Liberal MP Garth Hamilton wants Australian Liberals to channel David Cameron

A Liberal MP left out of the Opposition’s new-look cabinet has taken aim at his party’s policies, calling for his colleagues to look abroad for inspiration during his scathing assessment.

EXCLUSIVE

A Liberal MP overlooked in Sussan Ley’s shadow cabinet has labelled the party out of touch, blaming policies like using super for housing for the Coalition’s disastrous loss, as he launches a rogue one-man policy review committee.

Groom MP Garth Hamilton said the Liberal Party needed to channel former UK PM David Cameron’s compassionate conservatism model if it wanted to win back voters who abandoned the Coalition at the 2025 election.

The party proved to be particularly unpopular with young people, women and multicultural communities.   

Mr Hamilton, who has already advocated for tax reform including income splitting and deductions for mums to close the gender pay gap, said he will be using the freedom of the backbench to “advocate” for more inclusive policies.

Groom MP, Garth Hamilton arrives at Parliament House. Picture: David Beach

“I was in the UK at the time and I watched David Cameron pull the conservative party back to relevance,” he told the Saturday/Sunday Telegraph.

“The work he did gave them 15 years of government following the Thatcher years where the Conservatives were seen as the nasty party.”

Asked if he’s willing to go against his leader to fight for his ideas, Mr Hamilton said “that is what is required”.

“We had a policy to use your super to buy a first home when the average 30 year old has $50,000 in their super and the average first home deposit is about $130,000,” he said.

“That means you still have to get the remaining sum from savings which we know is not possible (for many) or the bank of mum and dad.

Leader of the Opposition Sussan Ley holds a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Martin Ollman

“That policy we had to use your super to buy a house is not real … Can we get real?”

Mr Hamilton said he was not offered a frontbench position but Ms Ley did ask him to be the whip which he turned down in favour of a backbench role where he can speak freely on issues.

The MP has dubbed his new review the “kitchen table policy review”.

Mr Hamilton, who comes from the Right faction of the Liberal Party, does not intend to present the findings to Ms Ley, who is largely described as factionless or aligned to the centre right.

Instead, he will be using them to advocate from the backbench in this term of government.

Mr Hamilton has invited some of his fellow backbenchers to join in with Bowman MP Henry Pike among them. ”Every week in parliament …(we) will conduct our own review,” he said. 

“We will have people like Mike Henry, economists Judith Sloan and Stephen Hamilton come and tell us the opportunities they see in policy areas.”

In the bitter leadership battle between Angus Taylor and Ms Ley, Mr Hamilton was firmly in Mr Taylor’s camp.

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Originally published as Liberal MP Garth Hamilton wants Australian Liberals to channel David Cameron