Alex Antic runs for president of South Australian Liberals — ABC News Australia
In Australia, Senator Alex Antic will run for president of the Liberal Party of South Australia on Saturday. His rival will be Nicola Centofanti, the leader of the Liberals in the state parliament’s upper house, who is backed by the party’s moderates, ABC News Australia reports.
The president will be elected by delegates of the South Australian Liberal Party council at its annual general meeting. The role includes overseeing the preparation of election campaigns and the agenda of internal meetings, as well as a seat on the party’s federal executive body.
Vote on payments to parents
Antic introduced a bill in parliament that would allow parents to retain the family tax benefit if they object to vaccinating their child on personal, philosophical, religious, or medical grounds. The initiative was intended to repeal the “No Jab, No Pay” policy introduced by Malcolm Turnbull’s government in 2015 to increase childhood immunisation rates.
The bill, which had remained on the agenda for nearly a year, was put to a vote on Wednesday and rejected by 34 senators. Antic was the only Coalition representative to vote in favour of it. He was supported by One Nation senators Pauline Hanson, Malcolm Roberts, Sean Bell and Tyron Whitten, as well as Ralph Babet.
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Liberal shadow health minister Anne Ruston voted against the document. Referring to recommendations from the Australian Medical Association, she said that cases of whooping cough and measles were increasing and noted that hospitals were already operating beyond their capacity.
Debate over the party’s direction
Antic’s supporters describe the presidential election as a matter of preserving the party’s conservative character. In an address to delegates, the senator said he sought to give party members real influence over its political direction. He also called for action on inflation, housing and energy without, in his words, concessions to net-zero orthodoxy.
Antic said the party should view the challenge from One Nation as a warning, but should not copy all of that political force’s positions. According to the latest poll, conducted in August, the Liberals’ primary support in South Australia stood at 17%, eight percentage points below One Nation’s 25%.
The current president of the state Liberal Party, Leah Blyth, is not seeking another term. The voting result may also show the balance of power ahead of the party’s selection of Senate candidates, which is expected to take place next year.
