Kevin Donnelly argues that it is time for Petro Georgiou to go. Another colleague has likened Petro to a terrorist. In the meantime, we are told that the Liberal Party represents a broad Church. These would appear to be mutually exclusive views, the Party is seeking to scotch any dissent. The Liberal Party appears to be idealogically driven at present; the Prime Minister claims that he is governing for all Australians; the statement is different than the reality. The Prime Ministers statement is an oxymoron. Luckily, members like Pedro are an impediment to the Prime Minister's extreme policy proposals.

We need members like Pedro Georgiou in the Liberal Party, not sycophants like Kevin Donnelly et al.

ant

Someone mentioned Petro's Victorian colleague.

I remember the days as a young Liberal student activist attending conferences of the Australian Liberal Students Federation (ALSF). I have fond memories of young Sophie attacking us nasty NSW Right-Wingers for refusing to cooperate with nice decent Victorian moderates. These were the days when Petro was definitely Sophie's choice as a political pin-up boy.

Amazing what a little ambition can do.

Seriously, divergent viewpoints within the broad church of the Liberal Party are - as of July 1st - of vital importance to the quality of democracy in this country.
With both houses of parliament in the hands of one political party, the Senate's raison d'etre behoves its members to act and to vote according to their conscience.
Even more so, the government's members in the House of Reps are called upon to exercise their power with due probity, integrity and accountability.
It must be obvious to all that, should dissenting voices from the backbench be silenced in the Liberal Party, both the quality and the future life-blood of our democratic institutions will suffer.

Hello?? Guys?? The Government was democratically elected and democratically have a right to the Senate majority! You elected the Senate we have now whether you like it or not.

I personally think that Coalition would be much better off id they kept bickering to the party-room. Nationals like Joyce should keep their mouths shut on issues they don't understand fully (ie VSU and industrial relations). The first steps should be inside the party-rrom Coatition at a) understand the bill b) change the bill or do a deal (on the VSU this would be something like an extra few thousand dollars to rural uni's to fund their sports) c) don't get your way and there is considerable support for change in the party-room GO PUBLIC THEN.

The Senate was originally set up by the fathers of the Australian Commonwealth to defend the wishes and needs of individual States. The expectation of the major parties now is that Senators will toe the Party line. The Party line may not necesarily be in the best interests of a State, or Australia as awhole, for that matter. So, in response to tooRight; yes, Senators do need to have as much knowledge about particular legislation as they as they can gain. However, they need to vote for the interests of their State rather than what the Party decrees.

Labor Federally has lost its impact, it is now time for backbenches and Senators in the Coalition Government to push against the exccesses of an ideologically driven Howard Government. The Howard Government is not pushing "l" reform but very conservative disempowering legislation that the Iron Lady, Margarett Thatcher would be proud of.

Yes, the Coalition government was re-elected; tooRight, that does not mean that individuals can not now have an opposing opinion. A very dangerous notion; its a notion that goes against the tenets of democracy.

Bail up,

don't worry, even with senate control, you will still be able to get your weekly quota of XXX porn from Canberra by mail order, (should you be interested in it) as a letter from Philip Ruddock to me, outlined that the Feds when in full power, will not stop that flood of filth because they believe adults should be able to 'choose' etc. Notwithstanding that ALL STATES have outlawed sale and display of the material.

Irfan, I note with interest (and some surprise) your liberal connection. I tend more to family oriented parties :)

Plerdsus

When will they ever learn WHAT ? That your preamble about 'uninvited entry=invasion' is a fact of human nature and history and that nothing has happened in the last 100 yrs to show any different ? They already KNOW that mate. You made the case yourself, then you seem to jump into fairyland and deny it, with the unspoken suggestion that those who don't 'see' this are kind of out of it. I think you need therapy :) Plerdy, go down to Redfern, and ask the indigenous inhabitants how they feel about 'uninvited entry=invasion'. Wait.... they are on planet earth, I'm wondering if you are.

FIONA.. time to spank you again :) "Difference, if not at the heel, is all over you like a bad rash and will put YOU at its heel" has 5000 yrs of human history taught you NOTHING ?

Norm29
IF you had said similar things in Sadaams Iraq or even little BRUNEI, (about Islam) and given your real name and address, the Special Branch would be on your case b4 u can say 'multicultural'. You would be incarcerated, probably tortured possibly executed
Wake up.