Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has stood by a speech given by Senator James Paterson this week, in which he called for the Liberal Party to end its “mass public therapy session” and return its focus to holding the government to account.
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“James made a terrific speech. I commend it to everyone who hasn’t read it yet, and it makes a strong point that we as Liberals are stronger when we stick to our values and we back aspiration,” Ley told ABC News this morning.
“I’m very proud of all of my colleagues, in fact, for taking that message to Australians that we do need to reconnect with because while we’re working on policies, we will always stand by the values that formed this party 81 years ago, and they are about freedom, choice, control over your own life, about giving people the chance to do well, to take risks, to give back to the community,” she said.
On Tuesday evening, Paterson delivered the Tom Hughes Oration in Sydney, in which he warned against a turn towards Nigel Farage-style populism. He said the party should not shy away from culture wars, lest the Liberals become “a soulless, hollow party which spoke to only the narrowest material aspirations of Australians”.
He also called Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a “petty despot” for his proposed crackdown on freedom of information and slashing of opposition staff numbers.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
“We must seek to understand and incorporate the reasonable concerns of the good-faith actors on the right who today express dissatisfaction with the direction of the Liberal Party,” Paterson said in his speech.
“Some conservatives feel aggrieved that the post-Cold War liberal consensus damaged causes they care about. Family. Faith. Nation. Community. Their concerns are sincere. And they are legitimate.”
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