Sussan Ley’s day of net-zero reckoning revealed as Alex Hawke condemned
Conservative MPs have branded Alex Hawke as Liberal Party’s ‘leader by proxy’ as Sussan Ley prepares to reveal crucial net-zero position.
Sussan Ley will announce the Liberal Party’s position on net zero next week, as frustrated conservatives agitating for her replacement in the new year take aim at her chief lieutenant, Alex Hawke, for acting like a “leader by proxy”.
The Australian understands that after a meeting of the Liberal leadership group on Thursday, a timeline and process for the party’s policy development on energy and emissions reduction was reached.
All Liberal MPs will be expected to meet in Canberra next Wednesday to discuss the emission-reduction policy, after which the shadow ministry will meet on Thursday to formalise a position.
At the conclusion of the shadow ministry meeting, three senior parliamentarians from the Liberals and three from the Nationals will meet to discuss respective party positions.
A final joint Coalition meeting will then be brought forward via a virtual meeting of the joint partyroom for endorsement on Sunday November 16, a week before parliament returns on November 24.
West Australian Liberal MPs told The Australian they were shocked and frustrated by Ms Ley’s announcement to hold a partyroom meeting next Wednesday. Forrest MP Ben Small criticised Ms Ley for scheduling a meeting that would stop West Australian Liberals from attending Remembrance Day ceremonies the day before.
“The leader has called a meeting requiring all WA MPs and senators to check in for the direct flight to Canberra at 11am on the 11th of November – as if there were no more important place for them to be, like their local RSLs paying tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” Mr Small said. He also accused Ms Ley of having broken with convention by not having landed on policies sooner.
Liberals from other states argued there were other flights West Australians could take that, while not direct, would get them to Canberra on time without missing Remembrance Day. They also pointed out a West Australian senator, Michaelia Cash, was on the leadership team that ticked off the timeline.
It follows frustration within the party over opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan leaving the country for two weeks in October on a “US study tour of nuclear energy”, with moderates criticising the senior MP for taking too long to review the energy policy.
Moderate MPs and allies of Ms Ley also hit back at conservative colleagues for arguing that Mr Hawke, the party’s manager of opposition business, was the “puppet master” behind the leader.
“He’s effectively the leader. If someone wants to make a pitch for a committee chair or deputy chair role or … to be assistant minister or whatever else, they’re not calling Sussan (Ley). They’re calling him and asking for his support,” one conservative MP said.
Another MP said the suspicion about Mr Hawke’s influence over the party’s leadership was increased by the fact some of Ms Ley’s staff members used to work for him.
After a devastating sitting fortnight for the Coalition, Mr Hawke raised eyebrows in question time this week after the manager for opposition business defied parliamentary procedure and yelled that Anthony Albanese was “useless and a liar”. Even moderate MPs described his performance as “questionable”, while conservatives made the allegation that the former “right-winger” was now the party’s “leader by proxy”.
The comments were criticised by moderates as “complete rubbish” and a blatant attempt to undermine Ms Ley’s leadership, which has come under its greatest pressure since she won the ballot against Angus Taylor in May.
“If he was such a puppet master, why not give himself a more senior portfolio?” one MP said.
“The reason conservatives are shopping this around is because he used to be one of them and has now left. They’re attaching him to Sussan (Ley) as part of a marginal drive to turn people away from her leadership.”
Another Liberal source said the idea Mr Hawke was “leader by proxy” was exaggerated, but agreed Scott Morrison’s former numbers man had “a high level of influence” over the party.
Mr Hawke was contacted for comment.
As infighting among the party continues, the conservative candidates being spoken about most frequently as the next potential leader remain Andrew Hastie and Angus Taylor, while Ted O’Brien and Tim Wilson have been raised as potential centrist replacements.
It comes as core support for the Coalition crashed to a record low of 24 per cent, according to Newspoll, with Ms Ley’s net approval rating plunging to minus 33.
The survey was taken ahead of the Nationals breaking from the Liberals to announce their own emission-reduction policy, confirming they would ditch net zero.
However, senior MPs said the Liberals announcing a position ahead of the Nationals and hoping the junior party followed suit would have been too dangerous.
Sources said the Nationals ditching net zero would help the Liberals land a position, with “few other choices” left to Ms Ley.
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