Christensen ‘loyal’ to Coalition as Bernardi on brink of Libs split

Nationals MP George Christensen states his position as fears mount that Cory Bernardi may split from the Coalition.

George Christensen hopes 2017 “heralds a new way of doing things for the Turnbull government”. Picture: Kym Smith

Conservative politicians have fired warning shots for Malcolm Turnbull to renew faith with the party’s base if he wants to keep the coalition united. Nationals MP George Christensen has warned that while he’s loyal now, there may come a time when he couldn’t stay in the party any more.

And conservative firebrand Cory Bernardi is reportedly preparing to split from the Liberals, with his Australian Conservatives group promising a “massive 2017”.

Mr Christensen says with satisfaction with democracy at an all-time low, he hopes 2017 “heralds a new way of doing things for the Turnbull government and for politics in general”.

Many people had urged him to “pull the pin on the government” and break away. “However, I am loyal to (Nationals leader) Barnaby Joyce, loyal to the Nationals, and - most of all - loyal to local LNP members who selected me to be their candidate,” he wrote on Facebook on Thursday.

“What the Turnbull government needs to do is start being more loyal to the voters and the party members who sent us here or there will come a time when remaining inside the tent is no longer tenable to my conscience or my voters.”

Former leader Tony Abbott also responded to the threatened defection, saying on Twitter:

“To be strong & united, the Liberal Party cannot take the base for granted & must convincingly argue for its values & principles.”

As reported in The Australian yesterday, satisfaction is at its lowest level since the 1970s amid record levels of distrust in government and growing disengagement with the political process.

In what is being labelled a “wake-up call” for the country’s political class, an Australian Nat­ional University survey taken after the July 2 poll shows 40 per cent of people are not satisfied with democracy, a measure that has been in rapid decline since the election of Kevin Rudd in 2007.

- With AAP

South Australian senator Cory Bernardi.

Bernardi on brink of Libs split

Fears are mounting within the ­Liberal Party that maverick South Australian senator Cory Bernardi is set to split from the Coalition to spearhead the new Australian Conservatives party, with an ­announcement expected in the new year.

The conservative firebrand and his “very close friend” Gina ­Rinehart met key members of US president-elect Donald Trump’s campaign team, including former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, in Washington last month, fuelling fears the senator might have the support of Australia’s richest woman to bankroll the party and dilute the Liberals’ support base.

Senator Bernardi is refusing to comment on his plans, but allies and colleagues of the outspoken conservative say a breakaway Trump-inspired movement is ­imminent and attempts are being made to convince him to stay within the Liberal Party.

A message on Senator Ber­nardi’s Australian Conservatives website posted this week says the group is planning a “massive” 2017, and is set to ramp up its profile in the new year after operating since July with “modest staff numbers and a bare bones website”.

“This is all set to change in 2017,” it says. “Our new state-of-the-art website is almost ready to go, and we will be launching it early next year, along with a number of important campaigns.”

The threat of defection comes amid widespread alarm within the Coalition about the momentum and popularity of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party as voters turn away from the major parties in record numbers.

Senator Bernardi dismissed as “gossip” renewed suggestions that he was poised to quit the Liberal Party, but close allies of the ­conservative said his long-time flirtation with the idea of a new conservative party had now ­advanced to “active dating”.

“He is becoming more serious about this as people are losing faith in the Liberal Party and as he is losing faith in Malcolm Turnbull,” one senior Liberal said.

Another friend and ally of Senator Bernardi told The Australian that they were “very concerned” that he would quit early in the year and might attempt to lure other parliamentary colleagues to the party.

“I don’t think this is a ­flippant thing; this is now serious,” the ally said. “I am worried about it, and I will do everything I can to try to keep him in our tent.”

While refusing to confirm the move yesterday, Senator Bernardi said he would “not comment on gossip or speculation”, in a clear hardening of his position since July when he ruled out defecting and said he wanted to “make the Liberal Party stronger”.

One of his conservative parliamentary colleagues said Senator Bernardi had since “given up on Malcolm” to steer the party to the Right, but said most conservatives still believed the Liberal Party as the party of Menzies was their “natural home”. “However, I think a lot of people would be sorely tempted,” the colleague said.

Another said a new political party under Senator Bernardi would be a force to be reckoned with, particularly if the new ­conservative force was financially supported by Mrs Rinehart, ­described as a very close friend who shared the senator’s views on conservatism.

The Hancock Prospecting and Roy Hill Holdings chairwoman is also a long-time friend of Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, to whom she donated $50,000 for his 2013 election campaign when he switched to the lower house.

Mrs Rinehart, who took Senator Bernardi on a private charter flight to attend the Olympic volleyball presentation in Cairns this year, recently called for the government to adopt the stimulatory policies being promised by Mr Trump, and praised the president-elect’s team for having “listened to the people of America’’.

“In addition to wanting to deliver secure borders, a safer country and less government debt, Trump’s team members advised that the president-elect wants to cut federal government tape by 50 per cent in his first months of office, and that he wants to cut company tax to 15 per cent. What a kickstart to the American economy that will provide!’’ Mrs Rinehart said in a recent speech. “If only we were hearing similar policies from our own government.’’

Senator Bernardi and Mrs Rinehart met Mr Giuliani and Ms Conway last month in Washington, where they were speaking at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council’s dinner. Following the meeting with Ms Conway, Senator Bernardi said on Twitter: “If you want campaign advice, always good to learn from best.”

He also included the hashtag #MakeAustraliaGreatAgain. He is directing his supporters to the Australian Conservatives website, which has signed up more than 50,000 supporters.

Senator Bernardi declined to comment on his intentions for 2017, or on whether he had discussed the new Australian Conservatives movement with Mrs Rinehart.

However, in his final Christmas message for the year, Senator Bernardi thanked his supporters for their “inspiration” and said he was “determined to repay that faith in even greater measure in the new year”.

A spokeswoman for Mrs Rinehart said: “We don’t engage in a running commentary on hypotheticals.”