Liberal Veteran Amanda vanstone Criticises Andrew Hastie, Warns of Political Risk
Liberal elder Amanda Vanstone has publicly criticised fellow party member Andrew hastie, accusing him of lacking team spirit adn cautioning against an inflated sense of self-importance. The remarks, made during a 7.30 interview, come amid growing internal tensions within the Liberal party as it seeks to reconnect with voters facing economic hardship.
Vanstone’s intervention highlights a deeper concern within the centre-right of Australian politics: a potential disconnect from working-class voters and the risk of extremist political movements filling the void. “For those at the bottom end of the economic ladder here in Australia, they’re getting the raw end of the stick,” Vanstone told 7.30. “People have had a gutful of the fact that we live in a country of such bounty, but our living standards just keep going backwards. That is what’s breeding frustration.”
The former Senator argued that the Liberal party must actively champion the concerns of thes voters, warning that failure to do so could led to a “bigger backlash” and open the door for more radical political forces. “I think the challenge for all major political parties, but our challenge on the centre right of politics is to fight for those people, to represent their views,” she stated. “If we don’t, we’ll just leave a massive vacuum there for other political movements to move into [and] some of those might potentially be more extreme.”
Vanstone did not detail the specific instances prompting her criticism of Hastie, but her comments signal a growing unease within the party regarding individual ambition perhaps overshadowing collective goals.
Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV.
Contact 7.30** Do you know more about this story? Get in touch with 7.30 here.