REFLECTING WITH PURPOSE, REAFFIRMING OUR VALUES

After successive election losses we must reflect on the decision of the voters and the reasons why they favoured other parties.

We must ask ourselves, have we remained true to our beliefs, as outlined in our We Believe statement?

Do Western Australians and Australians more broadly understand what we stand for and how our policies reflect those values?

We are Liberals. We stand for freedom, unity, personal responsibility, reward for effort, and limited government.

We stand for these values because we know they deliver prosperity, social cohesion and success.

These values have guided us in the past, and they must guide again us now.

Now is not a time for doubt. It is not the time to abandon our principles or seek the easy route by adopting populist policies.

This is the time to remind ourselves: we are the Liberal Party of Western Australia; we are not Labor lite or the teals. We know what we stand for and we should fight for policies which reflect our values. We do this to deliver better outcomes for all Australians. 

That conviction was on display at our WA State Council meeting in July, where motions were passed that reaffirmed, with clarity and purpose, the values that define us and the values we will fight for.

Among them:

• A call to unite as a nation under one National Flag.

• A recognition that Welcome to and Acknowledgement of Country ceremonies are overused and tokenistic—and are failing to improve the lives of the most vulnerable.

• A commitment to energy policies that are affordable, achievable, and that protect households and jobs from unnecessary runaway costs.

  
  

The decisions were not just motions. They are statements of principle. They reflect our resolve to remain true to who we are and to give voice to the values we believe will build a stronger, more united Australia.

They are not about division or disrespect. They are about standing firm in our beliefs and fostering open, respectful debate about the kind of nation we want to be and the policies which will deliver this.

Importantly, these motions were not fringe ideas. They came from the mainstream of our membership who want to see the Liberal Party remain grounded in its values.

I've been encouraged by the strong support from Party members across WA and beyond who share the view that our principles and values matter.

Take, for example, the motion concerning the Australian Flag.

This is not about excluding anyone. It’s about recognising first and foremost that we are all Australians.

Our Flag represents our shared history, our national identity, and the sacrifices made by those who built and defended our country. It is a unifying symbol.

My views on our National Flag were formed early in life. They crystallised at age 22, in 1993, when I first stood in the trenches at Gallipoli. It was there I truly understood that Australian soldiers – with diverse backgrounds —gave their lives in defence of our great nation so that I could live mine, freely.

I’ve returned to Gallipoli twice since then, to ensure I never forget their sacrifice—and to remind myself to appreciate the freedoms we have and to always fight for and defend them.

The service and sacrifice of our amazing serviceman and servicewomen continues today under our National Flag.

As the Member for Canning, Andrew Hastie, who served our country in the SAS and who undertook several deployments to Afghanistan has said:

“The only flag I wore on my left shoulder when I served in the Australian Defence Force—and the only flag that sits on the coffin of our fallen—is the Australian National Flag.”

Likewise, the conversation around Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country ceremonies is not about dismissing respect for Indigenous Australians. Respect matters. But gestures must be meaningful, unifying and not divisive.

Many Australians, including me, feel these ceremonies are overdone and tokenistic and provide cover for governments who are not delivering practical outcomes for Aboriginal Australians.

Closing the gap, particularly in remote parts of Australia, requires more than tokenistic acknowledgments at the start of conferences and board meetings in CBDs around Australia.

It requires action on education, jobs, healthcare, and community safety in Indigenous communities. That’s where our focus should be.

Genuine reconciliation requires more than repeated acknowledgments that are designed to make us feel good. It requires action on education, jobs, healthcare, and community safety in disadvantaged communities. That’s where our focus should be.

As Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, a proud Warlpiri woman, has said:

‘These practices have become politicised and repetitive…. Australians shouldn’t need to be welcomed to their own country.”

Like so many Australians, Senator Nampijinpa Price wants more focus on practical outcomes for Indigenous communities, like tackling domestic violence, improving education and stopping child sexual abuse. That is how you make a real difference.

I’ve been proud to stand alongside Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who has raised these concerns with honesty and conviction. Her voice brings important lived experience to this discussion.

When I recently addressed the patronising comments in the Senate from Senator Penny Wong (in this Sky News video), it was because I believe our Parliament must be a place for genuine debate, not demeaning dismissal.

Enough is enough.

Our views, just like the views of others, deserve respect.  Our voices must be heard, not drowned out by the moral proclamations of the left.

The third motion that passed State Council concerned the need to reassess the strict pursuit of Net Zero by 2050.

In 2022 the Liberal and National Parties opposed Mr Albanese’s Net Zero 2050 legislation.  We said we would not destroy the economy and bankrupt families in the process of decarbonising.

We raised concerns about the economic impacts and the higher costs for households, regions, and industries.

These concerns and higher costs are now indisputable.

We all want cleaner energy.  But we also want a strong economy and for people to be able to afford a decent standard of living.

The irony is, the stronger the economy the more you can invest in clean technologies.

As Liberals we have a responsibility to ensure that the policies we implement deliver a stronger economy, are affordable, achievable, and don’t destroy the living standards of Australians. 

The question that all Australians should be asking themselves is: Net Zero - at what cost and are there alternative and better ways to approach this issue?

In his pursuit of Net Zero, Mr Albanese has made clear - he does not care about the economy, productivity or the cost burden that is being borne by Australians to achieve his ideological goal.

That is NOT good policy.  It fails the transparency test and deceives the Australian people.

And overall emissions in Australia are higher under Labor than they were under the Coalition.

The Labor approach is not working. Labor ideology is now facing the reality of massive cost blowouts.

The Net Zero target is destabilising our energy grid, forcing up power prices and damaging our national and economic security. It is damaging productivity, diminishing living standards, hurting families and businesses, and hollowing out our industrial base.

Australians are facing real cost-of-living pressures. We must be honest about the trade-offs involved in reaching ambitious climate targets, especially when other major economies are backing away having seen the reality of the trade-off.

The three countries responsible for 50% of the world’s emissions in 2024 have the following:

China has set an aspirational target of Net Zero by 2060.

India has an aspirational Net Zero target of 2070.

The United States has withdrawn from the Paris Treaty.

The Net Zero motion isn’t about turning away from our responsibilities—it’s about making sure we meet them in a way that works for Australia and does not impose an unfair burden on the Australian people.

We are committed to cleaner energy and investing more in clean technologies.  But we are also committed to the Australian people and delivering a transition that works for them rather than bankrupting them.

It must be done the right way. Not Labor’s way.

As Liberals we are here to speak for families, businesses, and communities who feel forgotten in this debate. Our voice must not just be heard - it must have impact and shape the path forward.

These motions are not about creating conflict—they are about recommitting to the values that make the Liberal Party strong.

Because standing on principle - calmly, respectfully and consistently - is how we win trust.

It’s how we reconnect with Australians who want honesty, not spin.

It’s time to make our voices heard — to show Australians that rising costs and shrinking opportunities don’t have to be the new normal, and to demand a fair go for families everywhere.

It’s not divisive to value national unity.

It’s not unreasonable to want practical outcomes in place of tokenistic gestures.

And it’s not extreme to question whether Australia’s Net Zero legislated targets are economically sustainable.

These are mainstream concerns—and mainstream Australia deserves respect and a voice, and the Liberal party can be that voice.

ENDS.

Watch Senator Cash's reply to Senator Wong (video courtesy of Sky News Australia)