Member for Mallee - Transcript - Interview 3WM and MixxFM 'Country Today' with Emma Clark - 22 January 2026

DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

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FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TRANSCRIPT

TOPICS: Resignation from Shadow Ministry, legislative process, hate preachers, Shadow Cabinet and Party Room meetings, resignations of Shadow Ministers, Constituent views on legislation, National Day of Mourning

PRESENTER: 

The Nationals have once again split from the Coalition following Federal Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley's acceptance of the resignations of three senators who opposed the Shadow Cabinet's position on the hate speech laws. Among them was Shadow Frontbencher Dr Anne Webster, who spoke with Emma Clark about her decision.

WEBSTER: 

When you're dealing with legislation, it takes time. And that time was not afforded by the Prime Minister who wanted to rush through this legislation. Let's be frank, to kick a political football - the fact of the matter is we have been calling to go back to Parliament since December, 15, after the tragic events on the night before. However, the migration component of this legislation, we could have passed in December. So we could have given more power to the minister to keep hate preachers out, to deport hate preachers. That could have happened in December, no problem. But what the Prime Minister decided to do was to lump all the legislation together. As a National Party, we were given the legislation on the Sunday morning. We were in Parliament on the Monday. And we went through the process of trying to look at all the ins and outs of what is very complex legislation. We came to the conclusion that the bills needed to be split. That happened. When it came to hate speech, we were still putting up amendments and trying to write amendments to improve bad legislation. And Michelle Rowland was bringing the legislation to the House. The Cabinet, shadow Cabinet met. Certainly our party room met and we had another meeting last night. We are absolutely lockstep. We sent Senators into the Senate on Tuesday night - with our request and our agreement in the party room - that they would put the amendments and that if the Senate did not agree to the amendments they would vote No. So they were acting on our behalf as a party. We had been put in a position where we had to abstain from the vote earlier in the day. We as a party room sat on Tuesday afternoon and with a very heavy heart said that if our Senators amendments were not accepted that they would go through the process and the protocol of their resignation, but the rest of us, including me, would also be resigning if Sussan Ley accepted their resignations. She accepted their resignations. She didn't have to, but she did, and was looking for three more names to fill their spots in the blink of an eye. And we said, well, you know what, we're out. We're not going to be allowing three of our senators to be the scapegoat for a decision that we made as a parliament. We are absolutely united, and we have therefore taken the decision to step aside from the coalition.

CLARK:

What happens now, Anne?

WEBSTER: 

We will continue to fight in the interests of regional Australia. And can I just say, Emma, we had, in my office, I received hundreds of emails, about this hate legislation. Everyone has then said, please don't vote for this legislation. We will continue to fight for regional Australians and the interests of regional Australians. And it's over to the Liberal Party as to what they're going to do.

CLARK:

Today is the National Day of Mourning, a minute's silence being taken this evening as well. Sussan Ley has asked that everything sort of stops for today to really pay our respects to those who lost their lives Bondi attacks. I guess that means, you know, today will be a pause and then hopefully tomorrow we can get some sort of resolution on this?

WEBSTER: 

Absolutely. Look, what happened on the 14th of December is just the most appalling terrorism that Australia has seen. And this legislation was supposed to fix that. I don't believe that is the case. We will wait and see whether it becomes a lawyer's picnic or not. Today, tonight, actually, at seven o'clock, I certainly will be lighting a candle in memory of the 15 innocent lives that were taken by these Islamic extremists and we can never forget. It should never happen. It should never happen again. Today, we certainly reflect on them. This is all about them.

PRESENTER: 

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Country Today's Emma Clark speaking with the federal member for Mali, Dr Anne Webster.

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