Australian PM Turnbull under threat from party split as shift to the right grows
A conservative Liberal senator is expected to rock the first day of Australia’s Parliament Tuesday by resigning from the Turnbull government
A prominent member of Australia’s government is set to defect to form his own conservative party, further evidence of a shift towards the right that is weakening Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s already tenuous grip on power.
Adding to centre-right leader Turnbull’s woes, an opinion poll published on Monday showed that support for his coalition had slipped to its lowest since he took power in a party-room coup 17 months ago and that his Liberal-National coalition would easily fall if an election was held now.
On Monday, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that Senator Cory Bernardi was about to abandon the Liberal Party, the senior coalition partner, to set up a more conservative wing - the biggest party split in a generation.
His expected resignation Tuesday would emulate Don Chipp’s in 1977, when the former Liberal minister sent shockwaves through the Liberal-National coalition by quitting the party and founding the Australian Democrats. There are now fears other MPs could follow Bernardi out the door, along with Liberal Party donors and voters. The outspoken Nationals MP George Christensen has previously said he would use the summer break to also consider his future.