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Liberal senator Jane Hume accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of politically trapping the opposition through antisemitism reforms, while saying the Coalition split and divisions within the Liberal Party were upsetting new members of parliament.
“I have spoken to many of my colleagues, both by chance and on purpose, because there are a lot of people who are feeling really upset at the moment. We have some new members of parliament who have not experienced this level of turmoil before. We did not expect this level of turmoil. They did not expect to see a split in the coalition and they are looking for solutions and comfort,” Hume told reporters at Parliament House in Canberra.
“[Opposition Leader] Susan Ley leads our party. Right now, it needs to be able to present this alternative to the government. “Anthony Albanese is getting away with murder on our watch, on our watch, because we are talking about ourselves, because we are divided.”
Hume said Albanese deliberately “made the talk about the Coalition” when Labor proposed gun and hate crime reforms last month, leading National senators to vote against the Liberal Party, ultimately precipitating the latest split in the Coalition.
“We should have realized at the beginning of last session week that this was what was prepared for us. We should have been able to say, ‘This is not about us. We are here for the Australian people. Let’s not fight among ourselves’. And unfortunately we failed to do that,” Hume said.
