POLICY COMMITTEE REPORT

The organisational wing of our Party has always expected to lead the way in setting the policy agenda and rightly so.

Earlier this year, we wrapped up not one but two major election campaigns, at state and federal levels. 

As we all know, during an election campaign, our first priority is to present a united front.

We get behind the leadership, we stay on message and we focus on winning.

Now, with no campaign on the horizon for the next three years, the time has come to reset.

It’s time we shape the direction of our Party’s future and it’s crucial we do this by renewing our confidence in our values.

That’s exactly why, after these two elections earlier this year, members of the Policy

Committee went out to meet with branches and divisions across Western Australia.

We asked a simple question: what issues matter the most to you?

With that feedback in mind, we worked closely with our State and Federal MPs on the Policy Committee to turn those concerns into actionable policies that ended up being debated at State Council. 

We helped draft four clear and decisive policy motions.

The motions we’ve put forward reflect exactly what we heard from the membership:

●      Make Welcome to Country ceremonies unofficial

●      Fly only one flag, the Australian flag

●      Strengthen our alliance with the United States

●      Scrap the Net Zero target

Three of these came directly through our team.

The fourth was moved by Canning Division, the home of our colleague Andrew Hastie MP who also serves on the Policy Committee.

After the decisive ‘No’ result in the 2023 Voice referendum, it’s clear Australians don’t want this country divided by race.

That’s why motions like Welcome to Country and One Flag matter.

On foreign policy, the world is becoming more unstable, from Ukraine and Gaza to the South China Sea. It’s never been more important to reaffirm our strategic alliance with the United States.

And on Net Zero, let’s just be honest.

Reducing emissions is a noble goal, but Australia can’t save the planet on its own.

Unless major polluters like China, India and the US act, our targets mean very little.

As I wrote recently, we’re still exporting coal and LNG that’s burned overseas.

A better-coordinated global approach is the only sensible path forward.

If you were at State Council in Mandurah on Saturday 26 July, you would have seen firsthand how these motions helped shape the agenda.

The motions have been supported by our party’s parliamentary wing which is great to see.

With State Conference just around the corner, we have yet another opportunity to shape the direction of our party together.

Suffice it to say, the agenda is packed and there’s plenty of room for robust policy debate.

See below:

State Conference Agenda

Policy Motions Booklet

The Policy Committee has always been your voice to the parliamentary wing.

We’ll keep playing that role as we rebuild our Party and aim for victory at the 2028 federal and 2029 state elections.

I want to close this report with something you don’t usually hear in political newsletters.

At the Mandurah State Council, I moved the motion to make Welcome to Country ceremonies unofficial.

It passed without issue.

But for me, the best part wasn’t the win.

It was the speech against the motion, made by our Deputy State Policy Chair Steph Jackson.

Now don’t get me wrong, I disagreed with her view, as did most delegates in the room.

But the fact that she stood up and spoke out shows we’re doing something right.

As both an academic and an active party contributor, I’ve always believed in freedom of thought and speech.

Around the world, we see insecure regimes trying to crush dissent.

But we’re Liberals and we’re Australian.

We believe in free speech.

And Steph’s voice proved that this Policy Committee is no echo chamber.

When you see a policy motion come out of our team, rest assured it’s been through a rigorous process of robust debate.

And that’s exactly how it should be.

If there’s anything the Policy Committee can assist you with, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Our best days are ahead of us.

Regards,

Dr Sherry Sufi

Chair – Policy Committee

Liberal Party of Australia (WA Division)