Julia Banks is latest Liberal MP to settle scores ahead of good governance

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg were attempting to get the Coalition back on the front foot with their budget announcement.

Scott Morrison has acted to seize the agenda and emphasise his trump card by announcing an early budget as a precursor to a May election. The timing of both events is what we expected but this formalises it — the budget will be April 2 — and locks the sequence in place for the Coalition to announce a surplus budget before calling the election.

This means the election is likely on May 11 or May 18 — so the budget will be used effectively as a campaign launch to start a six to seven week campaign focused primarily on economic progress contrasted with the risk of switching to Labor.

By announcing this today, the Prime Minister was hoping to shift the conversation and get onto the front foot during a week where minority government, the Victorian election and Newspoll have had the government playing from well behind the crease.

The trouble is that disaffected Victorian backbencher Julia Banks has blown up his plan by announcing she is resigning from the Liberal Party to move to the crossbench. This move plays into the narrative of Liberal disunity and dysfunction and will be as big or even dominate the Prime Minister’s announcement. This is the trouble with the Coalition at the moment — too many MPs with too many grievances and too little loyalty who are too willing to push their own personal agendas and too loathe to get on with representing the people who elected them. It is a shambles.

Independents Cathy McGowan, Rebekha Sharkie, Kerryn Phelps and Andrew Wilkie spoke with with Julia Banks after she resigned as a Liberal backbencher. Picture: Gary Ramage

Banks is the latest to choose settling scores ahead of good governance. Her treachery — which she characterises as a response to brutal politicking and treacherous behaviour — will fuel anger and recriminations among others. It also deepens the government’s minority status, cutting its representation to 74 members, although Banks has promised to support the government on confidence and supply.

That good news budget in April and the election day in May already look a long, long way away.

Craig Laundy sat with Julia Banks as she stood in the House of Representatives and resigned as Liberal backbencher to join the Independents. Picture: Gary Ramage