View from The Hill: Sussan Ley wedged by her own troops on Albanese omnibus legislation |
Anthony Albanese’s omnibus bill on hate speech and gun reform is once again exposing Sussan Ley’s lack of authority over her colleagues.
Ley on Thursday declared the bill was “pretty unsalvageable”, flagging the Coalition’s expected opposition in next week’s special two-day sitting of federal parliament.
The Coalition had a choice – to adopt “a glass half-full” or a “glass half-empty” approach to the legislation. It could have raised objections but devoted itself to negotiating changes. Instead, it is showing little interest in trying to get a deal.
One central reason seems obvious. The rebels in Ley’s ranks have thumbed their noses at the leader, publicly indicating they’ve already decided they’ll go their own way on the legislation. Most of them could not be brought into line to back any deal.
Former home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said, “I’ll be voting no to this bill” because, he said, it attacked freedom of speech and religion. Right-wing Liberal Alex Antic said, “I have absolutely no intention, regardless of the position adopted by the Coalition frankly, of supporting this bill and all of the hate crimes stuff that goes with it”.
Nationals backbencher Matt Canavan described the measures as the “biggest attack on free........