Key Points
- Nationals MP Andrew Gee has quit the party.
- He declared its opposition to the Voice to Parliament 'isn't right'.
- The National Party announced last month that it would campaign against the plan.
A senior Nationals MP has quit the party, declaring its decision to oppose a First Nations Voice to Parliament "just isn't right".
Former veterans' affairs minister Andrew Gee has announced he will defect to the crossbench to sit as an independent in the NSW seat of Calare, claiming he felt unable to publicly criticise the party's stance.
Nationals leader David Littleproud said he was "disappointed" but had accepted the defection, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described as an "extraordinary political development".
, which Mr Littleproud claimed would create "another layer of bureaucracy" while doing nothing to address the plight of First Nations Australians.
Confirming his defection "with sadness" on Friday, Mr Gee said his party's decision, which he quickly publicly opposed, had "really brought home to me the importance of being able to stand up and be counted".
Andrew Gee (centre) has quit the Nationals Party. Source: AAP
"I grew up handing out how to votes for the National Party. I even took National Party stickers to school and handed them out. How sad is that for a student?" he told ABC News.
"I was a true believer but I've just lost the faith. The National Party of those days, the days of my youth, is very different to the party that I see today."
Earlier in a statement, Mr Gee said he could not reconcile every Australian getting a free vote on the issue, while Nationals MPs were expected to "fall into line" behind a decision he disagreed with.
"While I respect the views of my colleagues, this just isn’t right," he said.
The Nationals reached their position after an internal party debate last month, with Mr Gee a notable absence from a press conference unveiling their stance.
He insisted he did not bring on the debate, and has since felt he lacked "unfettered freedom to speak" after opposing the party line.
"While I accept that in politics compromises have to be made, there comes a point where not speaking out freely can compromise the interests of those we represent," he said.
"As the discussion on this issue around Australia builds, I want that freedom to put forward my point of view as I don’t foresee the Nationals’ policy on the Voice changing."
'Extraordinary political development'
Mr Gee revealed he had already received a call from Mr Albanese, saying the pair enjoyed a "good working relationship".
Mr Albanese described the defection as an “extraordinary political development”, urging his colleagues not to “miss the opportunity” to campaign for a proposal he said would “enrich our nation”.
“Andrew Gee has made a decision. He's alone. I respect that decision … Andrew Gee's statement is one of principle,” he told reporters on Friday.
“I look forward to working with him, but I look forward to working with members … across the board who want to recognise this, who see this as an opportunity to unite our nation.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Mr Gee's resignation is "extraordinary". Source: AAP / AAP
"He’s a good man and he has my respect. This issue unfortunately runs deeper than the role of just one person," he said.
In a statement on Friday, Mr Littleproud described Mr Gee's departure as "unfortunate" but said it had been accepted.
The Nationals leader insisted Mr Gee was always free to "make his own decision and vote accordingly" on the Voice.
“While the federal Nationals remain united in our decision to oppose The Voice to Parliament, I have stated from the beginning that one of the great things about our party room is the ability to have different opinions, and speak and vote freely on issues that matter to individual members. Nothing has changed,” he said.
“We will continue to work hard for western New South Wales and find a candidate who will best represent them at the next federal election.”
Nationals MP Darren Chester called for Mr Gee to resign from parliament and stand in a subsequent by-election, which would allow the Nationals to contest the seat.
“I think just taking the seat and running off and becoming independent is not the most honourable thing to do,” he told ABC News.
As veterans' affairs minister in March, after claiming his department was not being given adequate funding to fix a backlog in veterans' compensation claims, which he labelled a "national disgrace".
