Andrew Hastie has stunned colleagues and quit the Liberal frontbench Friday after staking out his own nationalist agenda on migration, manufacturing and net zero.
Hastie, who had been the opposition’s Home Affairs spokesman, phoned Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to inform her on Friday. Sources said the West Australian informed her he could no longer maintain shadow cabinet solidarity.
Andrew Hastie quit as the Coalition’s Home Affairs spokesman on Friday.Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald
Ley’s office confirmed the news on Friday evening. In the Australian Hastie said:
“The leader has made it clear that the shadow home affairs minister won’t lead the Coalition’s response to immigration matters or develop the Coalition’s immigration policy.
“On this basis, I made the decision that I was not able to continue in this role and remain silent on immigration.
“Therefore out of respect for Sussan’s leadership, I am resigning from the frontbench.
“Sussan deserves the opportunity to lead, unencumbered by interventions from shadow cabinet colleagues, especially as the Coalition builds out a policy platform for the 2028 election,” Hastie said.
In a statement after touching down on the east coast from Hastie’s state of Perth, where the pair did not appear in public together, Ley contradicted Hastie, saying he raised no policy matters with her.
Instead, according to Ley, Hastie said he could not agree to shadow cabinet solidarity as outlined in letters she sent her frontbench earlier this week, as first reported by this masthead.
