More from the series of political futures series from Denis Bright
As a response to the crisis in Australia’s conservative leadership, high profile commentators have called for the return of enhanced policy fusions between the Liberal and National Parties. Viewers on Sky News can check out the commentaries from Peta Credlin, Greg Sheridan. In The Australian, there are recent comments from Gerard Henderson which attract powerful editorial and especially headline support.
Jason Koutsoukis of the Saturday Morning Paper (24 May 2025) dares to tell a different saga of this high stakes’ political charade:
“Tony Abbott was en route to Hungary to address a think tank backed by Viktor Orbán’s right-wing government when he made the call: he wanted Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price brought into the Liberal Party fold.
It was May 8, just days after the Coalition’s devastating election loss. From a lounge at Dubai airport, the former Liberal prime minister phoned his old parliamentary colleague Natasha Griggs – now president of the Northern Territory’s Country Liberal Party – to press his case.”
The hasty remarriage between the old nodes of Australian conservatism has over a century of historical traditions as shown by the summary from ABC News (21 May 2025).
Back in 1906 Alfred Deakin (Protectionist) and George Reid (Free Trader) dazzled voters with the concept of policy fusion between policy opposites and in the national interest of course. Welcome back to old ways that are being remarked as fresh perspectives by policy insiders. Deakin temporarily halted the growing ascendency of the Labor Party.
Later when Labor soon attained the Light on the Hill with a majority in both houses of parliament in both 1910 and 1914, veteran conservative Billy Hughes 1862-1952) snuffed out the light for most of the next generation by defecting from Labor to form the Nationalist Party over conscription for overseas military service on the Western Front. Conservative populism always fuelled his electoral appeal as illustrated by this archival pic long before Sky News arrived on the scene.
Hughes’ leadership of the Nationalists was successfully challenged by Stanley Melbourne Bruce after the 1922 election due to his waning popularity. As a backbencher and back in the federal ministry after 1932, Hughes favoured pragmatic coalition links between conservative parties. The urban arm of the conservatives changed its name on three occasions over a generation from 1917 but the game plan was similar and was always a top down-strategy from policy insiders. Personality politics prevailed more intensively with the arrival of Menzies as Prime Minister (1939-41). This might be relevant today to David Littleproud’s leadership tenure. A future oriented leader would have begun urgent negotiations with the Labor Government to address policy concerns on behalf of the regions which are interventionist strategies in the Labor traditions that are quite acceptable to Anthony Albanese with his current mandate.
While Hughes did not make it into Menzies Ministry after 1949, he still retained his electoral popularity as member of the Sydney seat of Bradfield with almost 79 percent of the vote in his seat as late as 1951.
Today’s political architects of the remarriage of the Liberal and National Parties are acting in the old traditions of historical conservative political brokers with new support from advertisers like Topham Guerin (TG) who specialize in wedge-politics. These antics are still evident in the law-and-order politics of Lia Finocchiaro’s Country Liberal Party (CLP) in the Northern Territory and the Crusafulli LNP Government in Queensland.
Given the exceptional performance of the National Party on 3 May 2025 which recorded a net loss of just one NSW seat in the House of Representatives, the Nationals were certainly entitled to a stronger voice in any remarriage of the two mainstream Australian Conservative Parties. Regrettably, the hasty remarriage will not be a return to the agrarian socialism demanded by the early founders of the Country Party. It will strengthen the alliance between the National Party and the mining, the defence sectors and other major corporate influences. The commitment to Top-Down politics has a Trumpish resonance which would soon alienate any Waltzing Matilda traditions in the early National Party well prior to the Joh era in Queensland.
In Regional Australia, akubra hats are an important feature of political outreach as a metaphor for common-sense political orthodoxy This is of course just an optional extra. The National’s Kevin Hogan MP poses without an akubra in this ceremonial pic at the Back Creek Bridge near my deceased grand-uncle Walter Ward’s deserted farm house (Image: Kevin Hogan MP 2025). I had never thought of inquiring about Walter’s politics as a primary or high school student on irregular visits from Queensland. Regrettably, I was unable to attend the family reunion at Bentley a couple of years ago.
The absence of akurbas did not diminish the National Party’s election result in Page. The swing against the Nationals was a mere 1.38 percent after preferences. This was not even universal across the electorate. There swings to the National Party were greatest in the more disadvantaged polling booths where the Rappville Factor worked handsomely again for the National Party.
At this former whistle stop between Casino and Grafton, there was an informal vote of 14.05 percent with an increase in the Nationals primary vote by 3.91 percent. This result was enhanced by preference flows from the Trumpet of Patriots, the ONP and other far-right groups which built up the National Party vote by an additional 23 percent:
No Time to Reflect on Global Warming and Climate Change
Returning democratic representation to regional Australia should require months of soul-searching in communities with little interest in nuclear power options to assist in fudging carbon emission targets and sensational aspects of the NT’s law and order campaigns (ABC News 18 October 2024):
“The Northern Territory has lowered the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years old, during the new government’s first week of parliament sittings.
The Country Liberal Party government used its 17-member majority to push through the legislation late Thursday night, while seven from the opposition and crossbench voted against the move.
It comes about two years after the previous Labor government raised the age to 12, making the NT the first jurisdiction in the country to do so.”
* * * * *
An Ode to Conservative Policy Fusions
Across the Bush where Cattle Graze
Lie quiet Country Towns
Interrupted by Far-Right Election Card Woes
Just an intermittent a Craze.
From Scarry Pine Gap Domes to Arafura
Mining Giants and Gas Extractors
Barrack with Glee
To promote New Futures for the Free.
Let’s foster New Patriots
To Protect our Might
With Preference exchanges
Fused by Populism Tight.
Also by Denis Bright:
Political Futures: Seeking Out Critical Media Coverage of Top End Problems
Political Futures: How Will the LNP Cope with Trump’s Liberation Day?
Political Futures: Joint Problems Facing Sweden and Australia
Political Futures: Seeking Out Critical Media Coverage of Top End Problems
Political Futures: Transitioning Beyond Sensational Political Marketing?
Denis Bright (pictured) is a financial member of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA). Denis is committed to consensus-building in these difficult times. Your feedback from readers advances the cause of citizens’ journalism. Full names are not required when making comments. However, a valid email must be submitted if you decide to hit the Replies Button.
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