Michaelia Cash: Senior WA Liberal senator says she ‘didn’t intentionally’ abstain from hate bill vote

Sussan Ley’s authority has again been tested with her most senior opposition senator, Michaelia Cash, last night abstaining from voting on hate crime laws despite the Liberals cutting a deal with Anthony Albanese to support them.

The WA Liberal, who was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the Senate in May last year, has claimed she “did not intentionally” miss the vote about 11pm following an hour-long series of rolling divisions.

“I did not intentionally abstain from voting on the legislation. My support for the legislation was made clear in my speech to the chamber,” Senator Cash told The Nightly on Wednesday.

Coalition sources claim Senator Cash was “within cooee” of the chamber at the time with several other members, who also had “fully intended” to vote for the laws but had been aware that there were enough Liberals present to ensure the bill’s passage.

In a speech delivered on the legislative package earlier on Tuesday, Senator Cash claimed she was “very happy to support the laws”.

“Australians want to see Islamic hate preachers gone, they want to see the minister given the ability to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir and they want neo-nazis off our streets. These laws will achieve that, and that’s why I’m supporting them,” Ms Ley said.

Senator Cash was among other Liberals to abstain, including Andrew Bragg, James McGrath and fellow West Aussies Slade Brockman and Matt O’Sullivan.

Labor’s most senior WA parliamentarian Madeleine King urged her Opposition colleagues to justify their decision during the special sitting week in Canberra.

“It is extraordinary that Western Australian Liberals failed to support these important changes to crack down on hate speech and antisemitism,” Ms King said.

“Senators Michaelia Cash, Matt O’Sullivan and Slade Brockman all need to explain why they failed to support their leader, Sussan Ley, by abstaining from the final vote on the bill.

“(Liberal WA) Senator Dean Smith should be acknowledged for his support of these laws that are of great importance to the community.”

National Party frontbenchers Bridget McKenzie, Ross Cadell and Susan McDonald all resigned on Wednesday after they breached shadow cabinet solidarity by opposing the hate Bill. SA Liberal Senator Alex Antic also took his own path by voting against the Bill.

While Liberal recruit Jacinta Nampijinpa Price had abstained from the vote, in a statement on Wednesday the NT Senator said she intended “to vote no” and was “deeply disappointed” there was no opportunity to do so.

Senator Nampijinpa Price claimed while she was nearby the Senate as divisions played out on Tuesday night, she didn’t make it into the chamber for the final vote due to failures in her alert system.

“I was intending to vote ‘NO’. I was waiting in the alcove outside the Senate chamber for the call on the final vote on the legislation, but there was an issue with the system upon which we rely,” she said.

“I was deeply disappointed to miss the opportunity to vote against the bill.

“It was a miserable end to two days of dealing with Labor’s rushed and reckless legislation.”

Labor Senator Murray Watt highlighted the radio silence from Ms Ley and the leader of the junior Coalition partner David Littleproud on Wednesday morning.

“Today we’ve seen a constant parade of Federal Coalition figures in every TV studio in this building. The only two people we haven’t seen are the leaders of the Liberal and National parties,” he said.

“At a time when we see the Federal Coalition crumbling before our eyes, the two leaders of the Coalition are in hiding.

“Yet again, we see the Federal Coalition soap opera on display for the Australian people to see at a time when Australians want us focusing on their needs, rather than politician’s needs.

“This week was supposed to be an opportunity to unify the nation, but the Federal Coalition can’t even unify themselves.”