“At a time when both major parties are polling so poorly and Canberra has been under Labor rule for a quarter of a century, it is appropriate to at least consider alternatives,” writes political columnist MICHAEL MOORE.

New federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has put a fly in the ointment of the Canberra Liberals.

At a time when the local Liberal Party leadership is attempting to work more closely with the Greens to increase government accountability, in tugging the federal Liberals towards the conservative side, he has undermined the local party.

On the flipside, the national Greens’ leader, Larissa Waters has expressed her dismay at any efforts by the local Greens to be working with the Canberra Liberals.

The priorities of the parties at a national level can be seen to override the interests of Canberra citizens. Local independents Tom Emerson and Fiona Carrick have no such conflict.

The Canberra Liberals’ leader, Mark Parton, already has huge challenges in front of him in his drive to make ACT Labor more accountable.

He has even bigger challenges to swing ACT voters towards his party if Canberra Liberals appear conservative rather than being seen as moderate, or genuinely liberal.

I suspect it is a similar story in other states.

The appearance of the federal Liberal men undermining their first woman leader has not been helpful. So many people feel Sussan Ley was not given a fair chance, with the white-anting commencing from the day she was elected.

It does remind ACT voters that it was not so long ago that Leanne Castley lost her leadership of the Canberra Liberals and was replaced by a man. There were some significant differences, of course. Mark Parton was the speaker of the ACT Legislative Assembly at the time of the local coup.

Perception is almost as important as reality in politics. Taylor was the one who moved to depose Ley, but it was not the case with Parton. He served well as speaker and was not in the game of undermining any of the local MLAs.

As more is revealed about the Christmas-period discussions between the Greens and the Liberals, it is becoming apparent that there was an attempt, at the very least, to find common ground.

The chances of this happening in the future have now been severely retarded. The national Greens are yet another fly in the ointment.

A spokesperson for Waters is reported as saying: “Senator Waters shared her view that an arrangement with the Liberals would not be in the best interests of Greens priorities in Canberra, or anywhere across the country. She does not resile from that position. 

“At a national level, Senator Waters believes that the Australian Greens need to be a strong, independent voice fighting for climate and economic justice.”

ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury was open to exploring new ideas that just might provide a better outcome for Canberrans.

However, he has been prevented in several ways from even considering how to work more effectively with other non-government members of the Assembly. 

The notion of the Greens taking a governing role in the ACT seems to frighten those who just want the party to be free to object rather than to considering all possibilities to hold governments accountable. This is an important role, but not the only one. 

However, Rattenbury and his colleagues were looking beyond climate and economic justice while attempting to understand if there were other roles for the Greens.

At a time when both major parties are polling so poorly and Canberra has been under Labor rule for a quarter of a century, it is appropriate to at least consider alternatives.

Since self-government in 1989 the ACT legislature has been prepared to experiment with innovative policies and innovative ways of governing. As a former Speaker, Attorney General and a long-term minister, Rattenbury understands possibilities far better than someone, such as Larissa Waters, who has never held such roles or responsibilities. 

While some are willing to explore different possibilities, others find it is easier to sit on the sidelines and snipe.

Looking inwardly and focusing on the self-interest of the party at a national level is bound to have voters looking for alternative independent candidates who will focus on local interests without national interference.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.