Gerard Rennick will “stir the pot” in politics after defecting from the Liberal National Party to sit as an independent.
The renegade Queensland senator, who sat with the Liberals, says he can accomplish more from the cross bench after becoming a pariah within the party.
Senator Gerard Rennick.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Rennick became known for his stance against vaccine mandates during the pandemic and withheld his vote in protest when the Coalition was in power, which angered many within the party.
An internal email to LNP members from president Lawrence Spingborg said the party had been informed of the senator’s decision.
“People make their own decisions for their own reasons,” he said, “our hardworking team will not be distracted from focusing on the priorities of Queenslanders.”
Loading
Rennick is seeking to push for a number of measures, including raising the tax-free threshold to $40,000, the direct payment of childcare subsidies to families, and the scrapping of a generous defined benefits scheme for retired public servants.
Change could not be sparked from within the major parties, he said, adding he only decided in the past fortnight to quit the LNP.
“You go to Canberra, you’re not doing anything,” he said, “if I stayed in the party, I couldn’t push these ideas, this way I can generate a conversation on the issues.”
The Queensland senator was kicked off the LNP’s federal election ticket in July and his appeals were rejected. He said he initially considered running for an internal party position such as president but decided instead to register his own political party.
Rennick said he would use the remaining parliament sitting weeks to introduce private legislation and refer issues to inquiries to get his ideas on the agenda.