CLP Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro facing no confidence vote

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro is set to face a vote of no confidence from her own party’s rank and file. Here’s why some CLP members want her out.

Country Liberal Party Lia Finocchiaro is set to face a motion of no confidence from her own party members. Picture: Liam Mendes/The Australian

A no confidence motion in Country Liberal Party leader Lia Finocchiaro will be tabled at an upcoming members meeting.

Submitted by the party’s Litchfield branch, the leaked document takes aim at Ms Finocchiaro’s leadership and repeated “disregard for party positions”.

It also calls into question her neutral position on the Voice to Parliament, which is at odds with the party’s rank and file and Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s ‘no’ stance.

“Whilst in Alice Springs with shadow cabinet meeting, Lia did not invite the President (Sean Heenan) to meet and discuss party and parliamentary wing issues and build relationships,” the motion reads.

“Sean is the President, a representative and the position needs to be respected.”

The motion also calls out Ms Finocchiaro’s actions, or lack thereof, when Ms Price and federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton raised claims of child sex abuse in Central Australia last month.

CLP members of the party’s Litchfield branch have called out Lia Finocchiaro’s lack of public support for Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Senator Jacinta Price. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

“Lia remained silent, not throwing any support behind them,” the motion reads.

“The party as a whole, is a representative of the conservative voices across the Territory electorates and going from February’s Central Council a motion to oppose the Voice has not filtered through to Lia or any other MLA.

“(They) remain idle and self-fulfilling for their want for further office … not truly speaking on behalf of the conservative voice, only self-preservation.”

CLP’s Namatjira MLA Bill Yan said the motion was “no doubt” damaging to his party.

“I can tell the truth – yes it is, it makes our life difficult to be able to be out showing a united front to Territorians,” he said.

“(But) we as a CLP wing are fully united.

Bill Yan said the announcement during Wednesday’s parliament sittings to make him shadow Treasurer showed the parliamentary wing was united. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

“The party members can have their own opinion.”

Ms Finocchiaro said on Tuesday her fight was solely with Labor, not within the party.

“My job is to make sure Territorians’ voices are heard and to make sure that we hold this bad Labor government to account,” she said on Tuesday.

“Nothing is going to distract me or my team from achieving that.

“While others might want to cause a distraction or talk about themselves, the CLP parliamentary team and I are solely focused on showing Territorians that we are out there listening … and that we will be a better government for them in 2024 if they give us that chance.”

Speculation of a leadership spill has been circulating for months.

In March, the then-CLP president Lawson Broad spectacularly quit over his party’s decision to oppose the Voice.

Ms Finocchiaro became the CLP leader in 2020 when her predecessor Gary Higgins stepped down from politics due to health problems.

She has lost all four by-elections and the 2020 Territory election since stepping in to lead the Opposition.

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