“The next ACT election is not for three years. Booting discontents from the party allows the full explosion now, and time for rebuilding of the parliamentary arm. But booting them is not so simple,” writes political columnist MICHAEL MOORE.

The Canberra Liberals have not shot themselves in the foot. Rather, they have pulled the pin from a hand grenade and collectively swallowed it.

The suspension of Elizabeth Lee and Peter Cain from the Liberal’s party room for an indefinite period by Opposition Leader Leanne Castley exposes the deep rifts within the Liberal Opposition in the ACT Assembly. 

Canberra needs a strong opposition as an alternative to the current government. A weak opposition, not focused on holding the government accountable, fails to keep a government on its toes.

The move was taken quickly by Leanne Castley after the pair crossed the floor to vote against a motion that was backed by both Labor and the Liberals – but was opposed by the crossbenchers. On the surface crossing the floor appeared a matter of principle, to have more sitting time so the government could be held accountable more effectively. However, this was used as a catalyst to challenge the leadership.

Both major parties are concerned about the amount of time that the Greens and independents get to push their agenda, to introduce legislation, and to table motions and question the government. This is why the major parties conspired to reduce the number of sitting weeks. 

The major parties realise that dissatisfaction with their performance means that voters are looking for alternatives. Containing the impact of the crossbenchers just might help a little.

These rifts within the Liberal Party in the ACT are much more about personalities than they are about policy positions.

The split within the Canberra Liberals has been brewing for quite a few months. The discomfort began when Lee was deposed as opposition leader in favour of Castley. It continued when Peter Cain stepped down from the position of shadow minister to join Lee on the back bench. It was clear he was very unhappy with the leadership of the Canberra Liberals within the Assembly.

Castley has strong support from her deputy, Jeremy Hanson. However, we hear very little on this issue from other MLAs within the party. Being decisive is probably considered much less damaging than allowing discontent to brew and grow.

Disunity within any political party leads very quickly to voter dissatisfaction and poor outcomes at election time.

However, the next ACT election is not for another three years. Booting discontents from the party does allow the full explosion now, and time for rebuilding of the parliamentary arm of the party.

Booting them is not so simple. They are currently suspended indefinitely from the parliamentary party. However, they cannot so easily be removed from the Liberal Party. Their removal requires a meeting of the full party. Such a meeting will be subject to significant lobbying and may well backfire for Castley.

If only it was clear what Castley wants. In her media release following the two members crossing the floor, she stated she would, “be seeking to remove them permanently”. The only way to achieve this is to have them excluded from the party.

In the cold light of the next day, she responded by saying “absolutely not” when asked by the ABC “if she wanted Ms Lee and Mr Cain expelled from the party altogether”. This is a party in flux.

When questioned by Ross Solly on ABC radio, Lee explained: “In the ACT, you don’t get kicked out of the assembly just because you’re kicked out of the party. 

“Obviously, that’s a hypothetical and I would hope that common sense prevails and that it doesn’t come to that”.

Both Lee and Cain explained they had foreshadowed to the Liberal Party their intention to cross the floor on this issue, but were not warned of any consequences, let alone “jeopardise (their) position in the party”.

If the Liberal Party does not get this sorted soon, they can expect even further demise. They will open the way for independents and small parties to replace them. A co-ordinated crossbench could well find a way to become the opposition and, it is not inconceivable in the ACT, forming 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.