Phelps open to tearing down the government

Kerryn Phelps has left open the prospect of voting against the government in a motion of no confidence if she wins Malcolm Turnbull’s old seat.

Independent candidate for Wentworth, Dr Kerryn Phelps. Picture: Jane Dempster

Kerryn Phelps has left open the prospect of voting against the government in a motion of no confidence if she wins Malcolm Turnbull’s former seat of Wentworth tomorrow.

The independent candidate is rated a strong chance of causing an upset in the traditional Liberal stronghold in Sydney’s east in the by-election, costing the Morrison government its one-seat majority.

The Liberals’ best hope of avoiding defeat is if, with the help of Greens’ preferences, Labor ­finishes second ahead of Dr Phelps.

Yesterday, Dr Phelps said she believed governments should generally run their full three-year terms, but during an interview on Sky News she repeatedly refused to rule out a vote against the ­Morrison government on a motion of no confidence and dismissed the suggestion she could “create a fair bit of chaos”.

.@drkerrynphelps on whether she would support the government in the event of a no confidence motion: I would have to see the context, but as a general rule I believe 'governments should serve their full term.'

MORE: https://t.co/TLQgOl11BR #speers pic.twitter.com/XlNYyNUgz8

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) October 18, 2018

“We have chaos now,” she said. “The government has gone from confusion to chaos.”

The Morrison government will be left with 75 seats out of 150 in the House of Represen­tatives if Dr Phelps wins tomorrow, creating a hung parliament. The government would most likely hang on to power with the support of Queenslander Bob Katter, Victorian independent Cathy McGowan, the Centre ­Alliance’s Rebekha Sharkie and possibly Dr Phelps.

But its majority would be precarious in every vote in the chamber, forcing negotiations with crossbenchers and making it wary of a no-confidence motion.

The Liberals yesterday blitzed Wentworth, with former prime minister John Howard campaigning alongside candidate Dave Sharma and Scott Morrison releasing a video on Twitter trumpeting the government’s record on economic management.

Mr Howard warned traditional Liberal voters who were now wavering: “Please don’t romance the idea that you can have a ­protest vote and it won’t have any consequences.’’

The government’s political difficulties over the ousting of ­Malcolm Turnbull as prime ­minister continued to plague the Wentworth campaign yesterday. Mr Turnbull “liked” a tweet that expressed support for Dr Phelps and showed a cardboard cutout of the former prime minister with the words “Where’s Malcolm”.

The like was undone within minutes but it did not help Mr Sharma’s cause.

Dr Phelps leapt on Mr Turnbull’s “like”, saying: “We are very excited that Malcolm Turnbull has acknowledged our ‘where’s Malcolm’ poster … it was probably more like a wink. We were pleased.”

Mr Turnbull has travelled from New York to Singapore, where his son Alex lives, rather than coming home to campaign.

Mr Turnbull and Mr Morrison were unable to come to a form of words for a letter the party could send from the former member to voters urging a vote for Mr Sharma. As a result, Mr Turnbull declined to offer a letter of support. It is understood the former prime minister again wanted to criticise the way he was rolled as leader.

Alex Turnbull has also advocated a vote for any candidate in the by-election apart from Mr Sharma.

Mr Morrison yesterday highlighted the fact that the latest unemployment figures had fallen to 5 per cent — the lowest figure in seven years — and promoted the government’s company tax cuts for small and medium-sized businesses, which passed parliament yesterday.

Mr Howard said the loss of Wentworth, would “rob” the Morrison government of a parliamentary majority and destabilise it, inculcate a sense of defeat that would carry through to the general election and result in a “left wing, union-led, Shorten Labor government” that would axe retirees’ dividend imputation income and introduce “savage new taxes”.

Former prime minister John Howard joins Liberal candidate for Wentworth Dave Sharma as they campaign in Double Bay in Sydney. Picture: AAP

The Liberal Party claims it is at long odds to retain the seat after a poll for the party this week found Mr Sharma behind Dr Phelps on a two-party-preferred basis by 55 per cent to 45 per cent.

A ReachTel poll for Greenpeace found Mr Sharma’s primary vote slumping to 32.7 per cent — down from 38-39 per cent early in the campaign. Dr Phelps’s vote was 25.8 per cent and Labor’s Tim Murray’s was 21.6 per cent.

The Greens, who are recommending preferences go to Labor ahead of Dr Phelps, were on 9.1 per cent and independent Licia Heath had 5.6 per cent.

If the government’s numbers in the House of Representatives fall to 75, it would need to rely on the support of two independents if Speaker Tony Smith remained in the chair. Dr Phelps tweeted last night: “Many voters in this electorate are in favour of a hung parliament.”

Dr Phelps said she had put on record that she thought governments should run their full term but left open the possibility of joining a no-confidence motion.

“I think we’d have to see the context of what that was, but my intention would not be to bring the government down before its term was completed. I think it should be in the hands of the Australian people to decide who their next government was going to be, and that should happen at a ­general election.”

Dr Phelps said she wanted to be a “moderating influence” on a government, which she believed had lurched too far to the Right. Sky host David Speers pressed her a fourth time for clarity on her support for the government, saying it was “quite important that you’re leaving open the prospect of voting for a no-confidence ­motion”.

.@drkerrynphelps on the upcoming Wentworth by-election: Many voters in this electorate are in favour of a hung parliament.

MORE: https://t.co/TLQgOl11BR #speers pic.twitter.com/EYhH0tu4R1

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) October 18, 2018

Pre-polling has been high but considered normal for Wentworth. More than 10,000 votes had been cast at the beginning of the week.

Additional reporting: Geoff Chambers