This morning, National Party leader David Littleproud offered blanket resignations for all current Shadow Ministerial positions held by National Party members. I have since sent my resignation from the position of Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Financial Services to the leader of the Opposition.

Party convention dictates that Shadow Ministers must align in solidarity with the Leader of the Opposition on all legislation to pass the floor. Unfortunately, we could not come to an agreement in full with our Liberal Party colleagues regarding the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 in the Senate.

While I and my National Party colleagues fully support the intent of the legislation, we do not support the rushed iteration that has been presented.

That said, it should be noted that the Coalition has secured significant improvements to the legislation prior to it passing the House, but The Nationals’ Party Room concluded that more time is required to examine and test the Bill. The Nationals’ Party Room made the decision as a collective to abstain in the House and oppose the Bill in the Senate, tendering amendments agreed by the Party that would provide better free speech protections for everyday Australians at that time.

The legislation needs and deserves to have amendments heard and tested. These laws are too important to get wrong. They are too important not to consider the unintended consequences fully.

In the Senate last night, National Party Senators acted on behalf of the Party Room and moved such amendments. Unfortunately, these were voted down and National Party Senators crossed the floor of Parliament to vote ‘no’ accordingly.

As National Party Members, we vote in the best interests of all Australians and in particular Regional Australians. We vote in a manner that aligns with our Party’s core values. Values that our electorates and our constituents expect us to uphold. That is why we are voted into Parliament to represent them. Nothing more and nothing less.

Our priority is keeping Australians safe and protecting our cherished freedoms. The freedoms that have been hard fought and hard won. Equally, our priority is keeping Australians safe by identifying the core of the problem, which in the case of the Bondi shootings was Islamic extremism.

If we as individual representatives, as your elected Members of Parliament cannot agree with our Coalition colleagues, we must vote in interests of our communities. And you as our constituents have spoken clearly. You are concerned that the legislation as it stands impedes freedom of speech in a way that negatively impacts our society but does not go far enough in the areas that pose the greatest risk of violence within our society. We agree with you and will continue to represent your views.

ENDS