Lib values under threat in power - sharing deal with Greens : Castley | Braidwood Times

braidwoodtimes.com.au · Feb 26, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Leanne Castley, a former ACT opposition leader, has taken a public swipe at the ACT Greens, declared a power-sharing deal between the two parties would not allow the Liberals to stay true to their values and said the decision to change the government should be in the hands of voters.Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue readingAll articles from our websiteThe digital version of Today's PaperAll other in your areaMs Castley used a parliamentary speech late on Thursday afternoon to accuse the Greens of dishonest and reprehensible behaviour, saying she was aware the Greens had told the media her office had been involved in talks to form a government."I understand the Greens have told journalists there were discussions about a possible alliance with my office while I was leader. Let me be clear, this is not true," Ms Castley said in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.Former opposition leader Leanne Castley. Picture by Gary RamageMs Castley, an opposition frontbencher, said she had consistently opposed a deal to form a joint Liberal-Greens government and the principles and commitments of both parties were fundamentally incompatible.Ms Castley said she had been willing to work with the Greens on specific issues when she was opposition leader."To the extent there were any discussions, there were informal advances repeatedly raised by the Greens with my chief of staff who repeatedly rejected them. The fact that these private conversations have been leaked and deliberately, deceitfully made to suggest that there was some interest or discussion in forming government together demonstrates a lack of honesty, integrity and ethics by some members of the Greens," she said."Such conduct is not merely dishonest, it is reprehensible."Greens leader Shane Rattenbury said: "I have never had discussions about any kind of power sharing agreement with Leanne Castley or her office."Whilst we did have some conversations with Mark Parton when he became leader, all work on this ended some time ago following feedback from our Greens membership."Ms Castley said she was committed to principles of individual freedom and responsibility, to free markets and traditional institutions."I am committed to these principles because I believe they are the foundation for strong communities and better lives. And I want to work towards building a better Canberra through the application of these principles," she said."Now, the Greens do not share these principles and these commitments. They have their own principles. Principles which are not only different to ours but fundamentally incompatible."Ms Castley said the two parties had different visions for Canberra, which was healthy in a democracy."But I believe you cannot expect two parties to effectively govern together when their core principles are incompatible. Some have suggested putting our principles aside and just implementing the policies where the two parties have a common view. But what is the point of being in government if we cannot apply our principles and our values?"The Greens' membership had wisely ruled out an alliance with the Liberals but it would be reasonable to let voters decide if they wanted to change the government, the Liberal member for Yerrabi said."People are seriously proposing to change the government, not just the leader of the government, but the party of government and the direction of the territory. The decision ought to be made by the people we represent. After all, it is their government, not ours," she said.A Labor spokesman said Ms Castley was right to share her frustrations about the transparency of negotiations led by the new opposition leader."It is difficult to understand how two parties with such wildly different political ideologies could hope to form government. It seems cooler heads in both parties have realised how unworkable their coalition would have been," the spokesman said."It's clear that the Liberals remain deeply divided both in their membership and their party room."Ms Castley cited Elizabeth Lee's talks with the ACT Greens after the 2024 election as a reason for challenging the then leader in a successful party room ballot."Working with the Greens on a motion here and there, or in committees through the Assembly term, of course is something that we will do. Being in government is something very different," she said in October 2024.Twice weeklyVoice of Real AustraliaGet real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over.