Key Point
- Nationalist MP Andrew Gee resigns.
- He declared opposition to Congress’ voices “incorrect.”
- The National Party announced last month that it would launch a campaign against the plan.
A senior Nationalist MP resigned from the party, declaring that the decision to oppose indigenous voices to parliament was “not quite right”.
Former Veterans Affairs Minister Andrew Gee has defected to the Crossbench to sit as an independent in Carrare, New South Wales, claiming he feels he cannot publicly criticize the party’s stance. announced.
Nationals leader David Littleproud said he was “disappointed” but said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had accepted the asylum, which he described as “an extraordinary political development”.
Little Proud argued that doing nothing to address the plight of Indigenous Australians would create “another layer of bureaucracy”.
Gee, who confirmed his defection “with sadness” on Friday, said his party’s decision, which he immediately publicly opposed, was “really keenly aware of the importance of being able to stand up and be counted”.
Andrew Gee (center) has resigned from the Kuomintang. sauce: AAP
Gee, who has been a member of parliament since 2016, said today’s Kuomintang does not reflect how communities develop and is “increasingly disillusioned” with the constraints of party politics.
“I grew up handing out how to vote for the Kuomintang. I took Kuomintang stickers to school and handed them out. How sad is that for students?” he told ABC News. .
“I was a true believer, but I lost my faith. The Kuomintang then, my youth, is very different from the party we see today.”
In a statement, Mr Gee said he could not reconcile all Australians who got a free vote on the issue.
“I respect my colleague’s opinion, but this is not right,” he said.
The Nationals came to their stance after an intra-party debate last month, following Gee’s conspicuous absence from the press conference where they laid out their position.
He claims he didn’t bring up the debate, and has since felt he lacked “free speech” after opposing party policy.
“We recognize that compromises are necessary in politics, but not speaking freely can harm the interests of those we represent.
“I don’t expect the Nationals policy regarding voices to change as the debate on this issue surrounding Australia progresses, so feel free to express my views.”
‘Abnormal political development’
Gee said he had already received a call from Albanese and that the two were enjoying a “good working relationship.”
Albanese described the asylum as an “extraordinary political development” and called on his colleagues to “seize the opportunity” to campaign for proposals he said would “enrich the country”.
“Andrew Zee has made a decision. He is alone. I respect that decision…Andrew Zee’s statement is one of principle,” he told reporters on Friday.
“I look forward to working with him, but I also look forward to working with the members … I would like to acknowledge this, seeing this as an opportunity to unite our nation. Totally.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Mr Gee’s resignation was “abnormal”. sauce: AAP / AAP
Mr. Gee wished the former party and Mr. Little Proud well.
“He’s a nice guy and has a lot of respect for me. Unfortunately, the issue is deeper than just one person’s role,” he said.
Little Proud said in a statement Friday that he was “disappointed” by Gee’s resignation, but said it had been accepted.
The Nationals leader insisted Gee was free to “make his own decisions and vote accordingly” at any time.
“While the federal public remains united in our decision to oppose the voices of parliamentarians, I have said from the beginning that one of the great things about our party room is that we can have different opinions and be more important. I’ve been saying that it’s about being able to speak and vote freely on any issue.
“We will continue to work hard for Western New South Wales to find the perfect candidate to represent them in the next federal election.”
National Party MP Darren Chester called for Gee to resign from parliament and run for a subsequent by-election.
“I don’t think it’s the most honorable thing to take a seat and run away and be independent,” he told ABC News.
As Minister of Veterans Affairs in March, He called it a “national disgrace” after claiming his department wasn’t given enough money to fix the backlog of veterans’ compensation claims.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/this-just-isnt-right-nationals-mp-quits-over-partys-voice-to-parliament-stance/tsht55jj1 Nationalist MP Andrew Gee resigns over party’s voice in parliament
