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| Sussan Ley sets KPIs for frontbenchers and calls for discipline amid outbreaks of internal division | Sussan Ley sets KPIs for frontbenchers and calls for discipline amid outbreaks of internal division |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| Opposition leader sends so-called ‘charter letter’ to her entire shadow ministry, laying out her expectations | Opposition leader sends so-called ‘charter letter’ to her entire shadow ministry, laying out her expectations |
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| Sussan Ley has issued her shadow ministers with specific performance indicators, imposing a new level of accountability on frontbenchers to avoid a repeat of Peter Dutton’s policy failures. | Sussan Ley has issued her shadow ministers with specific performance indicators, imposing a new level of accountability on frontbenchers to avoid a repeat of Peter Dutton’s policy failures. |
| The opposition leader sent so-called “charter letters” to her entire shadow ministry on Tuesday, laying out her expectations for them in their respective roles. | The opposition leader sent so-called “charter letters” to her entire shadow ministry on Tuesday, laying out her expectations for them in their respective roles. |
| Senior Liberal sources confirmed the letters, first reported by the Nine newspapers, also contained a more general call for discipline and “respect for colleagues’ portfolios”, which frontbenchers interpreted as an appeal to avoid policy freelancing after the disruption of Andrew Hastie’s interventions on net zero, local car-making and immigration. | |
| Guardian Australia revealed in July that Ley intended to issue the KPIs in an attempt to improve the opposition’s policymaking process. | |
| The Coalition went to the federal election with a threadbare agenda and the campaign itself was plagued by shifts and mixed-messaging on policy positions, which Liberal MPs later blamed on haphazard internal processes and the centralisation of power inside Dutton’s office. | The Coalition went to the federal election with a threadbare agenda and the campaign itself was plagued by shifts and mixed-messaging on policy positions, which Liberal MPs later blamed on haphazard internal processes and the centralisation of power inside Dutton’s office. |
| For example, Dutton did not consult senior colleagues on a last-minute decision to use the Coalition’s campaign launch to announce a $1,2000 income tax cut offset, while the disastrous work-from-home policy wasn’t debated in shadow cabinet. | For example, Dutton did not consult senior colleagues on a last-minute decision to use the Coalition’s campaign launch to announce a $1,2000 income tax cut offset, while the disastrous work-from-home policy wasn’t debated in shadow cabinet. |
| It is standard practice for prime ministers to issue charter letters to their ministers but it is rare for opposition leaders to do. | It is standard practice for prime ministers to issue charter letters to their ministers but it is rare for opposition leaders to do. |
| “The decision reflects the leader’s intention to provide clear direction and tasking to shadow ministers beyond the conventional mirroring of government portfolios, putting the Coalition on a proactive policy path,” a spokesperson for Ley said in a statement. | “The decision reflects the leader’s intention to provide clear direction and tasking to shadow ministers beyond the conventional mirroring of government portfolios, putting the Coalition on a proactive policy path,” a spokesperson for Ley said in a statement. |
| “This process will enable the Coalition to develop a clear, credible policy platform to take to the next election, drawing a clear contrast with Labor, rather than simply responding to the government of the day.” | “This process will enable the Coalition to develop a clear, credible policy platform to take to the next election, drawing a clear contrast with Labor, rather than simply responding to the government of the day.” |
| The Liberal leader has been grappling with repeated outbreaks of internal division and ill-discipline in the past month as the party’s wrestles with its future direction and positions on contentious policies such as net zero and migration. | The Liberal leader has been grappling with repeated outbreaks of internal division and ill-discipline in the past month as the party’s wrestles with its future direction and positions on contentious policies such as net zero and migration. |
| After sacking Jacinta Nampijinpa Price from the frontbench for refusing to support her or apologise for her Indian migrant comments, Ley has been forced to confront questions about whether Hastie is preparing to mount a leadership challenge. | After sacking Jacinta Nampijinpa Price from the frontbench for refusing to support her or apologise for her Indian migrant comments, Ley has been forced to confront questions about whether Hastie is preparing to mount a leadership challenge. |
| Both Ley and Hastie have dismissed that prospect and senior Liberal sources have all but ruled out a leadership spill this year. | Both Ley and Hastie have dismissed that prospect and senior Liberal sources have all but ruled out a leadership spill this year. |
| Asked directly on Monday if she was worried the former soldier was angling for her job, Ley told reporters: “No, I’m not.” | Asked directly on Monday if she was worried the former soldier was angling for her job, Ley told reporters: “No, I’m not.” |