Phillip Thompson could be in for a major portfolio in Coalitions new shadow cabinet
Phillip Thompson may be in for a key portfolio in the Coalition’s shadow cabinet after cementing himself as one of the best performing members of parliament in the country.
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Phillip Thompson may be in for a key portfolio in the Coalition’s shadow cabinet after cementing himself as one of the best performing members of parliament in the country.
The Herbert MP secured more than 42,400 first preference votes last weekend, marking the second election in a row where he has increased his primary vote despite the Coalition’s fading popularity.
Comparatively, to the national result for the Coalition, Mr Thompson could be seen as the golden child, converting a bellwether seat into a safe spot for the LNP.
He’s positioned himself up as a key player since he was elected in 2019, having a close relationship with former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and the ear of former leader Peter Dutton without the popularity of either impacting his approval rating.
Given his history as an Afghanistan veteran and his previous work in the mental health space, Mr Thompson could be in the running for a defence-related portfolio in the shadow cabinet.
There is still significant speculation about who may be the next leader of the Coalition, but current Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie has ruled himself out of the race.
Mr Hastie was a Captain in the Army and was attached to 2CAV and the SAS, with multiple tours of Afghanistan.
This may rule out the defence portfolio for Mr Thompson, however in the last term, he was the shadow assistant minister for defence, defence industry and personnel.
Now with two terms under his belt, his approval rating skyrocketing and Townsville’s positioning as the country’s largest garrison city, the stars could align for the MP.
After the Coalitions poor performance at the polls, the party only expected to retain 40 seats (they had 58 in the previous term), meaning almost every MP could end up with a job.
In the Coalition, the Veterans Affairs portfolio is traditionally a Nationals gig, but there has been examples of portfolios usually reserved for one party being taken by the other.
Senator Bridget McKenzie, a Nationals MP, held the Sports Minister portfolio under Scott Morrison – a position usually held by a Liberal MP.
The current shadow minister for veterans affairs is Barnaby Joyce.
The roles that are traditionally Nationals include portfolios like regional Australia, and resources.
Deputy leader Sussan Ley, treasury spokesman Angus Taylor, and immigration spokesman Dan Tehan are tipped to put their hand up for the Liberal leadership, but none of them have spoken publicly about their intentions.
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Originally published as Phillip Thompson could be in for a major portfolio in Coalitions new shadow cabinet
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