Centre Right (Liberal Party of Australia)

Last updated
Centre Right Faction
Centre Right Group
AbbreviationCR(?)
Figurehead Scott Morrison [ citation needed ]
Faction Leader Alex Hawke [1] [2] [3]
FounderAlex Hawke [4] [5]
Founded2009;15 years ago (2009)[ citation needed ]
Ideology
Political position Centre-right [7]
Associated party Liberal
Colours  Blue
House of Representatives
4 / 40
(2023 seats)[ citation needed ]
Senate
1 / 24
(2023 seats)[ citation needed ]

The Centre Right Faction or Centre Right Group [6] [8] [9] is a faction within the federal Australian Liberal Party that makeup one of its four major factions. [lower-alpha 1] It holds the middle position between the four factions, with the Moderate and Centrist factions being to its left and the National Right being to its right. [6] Beginning in 2009,[ citation needed ] the faction held its most dominant position in 2021–2022, and, as of 2023 only has a total of six federal MPs.[ citation needed ]

The faction's main ideology can be seen as a soft mix[ clarification needed ] of both the adjacent factions' ideologies. As noted by The Sydney Morning Herald in 2021: “The [Centre Right] group's unifying philosophy is pragmatism – that means an adherence to free-market economics (but with enough flexibility to splash billions to prop up the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic) and relatively conservative social values.” [6] The ideological position, and pragmatism ("to yield results"), [10] of the Centre Right Faction, is one of the reasons Scott Morrison was appointed leader of the party in 2018. [10] As its nickname under Scott Morrison (Morrison Club) signifies, its figurehead was then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison, with Alex Hawke known as the leader of the faction. [1]

During the Morrison government years, the Centre-Right was the largest faction, with 32 of 91 Liberal MPs belonging to the group. [11] However, the 2022 Australian federal election saw a significant realignment of factional affiliations within the Liberal Party, with the Centre-Right going from being the largest faction to the smallest faction, plummeting from 32 members to just 6, caused by a combination of members losing seats as well as members moving to other factions; the aftermath of the election saw the emergence of a "Centrist" faction consisting of former Moderate and Centre-Right MPs, mostly hailing from Victoria, with this group espousing similar ideological leanings to the Centre-Right faction in being more economically dry than the National Right and more socially conservative than the Moderates. [12]

In 2021 it was reported by The Sydney Morning Herald that the Centre Right Faction of the Liberal Party was the most dominant within the party, [6] having thirty-two sitting MPs at the time (including the then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison), [6] ten more than the Moderate Faction and three more than the National Right Faction. [6] However, following the Liberal/National defeat at the 2022 federal election (including five factional MPs) and the resignation of Leadership from Scott Morrison, the Centre Right lost vast factional power, with six Centre Right members moving to the National Right Faction. [13] Most of the factional power following the election defeat and leadership change was transferred to the Conservative Right led by the new Party Leader Peter Dutton. [13]

Notes

  1. ↑ Also called groupings, or groups.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberal Party of Australia</span> Australian centre-right political party

The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia. It is one of the two major parties in Australian politics, the other being the Australian Labor Party. The Liberal Party was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Australia Party. Historically the most successful political party in Australia’s history, the Liberal Party is now in opposition at a federal level, although it presently holds government in Tasmania and the Northern Territory at a sub-national level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sussan Ley</span> Australian politician (born 1961)

Sussan Penelope Ley is an Australian politician who has been deputy leader of the Liberal Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition since May 2022. She has been member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales seat of Farrer since 2001 and was a cabinet minister in the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Wood (politician)</span> Australian politician

Jason Peter Wood is an Australian politician and former police officer. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2013, representing the seat of La Trobe. He previously held the seat from 2004 to 2010. He was an assistant minister in the Morrison government from 2019 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Hawke</span> Australian politician

Alexander George Hawke is an Australian politician who served as Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs from 2020 to 2022 in the Morrison government. Hawke has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Mitchell since 2007, representing the Liberal Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nola Marino</span> Australian politician

Nola Bethwyn Marino is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2007, representing the Division of Forrest in Western Australia. She is a member of the Liberal Party and served as the Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories from 2019 until May 2022, following the appointment of the Albanese ministry. Marino previously served as Chief Government Whip from 2015 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert van Manen</span> Australian politician

Albertus Johannes "Bert" van Manen is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2010 federal election, representing the Division of Forde. He is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland and sits with the Liberal Party in federal parliament. He has been the party's chief whip in the House of Representatives since July 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Buchholz</span> Australian politician (born 1968)

Scott Andrew Buchholz is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) and served as an assistant minister in the Morrison government from 2018 until May 2022, following the appointment of the Albanese ministry. He has represented the seat of Wright since the 2010 federal election, sitting with the parliamentary Liberal Party, and previously served as chief government whip in the House of Representatives in the Abbott government in 2015. He was a businessman in the transport industry before entering politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Andrews</span> Australian politician (born 1960)

Karen Lesley Andrews is an Australian politician who served in the Morrison government as Minister for Industry, Science and Technology from 2018 to 2021 and as Minister for Home Affairs from 2021 to 2022. She is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland and has represented the Queensland seat of McPherson since the 2010 federal election. Andrews sits as a Liberal and previously served as an assistant minister in the Abbott and Turnbull governments. Before entering politics she was a mechanical engineer and industrial relations consultant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Coleman (Australian politician)</span> Australian politician (born 1974)

David Bernard Coleman is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party and was elected to the House of Representatives at the 2013 federal election, holding the New South Wales seat of Banks. Coleman served as the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention from December 2020 until May 2022. He previously served as Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs in the Morrison government from August 2018, although in December 2019 he took indefinite leave for personal reasons. He had earlier served as Assistant Minister for Finance in the Turnbull government from 2017 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Sukkar</span> Australian politician (born 1981)

Michael Sven Sukkar is an Australian politician has served as the Shadow Minister for Housing, NDIS, and Social Services since 2022. Previously he had served as Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing and as the Minister for Homelessness, Social and Community Housing. Sukkar has been a member of the House of Representatives since September 2013, representing the Division of Deakin in Victoria for the Liberal Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Wilson (Australian politician)</span> Australian politician

Richard James Wilson is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has represented the Western Australian seat of O'Connor in the House of Representatives since the 2013 federal election. He was a farmer before entering politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Price (politician)</span> Australian politician (born 1963)

Melissa Lee Price is an Australian politician who served as Minister for Defence Industry from 2019 to 2022 and as Minister for Science and Technology from 2021 to 2022 in the Morrison government. She has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2013, representing the Division of Durack in Western Australia. A member of the Liberal Party, she previously served as Minister for the Environment (2018–2019) and Assistant Minister for the Environment (2017–2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Leeser</span> Australian politician

Julian Martin Leeser is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has represented the Division of Berowra since the 2016 federal election. He was a shadow minister under Peter Dutton from 2022 to 2023.

Jonathon Roy Duniam is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has served as a Senator for Tasmania since the 2016 federal election. He served as an assistant minister in the Morrison government from 2019 until May 2022, following the appointment of the Albanese ministry. Prior to entering parliament Duniam was a political staffer, including as deputy chief of staff to Tasmanian premier Will Hodgman.

Wendy Anne Askew is an Australian politician who is a Senator for Tasmania, representing the Liberal Party. She was appointed to a casual vacancy on 6 March 2019 in place of her brother David Bushby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Young (Australian politician)</span> Australian politician (b. 1968)

Terry James Young is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 federal election, representing the Division of Longman in Queensland. He is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland and sits with the Liberal Party in federal parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridget Archer</span> Australian politician

Bridget Kathleen Archer is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 federal election. She is a member of the Liberal Party and represents the Division of Bass in Tasmania.

Alexander Charles Antic is an Australian politician who has been a senator for South Australia since 2019 representing the Liberal Party.

The Moderates, also known as Modern Liberals, Small-L Liberals or Liberal Left, are members, supporters, voters and a faction of the Australian Liberal Party who are typically economically liberal, but progressive on social and environmental policies. The faction has been described as centre to centre-right.

The National Right, also known as the Conservatives, or the Hard Right, is one of four factions within the federal Liberal Party of Australia. Reportedly concerned more with social issues, the faction is the most organised and the furthest right of the four. During the Prime Ministership of Malcolm Turnbull, the faction rose in size and influence, and between 2019–2022 it underwent a change of its leadership and most prominent members, including Tony Abbott, Eric Abetz and Kevin Andrews, and included former Liberal Party Senators Cory Bernardi and Mathias Cormann. The faction also has a significant young membership, with members Michael Sukkar, Andrew Hastie, James Paterson and former Senator Amanda Stoker all being Millennials. Furthermore, former New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet is from this faction.

References

  1. 1 2 Crowe, David (28 May 2021). "Liberal faction wars could snare PM in puppet master's strings". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  2. ↑ Tillett, Andrew (7 December 2018). "Bubble boys: Who's in Scott Morrison's inner circle?". Australian Financial Review (AFR).
  3. ↑ McGowan, Michael (19 February 2022). "In key election battlegrounds, the Liberal party is nowhere to be seen". Guardian Australia.
  4. ↑ Robertson, James (2 June 2022). "Revenge served cold for Liberal factional kingpin blamed for election wipeout". The New Daily .
  5. ↑ Robertson, James (13 June 2022). "Scott Morrison divides even after fall as Minister faces axe". The New Daily.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Massola, James (21 March 2021). "Who's who in the Liberals' left, right and centre factions?". The Sydney Morning Herald .
  7. ↑ Martin, Sarah (21 April 2019). "Scott Morrison: 'master of the middle' may pull Coalition out of a muddle". Guardian Australia .
  8. ↑ Hutchinson, Samantha (7 August 2022). "NSW Liberals unite in 'rebuke' to Hawke over election fiasco". Australian Financial Review (AFR).
  9. ↑ Crowe, David (28 May 2021). "Liberal faction wars could snare PM in puppet master's strings". The Sydney Morning Herald. One the soft-right's own, Melissa McIntosh, is being challenged by conservative candidate Mark Davies in Lindsay, the marginal seat around Penrith in Sydney's west. There is talk of a conservative challenge against Sussan Ley, the Environment Minister and member for Farrer, but nominations for her seat have not opened.
  10. 1 2 Martin, Sarah (21 April 2019). "Scott Morrison: 'master of the middle' may pull Coalition out of a muddle". Guardian Australia.
  11. ↑ Massola, James (March 21, 2021). "Who's who in the Liberals' left, right and centre factions?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  12. ↑ Massola, James (8 April 2023). "How Morrison's shattering defeat gave Dutton a seismic shift in factional power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  13. 1 2 Massola, James (9 April 2023). "How Morrison's shattering defeat gave Dutton a seismic shift in factional power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.