Liberal frontbencher Melissa McIntosh has called for the party to consider a rebrand after the Coalition hit a historic low of 17% in the latest Newspoll, trailing behind Labor (33%) and One Nation (29%). Speaking on Sky News, McIntosh said the party needed to shed its image of being 'stuck in the past' and modernise its policies to resonate with contemporary Australia.
McIntosh: 'Time for the Liberal Party to rebrand itself'
McIntosh, the shadow minister for the NDIS, argued that the party should revisit its values and possibly even change its name. When asked if the word 'liberal' was problematic, she replied that experts should be brought in to assess the brand, drawing inspiration from Sky News' own rebrand to News24. 'When things aren't going right within brands, it is a time to take a bit of stock and look at where we can go in the future,' she said.
Taylor's leadership under scrutiny
McIntosh's comments came after Opposition Leader Angus Taylor claimed the Morrison government, in which he served as a senior minister, had 'breached trust' with voters during the pandemic by supporting big government. Taylor has faced criticism for the Coalition's continued slide in polls, with its primary vote falling to 17% in Monday's Newspoll. A separate Redbridge poll also showed rising support for Labor amid a dip for One Nation and the Coalition.
Despite the poor polling, Taylor's leadership is not under imminent threat, but Liberal MPs have begun quietly discussing concerns about the party's direction. Taylor defended his leadership on 2GB radio, saying, 'You can't turn around a tanker in a few months.' He added that the Coalition was 'solid as a rock' after being in 'freefall' under former leader Sussan Ley.
Labor ridicules rebrand suggestion
McIntosh's remarks were ridiculed by Labor in question time. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, 'No wonder they're struggling over there. We had a shadow minister earlier today speak about abandoning the Liberal party name.' Housing Minister Clare O'Neil added, 'We've got frontbenchers openly saying that they need to rethink the existence of their political party. On this side of the parliament, we're living a very different experience.'
Hastie backs Taylor, calls for patience
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, seen as a future leadership contender, praised Taylor's leadership and called for patience. He told the ABC that Taylor was leading a 'good process' of policy development, adding, 'It's going to take time to sell those policies but we're in winter. We have time and we've just got to not get rattled and focus on the mission, which is winning government.'
Taylor admits trust breach
In an interview with The Australian, Taylor acknowledged that the Coalition had breached voters' trust during the pandemic. 'We allowed big government to become accepted, and we don't believe in big government. Australians felt that government got too big, too heavy, too close to their daily lives,' he told 2GB. He said the party needed to rebuild trust by paring back spending and the role of government.
Liberal Senator Jonno Duniam, who has announced his impending retirement, said his party had been 'lost in the wash' amid a 'crowded marketplace'.
