Your noon Briefing: ‘Get real, voters aren’t hugging coal’

Welcome to your 2-minute digest of the day’s top stories.

Hello readers and welcome to your noon digest of the day’s top stories and must-reads.

Liberal MP Tim Wilson speaks during debate of the Marriage Amendment bill in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, December 4, 2017. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) NO ARCHIVING

Voters ‘not hugging coal’

Voters are not “hugging something like coal” and want a clear agenda on the environment, Coalition MP Tim Wilson says. Mr Wilson has been outspoken this morning about the Coalition’s need to learn lessons from their landslide defeat from the weekend’s Victorian state election.

The Victorian federal MP said the government needs a clear agenda on the environment to win back small-l Liberal voters in places like Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Keep up with all the latest from parliament in our live blog, PoliticsNow.

“There is no left or right views on this issue.”

Tim Wilso n

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Prime Minister Tony Abbott holds a press conference at H C Coombs Centre in Kirribilli where he met with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and leaders from the Indigenous community to discuss changes to the constitution. Tony Abbott (R) and Bill Shorten shake hands. Picture: Toby Zerna

Voters ready to flush coalition

Today’s Newspoll, coupled with the electoral rout in Victoria on Saturday, confirms the dire position the Coalition has put itself in, writes Peter Van Onselen. Down 45-55 per cent on the two-party vote for the second consecutive fortnight, just ahead of the final parliamentary sitting fortnight of the year, Scott Morrison has few options to lift the government’s standing before next year’s federal election. The bottom line for Coalition troops is that this mess is entirely of their own making.

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Liberal Party leader Matthew Guy election party at the the Veneto Club Bulleen. Michael Kroger Victorian Liberal Party president at the function. Picture: David Caird

Grow up: Kroger

Under siege Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger says people claiming there are federal implications from the state election should “grow up” as he defended his leadership of the state organisation. Mr Kroger, who has been urged to step down by his longtime foe Jeff Kennett, said people in Victoria were “more sophisticated” than thinking the result was to blame on the federal Liberals or his presidency.

Jack Ma plans to focus on philanthropy after stepping down as Alibaba’s executive chairman. PHOTO: QILAI SHEN/BLOOMBERG NEWS

The long read: China at the crossroads

When Jack Ma announced in September that he would step down as chairman of Alibaba, the eCommerce giant he founded in his Hangzhou apartment 19 years ago, to return to his chosen profession of English teacher, eyebrows were raised, writes Paul Maley. Adding to the speculation was that Ma’s announcement came as China’s government was exerting unprecedented ­control of the country’s corporate secto r.

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Comment of the day

“I do not recognise the Liberal Party of Australia any longer

They stopped listening to their members and supporters a very long time ago.”

John