'Sick to death': Former Liberal minister blasts influence of Sky News on party
Scott Ryan, who served as a minister under Tony Abbott, warns the Liberal Party is being driven away from mainstream voters by hardline voices.
Former Liberal minister Scott Ryan says he is “sick to death” of the “puritanical litmus test” element within his party, partly driven by the “unique influence” of Sky News.
On Saturday, Peter Dutton led his party to an historic electoral wipeout, with Liberals conceding that Labor’s success was helped by drawing comparisons between the opposition leader and US President Donald Trump.
Dutton was criticised for largely avoiding media scrutiny during his three-year leadership, preferring the comfortable surroundings of 2GB Radio and Sky News’ conservative ‘After Dark’ lineup.
Speaking on his podcast Across The Aisle, Ryan warned that the party’s echo chamber had created an environment where “compromise became demonised, rather than [viewed] as a means to achieve one solution”.
