Tim Wilson says Andrew Hastie should never have joined Liberal frontbench

Hastie, 43, a former soldier, and Wilson, 45, who left the front lines last week, have been held up by colleagues at different times as exemplars of moderate and conservative visions of the party’s future.

Wilson said the pair sat together during their first year in parliament, exchanged books, bought gifts for family and shared a close bond, but he was more of a “retailer” than Hastie, whom Wilson described as a political “romantic”.

Wilson acknowledged that the party was at a crossroads and needed hopes and ideas to grapple with a changing nation: higher immigration rates, new geopolitical threats and a growing appetite across the West for “majoritarianism,” that is, the rights of dominant cultural groups, he said.

Speaking about Hastie, Wilson said that despite perceptions that the pair had little in common politically, the pair shared many of the same ideals.

“He’s talking about deindustrialization. If you look at my campaign opening speech on March 29 of this year, I’m clearly talking about reindustrialization of the country.”

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“We’re both very focused on national unity, what we need to build for the future of Australia.”

As populist movements rise in the US and UK and support for One Nation grows in Australia, the Hastie drama has sparked a public debate about the future of centre-right politics in Australia.

Former Howard government ministers Amanda Vanstone and Arthur Sinodinos criticized Hastie for engaging in so-called culture wars. But John Roskam of the Institute of Public Affairs and others argued that conservative parties cannot ignore society’s growing concerns about national symbols and immigration.

Wilson argued in favor of an immigration system that focused more on integration and the history of Australia from the period of British settlement.

He said the party should adopt positions that create a nation that is at peace with its history, more culturally self-confident, and that connects people regardless of their cultural background.

“We have to sell this story that people who care about each other and take responsibility make great contributions to our country.

“There’s not just a great Liberal energy, but great small business and aspiration energy. The more we instill that into the rest of the country, the more people we’ll have standing on their own two feet.”

“There are many dimensions to liberalism. But it’s about the interdependence and support we give each other, because that’s the strength of our country.”

The party is in turmoil over its position on net zero. Wilson, who supports nuclear energy, and some senior Right MPs want to work with Ley to find a compromise that includes maintaining the net zero target with new economic stimulus.

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Wilson warned the Coalition had been caught “taking the bait” and fighting for net zero.

“The Labor Party wants us to debate this issue. The Greens want us to debate this issue. The Teals want us to debate it,” he said.

“When people email me and say ‘scrap net zero’… I always say: ‘What do you think will happen if we do that? And people say, ‘Well, prices will come down,’ and I say, ‘Well, how?’ “I say.”

“Because inevitably they think, all of a sudden new coal-fired power plants are going to open, energy prices are going to drop, etc. And they’re like, no, that’s not going to happen… because this is a problem that’s been in the works for 20 years.”

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