National Right (Liberal Party of Australia)

Summary

The National Right,[1] also known as the Conservatives,[7] or the Hard Right,[8] is one of three factions (the other two are the Moderates and the Centre Right)[9] within the federal Liberal Party of Australia. Reportedly concerned more with social issues,[1] the faction is the most organised[1] and reactionary of the three,[10][11] with the loudest voices of dissent within the party coming from the faction.[10] During the Prime Ministership of Malcolm Turnbull, the faction (of which Turnbull was not a member) rose in size and influence,[12] and between 2019–2022 it underwent a change of its leadership and most prominent members, including Tony Abbott, Eric Abetz and Kevin Andrews,[1] and included former Liberal Party Senators Cory Bernardi and Mathias Cormann.[13] The faction also has a significant young membership, with members Michael Sukkar (factional leader),[14] Andrew Hastie, James Paterson and former Senator Amanda Stoker all being Millennials.[15][failed verification] Furthermore, former New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet is from this faction.[16][17]

National Right Faction
National Right Conservatives
AbbreviationNR
LeaderPeter Dutton[1][2]
Ideology
Political positionRight-wing[1][3][4][5]
Associated partyLiberal
Colours  Blue
House of Representatives
16 / 40
(2023 seats)
Senate
11 / 25
(2023 seats)

The current leader of the faction is Leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton.[18][failed verification] As of the 2022 Australian federal election, the National Right is the Liberal Party's largest faction, with 27 of 65 Liberal MPs aligned with the faction.[19]

Membership edit

Current MPs edit

Membership (both houses)[1]
Name Constituency Other positions State/Territory
Peter Dutton Member for Dickson
  • Leader of the Opposition
  • Leader of the Liberal Party
  • Minister for Defence 2021–2022
  • Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2014–21)
  • Leader of the House of Representatives (2021–22)
QLD
Michaelia Cash Senator for Western Australia
  • Former Attorney-General of Australia
  • Former Minister for Industrial Relations
  • Former Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate
WA
Michael Sukkar Member for Deakin Former Assistant Treasurer VIC
Angus Taylor Member for Hume Former Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction NSW
Alex Antic Senator for South Australia SA
Andrew Hastie Member for Canning WA
James Paterson Senator for Victoria Chair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security VIC
Gerard Rennick Senator for Queensland QLD
Garth Hamilton Member for Groom QLD
Slade Brockman Senator for Western Australia Former President of the Senate WA
Phillip Thompson Member for Herbert QLD
Luke Howarth Member for Petrie Former Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services QLD
Tony Pasin Member for Barker SA
Rick Wilson Member for O'Connor WA
Matt O'Sullivan Senator for Western Australia WA
Ian Goodenough Member for Moore WA
Jonathon Duniam Senator for Tasmania TAS
Claire Chandler Senator for Tasmania Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs TAS
Gavin Pearce Member for Braddon TAS

Former MPs edit

Membership (both houses)[1]
Name Constituency Other positions State/Territory
Tony Abbott Member for Warringah (1994–2019) Former Prime Minister of Australia NSW
Eric Abetz Senator for Tasmania (1994–2022)
  • Leader of the Government in the Senate (2013–15)
  • Minister for Employment (2013–15)
2024 Tasmanian election candidate for Franklin
TAS
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells Senator for New South Wales (2005–22) Minister for International Development and the Pacific in the Turnbull Government (2016–18) NSW
Kevin Andrews Member for Menzies (1991–2022)
  • Former Minister for Defence
  • Former Minister for Social Services
VIC
Gladys Liu Member for Chisholm (2019–22) VIC
Amanda Stoker Senator for Queensland (2018–22) Former Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General QLD
Nicolle Flint Member for Boothby (2016–22) SA
Christian Porter Member for Pearce (2013–22)
  • Former Minister for Industry, Science and Technology
  • Former Attorney-General
  • Leader of the House
  • Former Minister for Industrial Relations
  • Former Minister for Social Services
WA
Zed Seselja Former Senator for Australian Capital Territory (2013–22)
  • Former Minister for International Development and the Pacific
  • Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs (2016–17)
ACT
Alan Tudge Member for Aston (2010–23)
  • Minister for Education and Youth (2020–21)
  • Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure (2018–20)
  • Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs (2017–18)
  • Minister for Human Services (2016–17)
VIC
Mathias Cormann Former Senator for Western Australia (2007–20)
  • Minister for Finance (2013–20)
  • Leader of the Government in the Senate (2017–20)
WA

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Massola, James (21 March 2021). "Who's who in the Liberals' left, right and centre factions?". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  2. ^ Massola, James (9 April 2023). "How Morrison's shattering defeat gave Dutton a seismic shift in factional power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Bourke, Latika (19 January 2018). "'Arrogantly ignored': Right-wing Liberals hit back at Ruddock 'unity' ticket". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b Patrick, Aaron (2 April 2023). "Conservatives used to think Aston was the Liberals' future". Australian Financial Review. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b Pimenta, David (10 November 2023). "Two sides of the same 'West': the radical right wing in Australia and Portugal". theloop.ecpr.eu. European Political Science Review.
  6. ^ Turnbull, Maclolm (May 2023). "The Libs are all right". The Monthly. Schwartz Publishing. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023.
  7. ^ Nicholls, Sean; Selvaratnam, Naomi; March, Stephanie (7 July 2022). "Liberals accuse each other's factions of 'thuggish behaviour' and being 'a cancer that's infected the party'". ABC News - Four Corners. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  8. ^ Rabe, Tom (6 August 2019). "'Absolute pain': Internal division exposed in Liberal feud". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  9. ^ Davies, Anne (23 January 2022). "The Right stuff: why shellshocked NSW Liberal moderates are fearing factional fights". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  10. ^ a b Gauja, Anika; Chen, Peter; Curtin, Jennifer; Pietsch, Juliet, eds. (2018). Double Disillusion: The 2016 Australian Federal Election. ANU Press. doi:10.22459/DD.04.2018. hdl:10072/415462. ISBN 9781760461867.
  11. ^ O'Malley, Nick (27 October 2018). "Who is the 'base' the conservative faction of the Liberal Party keep talking about?". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  12. ^ Norman, Jane (18 June 2018). "The Liberals' conservative faction is growing — and so is its influence over the party". ABC News.
  13. ^ Packham, Ben; Kelly, Joe (5 August 2011). "Liberal row widens over Turnbull". The Australian.
  14. ^ Crowe, David (28 May 2021). "Liberal faction wars could snare PM in puppet master's strings". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  15. ^ Tillett, Andrew (23 August 2019). "The rise of the next generation of factional leaders". Australian Financial Review.
  16. ^ Seccombe, Mike (24 July 2021). "How power and factionalism work in Berejikliand". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  17. ^ Davies, Anne (22 January 2022). "The Right stuff: why shellshocked NSW Liberal moderates are fearing factional fights". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  18. ^ Stayner, Tom (26 May 2022). "Who is the new leader of the Liberal party Peter Dutton?". SBS News.
  19. ^ Massola, James. "How Morrison's shattering defeat gave Dutton a seismic shift in factional power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2023.