardi did not meet with him. Wilders stated in an interview that Bernardi's decision not to meet him was a "sad but true" reflection on politics, particularly in an election year. The opposition treasury spokesman, Joe Hockey , said in response "Neither Cory Bernardi nor
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#17328484053037502-540: The community. Politics is a battle of ideas, not a battle of smears." On 20 March 2008, Bernardi introduced a motion calling for a Senate inquiry into swearing on television and the effectiveness of the Code of Practice after a television show was broadcast at 8.30 pm containing the word "fuck" eighty times in 40 minutes. The Senate supported the motion. Then in June, Bernardi stated his personal view on onlineopinion.com.au regarding
7623-701: The content of the Safe Schools Program . Bernardi claimed the program was indoctrinating minors. Bernardi was criticised for comments regarding the role of women in the military. Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds called Bernardi a "disgrace" in response to Bernardi's condemnation of women seeking combat roles in the military. Bernardi is a conservative Catholic Christian . He and his Irish-born wife Sinéad, an economics graduate, have two sons. Conservatism in Australia Defunct [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Conservatism in Australia refers to
7744-553: The context of the prospect of Bernardi forming his own political party. The Greek political party Golden Dawn has been characterised as neo-fascist. ABC later stated that the words were intended only as shorthand for a new conservative party and not to suggest that Bernardi shared the views of Golden Dawn. In February 2016, Labor Opposition Leader Bill Shorten labelled Bernardi a " homophobe ". In March, student protesters trashed Bernardi's Adelaide office and wrote slogans such as "stop homophobia" after Bernardi raised concerns about
7865-450: The controversial "Workchoices", cost $ 360 million over approximately 18 months. An article in the 20 November issue of the Herald Sun suggested spending could have been up to $ 500 million, though this took a broader view of what was included in that sum. Howard was criticised for not revealing documents written by his department about further changes to industrial relations laws in addition to WorkChoices legislation. In response,
7986-470: The crown", government frontbencher Andrew Robb said that up to 13 Labor candidates standing in the election may be ineligible for nomination. According to Robb, a "search of public records" indicated that the 13 candidates may have still been employed by government agencies, boards or offices, and that the Liberal Party may consider legal challenges to their election. According to Labor Senator Penny Wong , all Labor's candidates were eligible to stand, and that
8107-525: The date of Australia Day , describing the proposal as " virtue-signaling ". Kerrynne Liddle is a former journalist and Arrernte woman originally from Alice Springs. At the 2022 she was elected as a Liberal Senator for South Australia . Originally a member of Labor, former Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC) member Warren Mundine has since shifted toward the political right. Mundine has criticised what he describes as efforts to introduce " critical race theory " in Australian schools, arguing it promotes
8228-446: The debate 65 to 29 in Rudd's favour, with 6 per cent remaining undecided. Both sides, however, claimed victory. Nine had a separate group of 80 it said were 'swinging' voters (chosen by McNair Research) in its studio to control 'the Worm'. Steps were taken to ensure equal numbers so as not to taint the Worm. At one point, Peter Costello was asked to cease interjecting. Figures released on
8349-457: The debate as an extended edition of 60 Minutes , used ' the Worm ' in its broadcast despite prior objections from the Liberal Party and action from the National Press Club to cease its video feed. As a result, the Nine Network's feed was cut part way into the broadcast, which Nine then replaced with Sky News's coverage. The Nine television network's live audience, via the Worm's average, scored
8470-408: The election, Bernardi was elected to a full six-year term. He was again given the first place on the Liberal ticket at the 2013 federal election and was re-elected. Following a double dissolution of Parliament at the 2016 federal election , Bernardi was re-elected from the second place on the Liberal ticket. He was elected for a term of six years, ending on 30 June 2022. In December 2007, Bernardi
8591-424: The end of the 11 year Howard Liberal-National Coalition government that had been in power since the 1996 election . This election also marked the start of the six-year Rudd-Gillard Labor government. Future Prime Minister Scott Morrison , future opposition leader Bill Shorten and future Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles entered parliament at this election. This would be the last time the Labor Party would win
8712-461: The fight against inflation", saying that they had backflipped from their past statements that they could keep interest rates low. Howard stated that he was sorry for the negative consequences for and burden on Australian borrowers, but subsequently denied that this constituted an apology for the rate rise itself. On 7 November, Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey and Labor's Julia Gillard debated industrial relations including WorkChoices at
8833-432: The first meeting of the House after the previous federal election. The first meeting of the 41st Parliament after the 2004 election was on 16 November 2004, hence the parliament would have expired on 15 November 2007 had it not been dissolved earlier. There must be a minimum of 33 days and a maximum of 68 days between the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the day of the election. Prime Minister Howard opted for
8954-454: The first time the Bank had been changed rates during an election campaign. The Coalition said that only the current government had the proper experienced team to manage the economy in future, less prosperous years. Costello argued that the inflationary reasons for the rate rise were "outside the control of a Government". In response, Labor accused the Coalition of having "hauled up the white flag in
9075-411: The government said the proposals had been cancelled, and that WorkChoices would not be expanded upon. The Seven Network failed in attempt to access the documents under Freedom of Information. Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce said that the possibility of his crossing the floor to support Labor's amendments to WorkChoices remained open, and that he would judge all legislation on its merits, for which he
9196-588: The husband of Lindsay candidate Karen Chijoff. Kelly said the incident was a " Chaser -style prank." John Howard condemned the statement. Egan and Greg Chijoff were immediately expelled from the Liberal Party a day before John Howard's address to the Australian Press Club; although, Egan denied any wrongdoing. Court cases are progressing. Citing a clause of the Constitution that states parliamentarians are not permitted to hold an "office of profit under
9317-412: The income tax system' with tax cuts worth $ 35 billion over three years and a tax cut "goal" for the next five years. A few days later, Rudd released his policy which supported the reform measures, however offered education and health tax rebates instead of immediate cuts to the top rate as proposed by the Liberal Party, with a slower progression for the top rate. The Liberals slogan, "go for growth"
9438-687: The interests of farmers. After the 1922 federal election , which produced a hung parliament, the Country Party and the Nationalist Party (the successor to the Commonwealth Liberal Party) formed a conservative coalition . The Nationalist Party later became the United Australia Party in 1931. After the United Australia Party collapsed in 1945, conservative forces within Australia were in disarray and were seen as irrelevant. This
9559-431: The last term of parliament before the 2007 election, the deadline for new voter enrolment was brought forward from 7 working days after the issue of the writ to the same day. When the election was announced, the writ was not issued the next day, but on the following Wednesday. This kept the roll open for three days, during which 77,000 enrolment additions were processed. Roy Morgan polling in June 2007 reported WorkChoices
9680-410: The model proposed by the 1998 convention involving appointment of the head of state by Parliament. Conservatives generally support keeping the current flag (with its British insignia) and are proud of the nation's British heritage. Traditionally, Aboriginal Australians in cities have been known to predominantly vote for parties of the political left, such as the Australian Labor Party or
9801-407: The nation "does not need new leadership, it does not need old leadership. It needs the right leadership" He said his government would strive to achieve full employment, which he argued was less likely under Kevin Rudd. In response, Rudd also concentrated on leadership, outlining his case for "new leadership". He argued that the government had 'lost touch' with the electorate, and that the Labor Party
9922-474: The number of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships available at a tertiary level was announced, and the party re-iterating its view on climate change and WorkChoices . The Labor Party released footage on Thursday 15 November to Lateline, showing Tony Abbott addressing a room of people, stating "I accept that certain protections, in inverted commas, are not what they were" in reference to WorkChoices legislation. Referring to award structures, Abbott said in
10043-496: The opinion expressed that intakes of refugees should be variated on the basis of global needs ." In October 2007, Howard "admitted breaking a promise to keep interest rates at record lows". During the 2004 campaign, Howard was also cited as giving the same promise, personally, on radio. Inflation figures released on 24 October indicated underlying inflation was higher than expected, which resulted in seven of eight financial companies believing there will be an interest rate rise when
10164-531: The party system this way. This was welcomed by politicians who were influenced by the Westminster tradition and who regarded a two-party system as the norm. In 1909, the two parties merged to form the Commonwealth Liberal Party to more effectively oppose the new Labor Party . In 1920, the Country Party (now known as the National Party ) was formed as an agrarian conservative party representing
10285-537: The political landscape in which conservatism exists, compared to what is found in other countries, especially in economics. Australia undertook in the mid-1980s significant economic reforms – faith in markets, deregulation, a reduced role for government, low protection and the creation of a new cooperative enterprise culture – under the centre-left Australian Labor Party and especially under social liberal Paul Keating ." Two national newspapers in Australia, The Australian and The Australian Financial Review , take
10406-567: The political philosophy of conservatism as it has developed in Australia. Politics in Australia has, since at least the 1910s, been most predominantly a contest between the Australian labour movement (primarily the Australian Labor Party ) and the combined forces of anti-Labour groups (primarily the Liberal - National Coalition ). The anti-Labour groups have at times identified themselves as " free trade ", " nationalist ", " anti-communist ", "liberal", and " right of centre ", among other labels; until
10527-436: The post-Kyoto agreement at 2012 even if carbon-emitting developing countries did not. Rudd's comments, which he described as having "always been [Labor's] position", saw Labor's policy move closer to Liberal policy, insofar as Labor would ratify the agreement only after persuading all major carbon emitters, developing and developed, to ratify. Rudd also committed Labor to a target of a 20 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020,
10648-417: The preamble of the constitution. On 14 October, Howard announced a 24 November election. The Coalition had been trailing Labor in the polls since 2006, and most pundits predicted that Howard would not be re-elected. ABC Online election analyst Antony Green noted the Coalition's numbers were similar to what Labor had polled before losing power in 1996. Howard's theme concentrated on leadership, stating that
10769-449: The primacy of the traditional family and claimed that non-traditional families may cause negative social outcomes, linked a secular polity with Australia having lost its way, and claimed that Christianity was under siege from both the political Greens and Islam. Bernardi was re-elected for a six-year term in the Senate at the July 2016 election . In September 2016, Bernardi spoke in favour of
10890-441: The race card in an election year to distract the voters from its other perceived failures. This was most significant in the 2001 election with the infamous Tampa affair, in which the government was badly trailing in the polls before vilifying middle-eastern "boat people". The strategy worked for the government by exploiting the underlying racist elements of Australian society. Andrews defended the system of having refugee quotas against
11011-483: The rate to 3.5 per cent. Commentators pronounced Peter Costello and Wayne Swan 's debate on 30 October as ending in a draw. Costello focused mainly on the government's past record, advocating the need for Australia to build into the future, while Swan said Labor were interested in "investing in people". Howard said he believed Costello "creamed" his opponent, while Rudd said Swan did a "fantastic job". Liberal Tony Abbott and Labor's Nicola Roxon debated health at
11132-509: The repeal of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act , which prohibits speech that is reasonably likely to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate on the basis of race, colour or national or ethnic origin". In December 2016 Bernardi got into a public spat with former prime minister Tony Abbott over reports that Bernardi may start his own party. In the same month, it was reported that Bernardi in 2009 set up an entity called
11253-416: The reserve bank met in the middle of November, the first during an election campaign. Rudd advocated four-year fixed terms for federal parliaments if elected. Howard supported four-year terms but opposed fixed election dates. Any change would require approval by referendum. In mid-October, Howard said that if re-elected, the government would hold a referendum on the inclusion a statement of reconciliation in
11374-401: The same day, Peter Costello admitted when questioned that the 70 per cent figure was in reference to union members rather than union officials. Rudd said that Howard had "no plan for the future" on tackling climate change. Howard said that a Coalition government would establish a climate change fund after 2011, which would be financed by carbon offsets . The Nine Network, which broadcast
11495-472: The same footage: "I accept that that has largely gone. I accept that." When questioned, Abbott said he stood by the comments that WorkChoices means "certain protections" are not what they used to be, but denied conceding workers had lost protections. He said the video released by Labor was a "cut-and-paste job" . A report by the National Audit Office found that the Coalition had been interfering in
11616-594: The sixth time since the 2004 election, to a 10-year high of 6.75 per cent. In response to Labor criticism of the government on the rate rises, Howard stated in August 2007 "[Rudd] can scour every transcript, and I will make them available, of every interview that I gave during that election campaign and he will find no such commitment. During October 2007 Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews's decision to cut Australia's refugee intake and expressing public concern about Sudanese migrants
11737-632: The story as "a rehash of a factually incorrect story that first appeared in 2006 before my appointment to the Senate." Bernardi claimed that he had been "made aware that a colleague [had] been approaching numerous journalists in an attempt to 'push' this matter as a means of personally attacking me." In a statement he went on to say, "I find it disappointing that there are people who clearly pine to background journalists with half-truths and mischievous suggestions in an attempt to smear others. The people who creep out of their darkened closets to resurrect previously discredited accusations do no service to themselves or
11858-488: The symbols of Empire by conservatives continued under the Liberal Party leadership of Sir Robert Menzies , which lasted until 1966." Beecher comments that, "across the economic and cultural landscape, Howard proved that the centre of politics in Australia is inherently conservative." There are also other minor parties which may be perceived to be conservative in orientation on account of some of their policies - and even some are regarded as right wing or extreme right, such as
11979-616: The territory's electorates with large Aboriginal populations. Jacinta Price is a well-known conservative activist of Warlpiri descent who was elected to the Senate for the Country Liberal Party representing Northern Territory in 2022 . Price has argued against claims of systemic racism against Aboriginals in the criminal justice system, instead arguing that " black-on-black violence " is most pressing in Aboriginal communities. Unlike many Aboriginal activists, Price opposes changing
12100-585: The two years to June 2006, with around three-fifths of voters backing Labor's ability to handle the issue over the Liberal Party. A Newspoll released in June 2006 reported health and Medicare were the most important issue for voters; 83 per cent of respondents rated it "very important". Other key issues included education (79 per cent), the economy (67 per cent), the environment (60 per cent) and national security (60 per cent). Taxation and interest rates, key issues in previous campaigns, were rated very important by 54 per cent and 51 per cent respectively. Immigration,
12221-425: Was "wrong" for the government to pay. He also said that "Islam itself is the problem—it's not Muslims", and that multiculturalism had failed. He subsequently clarified his remarks by stating "When I say I'm against Islam, I mean that the fundamentalist Islamic approach of changing laws and values does not have my support." For these comments he received death threats. Liberal leader Tony Abbott distanced himself from
12342-574: Was a reason for Labor party support, and a fear of union dominance and support for Coalition economic management policy as the biggest reasons behind the Coalition vote. Several big business organisations, including the Australian Industry Group, declined a request from the Prime Minister to run advertisements to counter the union-funded campaign. The share of voters concerned about industrial relations grew from 31 per cent to 53 per cent in
12463-408: Was accused of helping to fuel assaults of Sudanese. During the controversy one criticism was that Andrews justified his decision based on "concerns raised by the community", however no official report or inquest has been tendered, leading to the conclusion that any 'concerns' were both unofficial, undocumented and possibly belonging to a racially intolerant minority. The Howard government had before used
12584-463: Was appointed the federal Coalition 's Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Community Services. On 19 March 2008, Bernardi was named in a story published in The Australian newspaper as having been linked to a scheme that sold financial advice on how divorcees could hide money from their former spouses. In a media statement released shortly after the article was published, Bernardi described
12705-422: Was being challenged" by Bernardi. In Bernardi's speech, he complained that society should not "throw open the doors and welcome into the fold those whose relationships are uncharacteristic of the most basic elements of a marital union." The next morning Turnbull rang Bernardi to "chip him", having felt the speech was intemperate in tone and that it went against the party line and Turnbull's own leadership. Bernardi
12826-423: Was best suited to deal with challenges that lie ahead. A Galaxy poll showed a Labor 53-47 per cent Coalition two-party-preferred result, with a 2 per cent gap on primaries, and ACNielsen polling reported a 2 per cent swing to the Coalition, reducing Labor's lead to 54–46. Rudd dropped 5 per cent as preferred prime minister. A Newspoll sampling 1,700 voters taken over the weekend prior to the leaders' debate reported
12947-429: Was branded as racist. The Queensland Labor Premier, Anna Bligh, described Andrews' criticism of Sudanese as "disturbing". She said: "It has been a long time since I have heard such a pure form of racism out of the mouth of any Australian politician." Labor politician Tony Burke branded Andrews' decision as "incompetent". However, Andrew's actions were applauded by the former One Nation politician, Pauline Hanson. Andrews
13068-406: Was caused by human activities. Then-environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull and other Liberal parliamentarians promptly distanced themselves from his views. Bernardi has been publicly critical of Islam . In 2010, he wrote an opinion piece calling for a ban on wearing the burqa in public. In 2011, Bernardi referred to the controversy over paying funeral expenses for asylum-seekers, declaring it
13189-543: Was criticised by Nationals leader Mark Vaile . On 21 November, three days before the election, fake pamphlets were distributed in the electorate of Lindsay , which purported to be from an Islamic group. The group was non-existent and the pamphlets thanked the Labor Party for supporting the Bali bombers and encouraged people to vote Labor. Those involved included a member of the Liberals' state executive, Jeff Egan; Gary Clark, husband of retiring MP Jackie Kelly ; and Greg Chijoff,
13310-753: Was criticised by the Coalition when radio announcer Steve Price revealed Garrett had said to TV presenter Richard Wilkins that, "once we get in we'll just change it all" in reference to copying Coalition policies. Garrett said the comment was made during a "short, jocular and casual" conversation and Wilkins supported Garrett's response, saying that it was a "light-hearted throwaway line". Tim Costello , director of World Vision Australia and Peter Costello's brother, criticised Australia's ranking of 19th out of 22 OECD countries for provision of overseas aid, and for government unwillingness to increase its policy of 0.35 per cent of national GDP to match Labor's commitment of 0.5 per cent. Howard said his party planned to lift
13431-483: Was defeated, the results in Western Australia bucked the national trend. While there was a swing against the Liberal Party and to the Labor Party, which allowed Labor to gain the seat of Hasluck from the Liberals, the Liberals managed to gain the seats of Cowan and Swan from Labor. Under the provisions of the Constitution , the current House of Representatives may continue for a maximum of three years from
13552-649: Was disputed by John Howard. One of the Liberal Party election commercials was corrected after it incorrectly said Wayne Swan and Craig Emerson had previously been union officials. A debate between the Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister, under the moderation of the National Press Club , was shown live on ABC TV , the Nine Network , and Sky News Australia at 7.30 pm on 21 October. Rudd had called for
13673-399: Was formed in 1944 as a successor of the United Australia Party , which had been formed in 1931 as a successor of the Nationalist Party and ideologically similar parties that preceded it. The Liberal Party's ideology has been described as conservative, liberal-conservative , conservative-liberal , and classical liberal . The Liberal Party tends to promote economic liberalism (which in
13794-626: Was generally more conservative while the Protectionist Party was generally more liberal (though both parties contained liberal and conservative factions). When the Australian labour movement emerged, both parties began attempting to form a united alliance against it. George Reid , the leader of the Free Trade Party between 1901 and 1905, and Prime Minister of Australia from 1904 to 1905, imagined an Australian political spectrum that ran from socialist to anti-socialist, and attempted to reframe
13915-476: Was launched after announcing the largest tax cut in Australian history. Media and political commentators questioned the suitability of the slogan in the context of rising inflation and interest rates. During the latter part of the week union influence over the ALP was questioned after the launch of the Liberal party's first campaign ads. Labor responded with commercials attacking the Liberals' campaign as 'smears', which
14036-541: Was promised. The Labor Party promised to spend only a quarter of the $ 9.4 billion promised by the Coalition, saying it would have a smaller impact on inflation. It accused the Howard government of being "irresponsible". In addition to previous education funding announcements, Rudd promised Labor would provide an additional 65,000 apprenticeships, migrate all schools to new high speed broadband, and provide all year 9–12 students with access to their own computer. A doubling of
14157-625: Was removed from the Shadow Ministry by Turnbull in February 2009 after reportedly making unsubstantiated claims regarding a fellow Liberal MP in his weekly blog. Recalling an encounter with the Liberal MP at the Royal Adelaide Golf Club about 14 years before, he wrote: In response to my question of why he joined the Liberal Party, the MP blithely responded "I live in a Liberal seat so I had to be
14278-464: Was selected by the Liberal Party to fill a Senate seat vacancy for South Australia left by the resignation of Robert Hill . During his time in Parliament, Bernardi attracted controversy over several statements and views. On 7 February 2017, he announced that he would be leaving the Liberal Party to form his own party, the Australian Conservatives . In June 2019, Bernardi announced that he was disbanding
14399-605: Was selected by the Liberal Party to fill the vacancy, officially commencing his senate term on 4 May 2006. On 17 February 2007, Bernardi was pre-selected ahead of Simon Birmingham and Senator Grant Chapman by the State Council of the South Australian Liberal Party to be the number one candidate on the South Australian Liberal Senate ticket for the federal election to be held in late 2007. At
14520-632: Was selected in the three seat of the coxless four which competed at the 1989 World Rowing Championships in Bled —formerly of Yugoslavia but what is now the Republic of Slovenia —and placed tenth. Later that year Bernardi suffered a back injury that effectively ended his rowing career. After South Australian Senator Robert Hill resigned from the Senate to become Ambassador to the United Nations in March 2006, Bernardi
14641-426: Was thought to be Christopher Pyne , who denied the allegations as "preposterous". Following the election of Tony Abbott as the leader of the federal Liberal Party in late 2009, Bernardi was appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Population Policy, and in August 2012 was appointed Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in
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