'I am a Liberal': Bridget Archer, the last of the moderates, rules out shift to crossbench
The Tasmanian marginal seat MP says she will remain in the Liberal Party despite pressure from conservatives, saying: ‘If you want the party to change, change it’.
One of the few remaining moderate Liberal MPs, Bridget Archer, has reaffirmed her commitment to the party despite harbouring concerns it has not learnt its lessons from its defeat at the 2022 election, including over the representation of women in Parliament.
And the member for Bass in Tasmania, who helped sink Scott Morrison’s religious discrimination bill, in 2022, has accused his successor Anthony Albanese of preparing to abandon reform in the contentious space.
Archer, who holds one of the most marginal seats in Parliament, said the relegation of the Liberals’ most senior South Australian woman, Anne Ruston, to the party’s second Senate slot this week shows it still has internal problems. But she told Capital Brief she will remain a Liberal, saying: “If you want the party to change, change it”.
Archer shot to prominence in 2022 when she was one of of five Liberal MPs who crossed the floor to sink Morrison’s plan, arguing it did not protect gay and transgender students from discrimination.
