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The Moderates,[1][2] also known as Modern Liberals,[3][4] Small-L Liberals[5] or Liberal Left,[6] are members, supporters, voters and a faction of the Australian Liberal Party who are typically economically, socially and environmentally liberal.[7][8][9] The faction has been described as centre[6][10][11] to centre-right.[12]
Moderate Faction Modern Liberals | |
|---|---|
| Political position | Centre to centre-right |
| House of Representatives | 9 / 40 (2023 seats) |
| Senate | 6 / 24 (2024 seats)[citation needed] |
They compete with the Liberal Party's other three major factions: The National Right/Hard Right, the Centrists, and the Centre Right
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Moderate Liberals often represent inner-city and wealthy House of Representatives seats or are in the Senate.[13] The Moderates are noted as having very little presence in the states of Queensland and Western Australia; however, in Victoria, the nominal Moderate faction is not affiliated with those of the other states.[13] The Moderates are the dominant faction in New South Wales and have provided all of the past three Liberal leaders in Tasmania (all of whom served as Premier).[citation needed]
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Prominent moderates include former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull,[14] former Foreign Affairs Minister and former Deputy Leader Julie Bishop,[15] former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne,[16] former Attorney-General George Brandis,[17] and former Liberal-turned-independent MP Julia Banks.[18]
Prominent moderates in the Morrison government included Senate leader Simon Birmingham,[19] Marise Payne, Paul Fletcher and Linda Reynolds.[20]
At the state level, three Liberal leaders are from this faction: Mark Speakman (the New South Wales Opposition Leader),[21] John Pesutto (the Victorian Opposition Leader)[22] and Jeremy Rockliff (the current Tasmanian Premier).[23] Prominent Moderates in New South Wales include Gladys Berejiklian (the 45th Premier of New South Wales),[24] Matt Kean (the faction's leader in New South Wales and former deputy leader of the party),[25] Rob Stokes (a former Cabinet minister)[26] and Natalie Ward (the party's deputy leader in New South Wales).[27] Prominent Moderates in other states include Georgie Crozier and David Southwick in Victoria;[22] John Gardner, Vincent Tarzia, Josh Teague and Tim Whetstone in South Australia;[28][29] and Peter Gutwein and Will Hodgman in Tasmania (who both served as Premier).[30][31]
Current federal House members
As of 9 April 2023[update].[32]
- Bridget Archer (Bass, Tasmania)
- Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Queensland)
- David Coleman (Banks, New South Wales)
- Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Queensland)
- Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, New South Wales)
- Julian Leeser (Berowra, New South Wales)
- Sussan Ley (Farrer, New South Wales)
- James Stevens (Sturt, South Australia)
- Jenny Ware (Hughes, New South Wales)
Current federal Senate members
 |
- Simon Birmingham (South Australia)
- Andrew Bragg (New South Wales)
- Richard Colbeck (Tasmania)
- Jane Hume (Victoria)
- Dave Sharma (New South Wales)[a]
- Maria Kovacic (New South Wales)
Former federal House members
Former federal Senate members
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- Dave Sharma was formerly the Member for Wentworth from 2019 to 2022.
- Julia Banks left the Liberal Party in 2018 while sitting as a federal MP.
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