Former Tasmanian Liberal MP Lara Alexander has taken an extraordinary swipe at her former party, accusing it of behaving like an abusive partner.
Ms Alexander has also described the party as having internal cultural issues towards women, which she says drove her out of the party and has left it with just a handful of women across the party and in Cabinet.
“Nobody moves to the crossbench to enhance their re-election chances. I didn’t leave the Liberal Party because I found the crossbench more attractive, I left because the Liberal Party was an abusive partner.
“Now, just like that abusive partner, the Liberal Party still believes that if it insists enough, and gets enough of its mates to join in, I’ll give in and meekly sit in the corner like the submissive female, waiting for permission to speak.”
Her comments follow a recent meeting with Premier Jeremy Rockliff and fellow Liberal Party defector John Tucker, where the Premier sought to consolidate their positions over confidence and supply.
Ms Alexander has strongly defended her position as an independent, claiming the Premier’s demands were an attempt to gain complete compliance with the breakaway pair.
