As Parliament resumes this week, the Coalition is once again fighting itself instead of the government.
The latest turmoil centres on Andrew Hastie MP, who quit the frontbench last week over a migration policy rift—a move now compounded by a damaging leak accusing him of failing to deliver key defence policy work before the May 3 election.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, a confidential election review submission claimed Hastie, who was shadow defence minister at the time, neglected to complete a review of Defence Department spending, leaving the Coalition’s policy thin on detail during the election campaign.
Former Opposition Leader Peter Dutton allegedly said Hastie “went on strike” and refused to “joust with Labor in the media,” weakening the opposition’s attacks on national security.
The leak has intensified scrutiny on Ley’s leadership, which already hangs on a thin margin.
Leak Untrustworthy: Ministers Say
Newly appointed Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson, who has replaced Hastie, dismissed the leaks as incomplete and misleading.
“I haven’t seen that submission, and it hasn’t been publicly released,” he told ABC Radio.
“It’s into a report which hasn’t yet been completed, and judging by the article this morning, I’m not sure the reporter themselves has even read the submission.”
Paterson defended his colleague’s record, calling Hastie “a key voice in our national security and defence team, which was one of the strongest areas that we put forward during the last term.”
He also rejected claims that Hastie contributed to the Coalition’s election defeat.
“We have to accept collective responsibility … and Peter Dutton has taken public responsibility for that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nationals leader David Littleproud backed Hastie’s decision last week to withdraw from the frontbench, describing it as an act of principle rather than ambition.
“I think he’s made this decision predicated on what he can and cannot accept,” Littleproud said.
“I think Andrew is somebody that has that integrity that I would take at face value… not to challenge the leadership, but because of the difference of opinion. And I think that takes courage in politics.”
He praised Hastie’s record of service and dismissed reports that Dutton had blamed him for the Coalition’s defeat.
“I take it with a grain of salt,” he said. “Something leaked sounds titillating, but whether it has the veracity of the real truth is something that I’d question.”
Migration Row Sparks Resignation
A week before resigning, Hastie warned in a video that the Liberal Party risked “dying” as a political force unless it toughened its stance on net overseas migration.
His position clashed directly with Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, who argued that the Albanese government’s planning failures—not migrants—were to blame for pressure on housing and services.
“This has nothing to do with any migrant or migrant community,” Ley said on Sept. 29. “This is a reprehensible failure of government to put the infrastructure and services in place that Australians deserve.”
Ley said overcrowded schools, housing stress, and transport bottlenecks stemmed from Labor’s slow delivery of projects rather than migration levels.
“It’s lack of infrastructure that is contributing to the struggles people face every day,” she said.
For Hastie, the disagreement proved irreconcilable.
“If I’m not taking the lead on immigration policy, I cannot remain as the spokesman for home affairs,” he wrote in his resignation post.
As Coalition’s spokesman for home affairs, Paterson leaned toward Hastie’s stance, saying Australia’s current migration rate is “unquestionably too high,” putting pressure on housing, infrastructure, and services.
However, he declined to nominate a specific number, saying policy settings must be developed through a proper process.
There is also speculation that Hastie’s resignation may have been prompted by Ley’s new “charter letters,” which set performance benchmarks and policy goals for shadow ministers.Ley Faces a Balancing Act
While Ley has sought to project calm, the resignation has underscored how fragile her leadership remains following the Coalition’s worst defeat in eight decades.
Deputy leader Ted O’Brien attempted to ease tensions, calling the dispute “democracy at work.”
“It’s a bit messy, I get that, but this is the way you get good policy,” he told Channel Nine. “We’re not shy of going into bat and debating policy.”
However, Paterson’s comments hinted at deeper divisions.
“He could not agree with the approach under Sussan Ley,” he said. “When you respect the Westminster conventions, as Andrew does, then the only responsible thing is to step down from the front bench.”
Ley Faces Toughest Test Yet
With both Hastie and Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price gone from the shadow ministry, questions about Ley’s authority have grown louder.
“My honest assessment is anyone who is leading the Liberal Party at this moment would be having a very difficult task,” Paterson said.
“We’ve just come off the worst loss in the 80 years of the history of the Liberal Party, and necessarily, we’re going through a period of introspection and debate.”
Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash also said Ley has “the toughest job in history.”
“Not only has she taken over as opposition leader after an election loss, she has taken over after the most devastating election loss of all times,” Cash said.
“Sussan is giving us the space we need to have policy debates. That is a good thing.”
O'Brien maintained that Ley’s leadership was secure.
“I think Sussan will become the next prime minister,” he said.
