Cory Bernardi quits the Liberal Party to establish Australian Conservatives

Updated

South Australian senator Cory Bernardi has officially quit the Liberal Party to establish his own party, using a scathing speech to criticise colleagues for "failing the people of Australia". Cory Bernardi urged not to quit Liberal Party, remember 'obligation' to support Coalition

South Australian senator Cory Bernardi is set to quit the Federal Government today, despite last-minute, public pleas from his colleagues to reconsider. Confirming his defection from the Liberal party and formation of a new political party, Bernardi said in Australia's upper house on Tuesday that the decision was "a very difficult decision" for him to take. "The level of public disenchantment with the major parties, the lack of confidence in our political process, and the concern about the direction of our nation is very, very strong," he said. Australian Conservatives is not a registered political party and a related fundraising group set up by the senator in 2009, the Conservative Leadership Foundation, does not purport to directly fund Australian politics. Canberra, Feb 6 (IANS) Australian Senator Cory Bernardi is set to resign from the government and form a breakaway far-right political party, a media report said on Monday. Senior Turnbull Government sources said Senator Bernardi, who was re-elected to the Senate last year for a six-year term, had not informed Mr Turnbull or cabinet ministers of his pending decisions, however most of his colleagues believed his departure was certain. "I think anybody who is elected as a Liberal owes a responsibility, not only to the people who preselected them, but also to the people who voted for them, who placed their trust in them to be a member of that particular political party."
Incumbent Australian Senator Cory Bernardi defects from the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia to establish his own minor party, the Australian Conservatives.