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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Independent senator Lucy Gichuhi defects to Liberals in boost for Coalition | Independent senator Lucy Gichuhi defects to Liberals in boost for Coalition |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| The South Australian member says she ‘only just discovered how liberal I am at the core’ | |
| Australian Associated Press | |
| Fri 2 Feb 2018 09.55 GMT | |
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| Independent South Australian senator Lucy Gichuhi has defected to the Liberal party in a surprise move giving the prime minister a much needed additional seat in the senate. | Independent South Australian senator Lucy Gichuhi has defected to the Liberal party in a surprise move giving the prime minister a much needed additional seat in the senate. |
| Malcolm Turnbull welcomed the new Liberal member to the party on Friday outside parliament. | Malcolm Turnbull welcomed the new Liberal member to the party on Friday outside parliament. |
| “Those values – freedom, enterprise, getting ahead, opportunity - they are liberal values and you embody them ... welcome to the Liberal family,” Turnbull said in a video posted on Twitter. | “Those values – freedom, enterprise, getting ahead, opportunity - they are liberal values and you embody them ... welcome to the Liberal family,” Turnbull said in a video posted on Twitter. |
| Gichuhi took the seat of Family First senator Bob Day following a vote recount after he was ruled ineligible to stand for election. | Gichuhi took the seat of Family First senator Bob Day following a vote recount after he was ruled ineligible to stand for election. |
| She then quit Family First after it merged with the Australian Conservatives. | She then quit Family First after it merged with the Australian Conservatives. |
| In the social media video the new Liberal senator said she thought the move would help her serve South Australians. | In the social media video the new Liberal senator said she thought the move would help her serve South Australians. |
| “I didn’t discover that until I did my maiden speech and I thought wow - I can’t believe how liberal I am at the core,” Gichuhi said. | “I didn’t discover that until I did my maiden speech and I thought wow - I can’t believe how liberal I am at the core,” Gichuhi said. |
| The shock move has improved the Coalition government’s position in the senate, bringing the total of seats to 29 to Labor’s 25. | The shock move has improved the Coalition government’s position in the senate, bringing the total of seats to 29 to Labor’s 25. |
| But the government will still need the support of the crossbench in order to pass legislation. | But the government will still need the support of the crossbench in order to pass legislation. |
| The defection is another boost for Turnbull after the resignation of Labor MP David Feeney who was unable to prove he was no longer a British citizen. | The defection is another boost for Turnbull after the resignation of Labor MP David Feeney who was unable to prove he was no longer a British citizen. |
| The Greens are a big chance to win the by-election in Feeney’s seat of Batman, which would give the government some breathing space in the lower house where it currently holds a one-seat majority. | The Greens are a big chance to win the by-election in Feeney’s seat of Batman, which would give the government some breathing space in the lower house where it currently holds a one-seat majority. |
| Australian politics | |
| Malcolm Turnbull | |
| Coalition | |
| Liberal party | |
| news | |
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