“Looking from the outside, the shenanigans of the election of Leanne Castley with Jeremy Hanson as her deputy looked like the worst of political manoeuvring,” writes political columnist MICHAEL MOORE.

 Have the Liberals shot themselves in the foot? 

Has stripping Elizabeth Lee of the parliamentary leadership in favour of Leanne Castley and her deputy, Jeremy Hanson, just taken the Liberals even further to the right? 

Will the MLAs learn the lesson from this election and present themselves as genuine liberals rather than as conservatives?

The Canberra Liberals have been strong in arguing they will not attempt to recall the decisions of the last Assembly on things such as voluntary assisted dying and drugs of dependence. A sensible decision. Any easy decision overturning these policies would be quixotic. The numbers in the Assembly would defeat them.

Understanding the numbers is an important part of politics. It is even more important within party politics. Castley suggested that her move on the leadership was, at least partially, in response to Lee’s willingness to talk to the ACT Greens about potential governing arrangements.

Her statement bodes ill for the next four years. Every effort should be made by an opposition to ensure the government is held accountable, no matter where she gets the support.

Looking from the outside, the shenanigans of the election of Castley with Hanson as her deputy looked like the worst of political manoeuvring. No wonder the Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, highlighted “an uncanny resemblance” to Scott Morrison’s 2018 ascension to power.

This is ironic in the light of Castley’s inaugural speech. She posed the rhetorical question: “Why do we in politics… play political games behind factional walls, eyeing each other with suspicion – not to mention the… ego trips, power plays and dirt sheets?”

She added: “In so many ways politics has become toxic. No wonder ordinary people have had a gutful”. 

Of course, that was an eon away in her December 2020 speech. She is now an experienced politician.

Kate Carnell was successful in leading the Liberals to two electoral victories in the ACT. Her pleading, along with others, for a more progressive approach to Canberra politics has fallen on deaf ears. 

Castley, who represents Yerrabi, says: “As for political labels like ‘conservative’ or ‘progressive’, they mean nothing in my part of town. The only label you can slap on me is ‘battler’.”

Support for voluntary assisted dying, however, as it is a conscience vote, provides an indicator of a progressive label. The Liberal MLAs voting in favour were Elizabeth Lee, Leanne Castley, Nicole Lawder and Mark Parton.

It is a good indicator of just how out of step the conservatives are with the Canberra community. A survey conducted in July found 77 per cent support by Canberrans “across all political persuasions and religions”. The Dying with Dignity ACT survey also noted: “There was unexpectedly strong support for this from Catholics (77 per cent) and from Liberal voters (78 per cent)”.

As one of the less conservative, Mark Parton appears to be holding his cards close to his chest. He did score almost a quota on his own first-preference votes. This was second only to Andrew Barr, and is a good indication that he is doing something right as far as his electorate of Brindabella is concerned.

Parton is an excellent communicator. He is a former radio host and would seem the ideal candidate if Castley was to be overthrown by the party room. It is four years out from an election. Is he biding his time until the others self-implode for the chance to lead the Canberra Liberals to bring an end to the “forever opposition”?

The Canberra Liberals’ own website states: “We believe in individual freedom and free enterprise; and if you share this belief, then ours is the party for you”. It is neither conservative nor liberal. However, their record over the last couple of decades does reveal a strongly conservative bias within both the party generally and the parliamentary wing of the Canberra Liberals.

The challenge for Castley is to shake off the conservative perception, and provide a chance for the Canberra Liberals to topple Barr, or his successor, as leading Australia’s “forever Labor government”.

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.