Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson has said she does not support the direction of the party under Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s leadership, and that her colleagues are increasingly concerned about the party’s ability to function, in one of the strongest broadsides the leader has faced since she was elected in May.
Speaking both on television and to journalists at Parliament House, Henderson failed to back Ley’s leadership, and offered no endorsement of Ley’s assurances that she would still be in the position come Christmas.
Liberal Senator Sarah HendersonCredit: Alex Ellinghausen
“As a member of parliament, I can’t pretend things are good. We’ve had a dire Newspoll result. A primary vote of just 24 per cent, things are not travelling well. I do have to say, really honestly,” Henderson told Sky News on Friday morning.
“I do think Sussan is losing support, but I do believe in miracles. We can turn things around, but things are not good. I don’t support things the way they are,” said the Liberal senator, who backed leadership rival Angus Taylor in the May ballot.
“I can’t sit here and pretend everything is okay. It’s not okay. And Australians want us to be better than we are at the moment, we have to be a highly effective opposition,” she said
Asked if Opposition Leader Sussan Ley can be “completely confident” she will hold her position to the end of the year, Henderson told journalists: “I can’t speak for Sussan. All I can say to you, authentically and honestly, is I don’t support the way things are at the moment.” Henderson agreed with a journalist who categorised that statement as “not a ringing endorsement”.
“I think a lot of my colleagues are very concerned about the way things are going,” Henderson said, expressing doubt over whether Ley was the person to turn the party’s fortunes around.
“There’s increasing concern in our party as to the way we are going … I mean, the infighting has been terrible, and I don’t-, and I’m terribly sorry about what’s been going on in the Liberal Party,” Henderson said.
“I’ve been a member of parliament since 2013 it’s the worst I’ve ever seen in our party, and I’ve seen a few dramas,” she said.
Most Viewed in Politics
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
