Scott Ryan (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Fair Competition) Share this | Hansard source

It is fair to say that I have been called an economic rationalist quite often, Senator Madigan, including by some people on my own side, but I am not sure entirely what you mean. With respect to local government, I agree entirely with your point. I need to add that in Victoria the Liberal Party has never run candidates, nor has the party organisation had a role in local government elections. I have to put that on the record. Liberals have undoubtedly run in local government elections, but the Liberal Party organisation has consistently chosen not to, despite the fact that some have said we are. Liberals run. Of that, I have no doubt. We have the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, who is a very open and prominent Liberal, and we have those Liberals all round the state, but the organisation has not. So I do think it is fair to highlight that.

I again hasten to add, Senator Madigan, that this is a burden. I accept that, and I was not trying to slur minor political parties. You say that this is the consequence of what I am saying—I am trying to choose my words very carefully—but I also suggest that it would be unfair to say that people have not tried to misuse various political processes over time to preference harvest. I mentioned local government merely because I think that is where we have an example of preference harvesting or preference strategies being used which can confuse the voter because of various other factors. The Liberal Party as an organisation—I say this clearly—does not have a role in local government elections, and in the foreseeable future, I understand, does not intend to have a role, while individual members of the party do.