Senator Bridget McKenzie has scolded Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party’s “naïve” pursuit of identity politics as WA Senator Fatima Payman’s resignation from the party sparks speculation of a sectarian movement in Australian politics.
Shadow Infrastructure and Transport Minister Bridget McKenzie says Labor was hoping to “run a scare campaign” on nuclear but isn’t going to be able to do that.
“We will be releasing costings in a timely fashion,” she told Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell.
“The reality is Labor’s renewables-only plan won’t work, and we need to be availing ourselves of our gas resources as our coal-fired generation comes offline over the next decade.”
Speaking to Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell on Sunday Agenda, Ms McKenzie said the Labor Party’s pursuit of identity politics had backfired in the form of Senator Payman’s seeming demonstration of sectarianism.
“I think a lot of people have been claiming that Senator Payman (has) been very naïve in her approach over the last two years, in particular in response to how caucus works,” Ms McKenzie said.
“What it also shows is that the Labor Party is quite naïve in how its pursued identity politics and now it’s been dacked by that reality.
“We don’t want to see sectarianism take over Australian politics at all, but this problem is an issue of the Prime Minister’s own making.”
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Ms McKenzie blamed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s “weakness” on the prevalent issue of anti-Semitism which was evidenced at the Sydney Opera House a short time after the October 7 attacks, in the streets of Australian cities and on university campuses across the country.
Senator McKenzie said Mr Albanese had been “left floundering” as, “most embarrassingly”, even Parliament House was not safe from pro-Palestinian protestors as four activists were arrested last week for climbing onto the roof of the government building where they waved flags and chanted slogans.
“This guy has been left floundering and focussed more on internal, factional politics and constructing his foreign policy through the lens of how it’ll impact western Sydney, and I think you’re seeing that reality now,” Ms McKenzie said.
On Tuesday last week it was revealed Senator Payman had held discussions with Glen Druery, an election strategist known for advising minor parties how to use complex preference deals to get elected.
Ms McKenzie said she was “not surprised” the rebel Senator had confided in Mr Druery, adding it “remains to be seen” whether her resignation from the Labor Party would result in the introduction of a sectarian party.
“I think its not just the Islamic issue that western Sydney and indeed north-west Melbourne’s got a problem with, it’s that Labor’s taken these communities for granted for a long time, failed to invest in critical infrastructure whilst seeing the population pressures most evidenced in those suburbs,” she said.
“It’s not just Islamic teals – for want of a better phrase – the Labor Party’s going to be challenged by, but I think high profile independents as we saw through Dai Le’s election in the last federal election.”
Sky News host Andrew Bolt says Australian politics “just got more dangerous” as Senator Fatima Payman looks to sit as an independent senator.
“Muslim Senator Fatima Payman today quit Labor, the party that got her elected, and she will now sit as an independent for now,” Mr Bolt said.
“Australian politics just got more dangerous.”
Last Thursday, before Senator Payman announced her resignation from the Labor Party, Ms McKenzie joined Sky News host Peter Stefanovic to speak about the growing trend of sectarianism in Australian politics amid a push to mobilise the Muslim community to “vote as a bloc” at the next federal election.
Ms McKenzie said it was Mr Albanese’s leadership that led to the “rife” Islamic motivated political movement.
“We sought to divide people on whether you’re Indigenous or not last year, now we’re looking at whether you’re Christian, atheist or Muslim, we’re dividing on religion, and I think that is a huge concern,” Ms McKenzie said.
“It is about common values and that is what our country was built on, and what I’m concerned on, following the behaviour of the prime minister that has led to this, is that we’re going to have a movement that is purely based on Islam.”