LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
IN January, Prime Minister Tony Abbott was under serious leadership pressure because of the Prince Philip knighthood debacle.
Although his decision landed him in hot water, it wasn’t the only thing that got MPs and media questioning his leadership.
It was just as much his failure to consult with any of his cabinet colleagues, and to discuss with anyone in close political ranks (albeit Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston).
For such a seemingly minor faux pas in the grand scheme of things, the Prime Minister was literally fighting for his political life in the days that followed.
He came to his senses, apologised, and promised that he would confer with his party on further related decisions.
Now we have Darren Chester, hailed by some as courageous and bold for coming out in support of same sex marriage, when his own party members were left completely in the dark on any such announcement.
He’s also flipped on a party policy that he himself had upheld for many years and had not publicly changed before his re-election in 2015 or his recent preselection for the Nationals in 2016.
He’d stated that he was actively reconsidering his position in 2013, but has completely ignored the democratic process within his own party.
He says he came to a decision based on his “own perceptions” and he states he has been “inundated with support” — neither is a claim that can be quantified.
I think it is symbolic that Mr Chester brought Speaker of the House of Representatives Bronwyn Bishop to Sale, defending her actions as trivial.
Trivial!
Many called for the Liberals to sack her over travel rorts, and it seems some within the Nationals are calling for Mr Chester to be sacked because of his disregard for the party, its policies, values and rules.
It defies logic that our PM had the integrity to apologise for his lack of party consultation over an issue that was a drop in the ocean.
Yet our federal representative can’t admit betraying National Party policy, denying party members their voice and letting down his electorate with a Facebook consultation on such a complex social issue.
Not courageous, not bold and clearly not good enough for Gippsland.
