Senator Leyonhjelm takes leave of Parliament

He was Federal Parliament’s first libertarian senator. Is he the last? - Max Koslowski, Brisbane Times:

February 23, 2019 - "'I won't miss Parliament much,' Senator David Leyonhjelm says.... Leyonhjelm, 66, has one more sitting week before he steps down to contest the NSW state election in March, but if you asked him about his six years in Federal Parliament you would think he wanted to leave sooner....

"Leyonhjelm is famously consistent. He is frustrated about any interference with his personal freedom, whether from government or infamy. In his political work, too, he has a well-earned reputation for being a consistent negotiator - a characteristic that was echoed by both major parties in response to his valedictory address.

"Labor's Senate leader Penny Wong recalled sitting down with Leyonhjelm and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten for tea....'He's got a really consistent view. He actually has a philosophical view'.... The government's Senate leader, Mathias Cormann agrees: 'He was the patron saint of many unfashionable causes here in this place, but only if they were consistent with freedom of enterprise and the individual'....

"Leyonhjelm is the only self-described libertarian in Parliament - libertarianism is a belief in personal liberty, free markets and small government - and says he is the first and only libertarian MP ever. His party, the Liberal Democrats, has won three state seats since the senator was re-elected in the 2016 double dissolution.

"Leyonhjelm does not hide how re-election fears influenced his decision to switch into state politics himself - and he's frank on the game of electoral roulette his party plays before every election. (Voters often accidentally vote for the Liberal Democrats, confusing them with the Liberal Party.)....

"Libertarianism has had little success in Australia. Two libertarian minor parties - the Libertarian Party of Australia and the Workers' Party - contested state and federal elections from the mid-'70s to the mid-'80s, but never won a seat, and barely resurfaced once the Hawke-Keating market reforms took hold. Leyonhjelm reckons the lack of libertarians in Australia stems from our historic relationship with government....

"John Roskam, executive director of the Institute of Public Affairs, and a friend of Leyonhjelm's, agrees.... 'Libertarianism has to overturn a 200-year political culture.... I have lost count of how many Liberal MPs have come up to me and said "what David says is right and I wish I could publicly agree with him but I can't".'

"Roskam believes the insurgency is coming. He is convinced 10 to 15 per cent of voters support libertarian ideals, and that they can achieve an electoral status similar to the Greens'. As the Greens made Labor stronger, Roskam says, libertarianism can apply ideological pressure to the Liberal Party: 'David's legacy has been huge because he has started to put libertarianism on the political map in this country.'"

Read more: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/he-was-federal-parliament-s-first-libertarian-senator-is-he-the-last-20190220-p50z7y.html

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Leyenhjolm to run at state level

Australia's Libertarian Senator Won't Seek Re-election - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Scott Shackford|

January 8, 2019 - "Libertarian Australian Senator David Leyonhjelm is resigning from national politics, but he isn't leaving government behind. Instead he's looking to take his fight against the nanny state to the local level.

"Leyonhjelm, of Australia's Liberal Democratic Party (that's the country's label for libertarians), was elected to office in 2013 and re-elected in 2016. He has spent a lot of that time advocating for the liberty to own guns, marry somebody of the same sex, legally smoke marijuana, and be free from unwarranted government surveillance.

"Well, at least gay marriage was legalized (after a lengthy, complicated public vote). The rest has been a struggle. Even after the Australian Senate made it easier for terminally ill patients to import medical marijuana, the country's Department of Health continued to threaten people who attempted to do so. And the country has actually ramped up surveillance authorities on its citizens and is now potentially threatening everybody's data privacy and security with anti-encryption legislation. Meanwhile, as Australia's extremely high taxes on cigarettes has created a massive black market for the goods, the country has responded by attempting to stop large cash transactions....

"Leyonhjelm has now decided to focus on fighting the country's nanny tendencies on the state level. He says he's planning to run for the Upper House in New South Wales (home of Sydney and the country's highest population concentration of nearly 8 million).

"He told Sky News that he wants to fight against red tape on the state level, focusing on familiar overregulation issues like liquor licensing, rules on where you can smoke or vape, gambling, laws that control business hours, and issues like assisted suicide and, again, drug legalization....

"An election analyst at Australia's ABC Network ... predicted that Leyonhjelm would have a tough time keeping his Senate seat. The ruling government has made it harder since Leyonhjelm was elected for minor parties to reach the polling thresholds needed to win seats under the country's preferential voting system. But he could fare better with the New South Wales Legislative Council, though he's going to be competing against other third parties as well."

Read more: https://reason.com/blog/2019/01/08/australias-libertarian-senator-wont-seek
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Australian state MP wants drugs decriminalized

'Libertarian' MP calls for drug possession to be decriminalised - Adam Carey, The Age:

February 5, 2019 - "A new Victorian MP has used his first speech to call for drug possession to be decriminalised, arguing billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money is being wasted on failed policies of prohibition.

"Liberal Democrats upper house MP David Limbrick also paid tribute to his federal counterpart Senator David Leyonhjelm, who is being sued for defamation by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young for alleged 'slut-shaming' comments.

"A self-described libertarian, Mr Limbrick vowed he 'would never vote for a reduction in freedom or an increase in taxes'.

"One of two Liberal Democrats elected to the upper house in November, he received just 0.84 per cent of the vote in the south-east metro district but ... is one of 11 upper house crossbenchers the Andrews government will have to negotiate with to pass legislation.

"Limbrick said the 'war on drugs' had failed as badly as the US prohibition on alcohol in the 1920s. 'As a parent, I have had enough of hearing about young people dying from adulterated substances produced in backyard labs,' he said in Parliament....

"Limbrick said Victoria should follow the example of Portugal, where the possession of drugs was decriminalised in 2001. 'For a country that was once considered the heroin capital of Europe, drug-related HIV infections have fallen by 95 per cent and the drug mortality rate is now the lowest in Western Europe,' he said.

"The number of people charged for drug use and possession in Victoria has more than doubled in the past seven years..... 24,584 people were charged with drug possession last year, with cannabis possession the most common charge....

"Limbrick and northern Victorian MP Tim Quilty are the first Liberal Democrats to be voted into the Victorian Parliament."

Read more: https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/libertarian-mp-calls-for-drug-possession-to-be-decriminalised-20190205-p50vtc.html
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New book from Australia's libertarian Senator

Mark Latham: Finally, someone goes against the herd | Sydney Daily Telegraph:

October 2, 2017 - "For a masterclass in original thinking, I recommend Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm’s new book, Freedom’s Salesman. It’s certain to get you out of your comfort zone.

"Rare among today’s MPs, Leyonhjelm has a structured philosophy of politics and society. Some of his views — such as drug legalisation, assisted suicide and the abolition of marriage laws — can be seen as radically left-wing. Other policies, such as free trade and small government, are usually associated with the right.

"The consistent thread throughout his thinking is the ideal of freedom or, as he puts it, 'a general distrust of authority'. This is a quintessentially Australian belief. As a people, we don’t like being told what to do. We love thumbing our nose at powerful people....

"But now this national trait is under siege. The spread of the nanny state and political correctness is smothering our anti-authoritarianism. Leyonhjelm detests this kind of government over-regulation and the associated rise of welfare ­dependency. He endorses Mill’s 'harm principle' as the core of his philosophy.

"In 1859 Mill wrote of how, 'The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.' Leyonhjelm wants to return to a time when, 'over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.'

"Thus he sees a legitimate role for government in healthcare, education and defence. But he also mounts well-researched arguments for less state interference in business regulation, corporate subsidies, industrial relations, power generation and environmental control. I’ve been a lifelong supporter of a minimum wage in Australia but Leyonhjelm’s advocacy for abolishing it — to help the unemployed, school-leavers and refugees find jobs — had me rethinking my position....

"Perhaps the most impressive part of Freedom’s Salesman is its comprehensiveness. Not since the time of Gough Whitlam has a federal MP single-handedly constructed such a broad agenda — a complete policy program for his time.... Few Australian politicians speak with such candour....

"Earlier this year I joined his party, the Liberal Democrats, in search of free speech and robust policy debate. On the strength of this book, I’m glad I did."

Read more: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/mark-latham-finally-someone-goes-against-the-herd/news-story/9ee63e640cbc3938322531a4036dc870
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Australian Senate launches inquiry into 'nanny state'

AM - Senator David Leyonhjelm pushes for parliamentary inquiry into 'nanny state' 26/06/2015 - AM with Michael Brissenden, Australian Broadcasting Corp.:

June 26, 2015 - "MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: The independent libertarian Senator David Leyonhjelm has won support for a broad ranging parliamentary inquiry into what he calls the 'nanny state'.

Essentially an examination of laws and regulations that restrict personal choice, with things like bicycle helmets, alcohol laws and pornography in the spotlight....  Senator Leyonhjelm joins me now. Senator,  ... where do you draw the line? The inquiry will be looking at areas, like I said, that restrict personal choice like bicycle helmets, but not drugs or firearms.

DAVID LEYONHJELM: Well, we're looking at marijuana, certainly not firearms.

The issue here is, to what extent is the Government entitled to legislate – and we're not talking about just giving advice - but to legislate, to protect you from your own bad choices. Bicycle helmets are a very good example of that: nobody is hurt if you fall off. If you don't wear a bicycle helmet, you're head's not going to crack into somebody else and damage them.

It's all about you and your safety, and yet the Government has decided that it's an offence to ride a bicycle without a helmet. Now, I personally think that's going too far, but the inquiry will be looking into that, looking for justifications.

 MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: But you have a view about firearms as well too, don't you, that that goes too far. So do you concede that those sorts of restrictions go too far? Do you concede that there's a role for the state in any of this?

DAVID LEYONHJELM: Yes, there's a role for the state. Firearms won't be brought into this inquiry, because that's not a nanny state thing; that's an issue about to what extent do you regulate the availability of firearms to protect other people if they're misused. That's a different matter.

What we're talking about here is, to what extent do you intrude, does the Government intrude into an individual's life to protect them from themselves.

So we'll be looking at the sale and service of alcohol, smoking and e-cigarettes, bicycle helmets I've already mentioned, classification of films and video games. That sort of stuff.

MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: And do you have much support for this?

DAVID LEYONHJELM: Yes, it went through without objection from any of the other senators. It went through on the voices.... [O]ne of the reasons why the Liberal Democrats are a good party to take this up is because we take a philosophical view of it; we don't like the Government intruding into our lives except to protect other people.

But in each party, and I'm talking Greens, Labor, Coalition, there is always an issue, an individual issue that bugs them, and they'd like something done about it. But individual senators find it hard to do something about that when their party has a position."

Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2015/s4262236.htm
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Australian Senator offers budget alternatives

Fire public servants, cut welfare, stop funding research; David Leyonhjelm's libertarian budget | afr.com - David Leyonhjelm, Financial Review

April 27, 2015 - "In its first budget the Abbott government dabbled with a theme of spending restraint and return to surplus.... Now, as the government prepares its second budget, it is dabbling with a theme of 'nothing dramatic'... But the case for spending restraint and a rapid return to surplus is as strong as ever.....So my plan is to cut more than $30 billion out of annual appropriation bills, which usually authorise around $140 billion in spending....

"I would not allow any spending on new policies or capital equipment (other than defence equipment) in the annual appropriation bills....

"I would then cut various existing programs that are not protected by an enduring appropriation.... A good number of these may actually be unconstitutional, given that the Commonwealth has no explicit authority in section 51 of the Constitution.....

"I would cut foreign aid..... Apart from the commitment of military and public health resources in response to natural disasters, the government does not need to be philanthropic on our behalf. Individual Australians who care about conditions in other countries can and should be encouraged to make donations from their own wallets.

"I would cut Commonwealth spending on the health bureaucracy, because healthcare is a state responsibility and government support is best provided directly to individuals rather than to health departments and institutions.

"I would also cut spending that promotes healthy lifestyles, as how we live is none of the government's business. I would nonetheless retain spending on immunisation, which provides benefits beyond the individuals who receive the vaccine.

"I would cut industry assistance, including for exporters, agriculture, the sports industry, the arts industry, and that part of the broadcasting industry we call the ABC and SBS. This is just corporate welfare for the favoured few.

"I would cut government spending on research. It crowds out philanthropic and business support, which would provide greater discipline to the direction of research.

"And I would cut indigenous programs, because race should not determine access to government services.

"Commonwealth grants for regions, infrastructure and schools that are in annual appropriations bills would be cut, because they are areas of state responsibility. I would cut spending on climate change programs because, among other things, I see the reality of global inaction. And I would cut other areas of symbolic spending such as the Human Rights Commission, family studies, and gender equality....

"My spending cuts would mean at least 15,000 public servants lost their jobs....  For the public servants that remain, I propose to cut their pay by 10 per cent. After a decade in which pay and employment grew faster in the public sector than the private sector, this is a reasonable option. And yes, politicians' pay should be cut by the same amount.

"Overall, my approach would deliver a surplus in the coming financial year, based on available numbers, without resorting to tax hikes."

Read more: http://www.afr.com/news/policy/budget/fire-public-servants-cut-welfare-stop-funding-research-david-leyonhjelms-libertarian-budget-20150427-1mu62y
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Why cats are natural libertarians

Cats are natural libertarians: nothing less than equality is acceptable to them | David Leyonhjelm | The Guardian:

March 12, 2015 - "There is reason to believe that cats are natural libertarians. I’m managed by four of them, and I speak from experience. They are all individuals and refuse to identify with groups.

"I say managed, not owned, because while my cats make demands on me that I sometimes ignore, and I have no idea of their views on my new job as senator, my wife and I nonetheless devote a lot of time to meeting their needs....

"I’ve always liked Winston Churchill’s quip to the effect that dogs look up to us, cats look down on us, while pigs treat us as equals. When I was in veterinary practice long ago, I’d periodically make this observation to clients. It didn’t always go down well (my bedside manner, I suspect, left something to be desired).

"But when George Orwell wrote in his novel Animal Farm that 'all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others', he could just as easily have had cats in mind instead of pigs. Cats will accept being equal, but nothing less is acceptable. It’s very libertarian of them."

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/13/cats-are-natural-libertarians-nothing-less-than-equality-is-acceptable-to-them
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Sydney shootings enabled by gun control, libertarian senator says

Australia a 'nation of victims', says pro-gun senator Leyonhjelm. James Glenday, Australian Broadcasting Corp:

December 17, 2014 - "Australia is a 'nation of victims' with citizens unable to properly protect themselves with weapons, pro-gun crossbench senator David Leyonhjelm has warned.

The Liberal Democrat said he wanted a calm, measured discussion about the right to 'practical self-defence' in the wake of the deadly Sydney siege.

"'What happened in that cafe would have been most unlikely to have occurred in Florida, Texas, or Vermont, or Alaska in America, or perhaps even Switzerland as well', Senator Leyonhjelm said.

"He told the ABC's AM program, 'statistically speaking' in those jurisdictions 'one or two of the victims' would have had a concealed gun.  'That nutcase who held them all hostage wouldn't have known they were armed and bad guys don't like to be shot back at," he said.

"He said the Lindt Cafe hostages were helpless because they were not allowed to carry a lethal or non-lethal weapon.

"'It would have been illegal for them to have had a knife, a stick, a pepper spray, a personal taser, mace, anything like that for self-defence,' he said.

"'I regard that [as] an absolute travesty. To turn an entire population into a nation of victims is just unforgiveable in my estimation.'"

Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/australia-a-nation-of-victims-says-pro-gun-senator-leyonhjelm/ar-BBgVBNA
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Australian libertarian senator tables same sex marriage bill

Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm introduces same-sex marriage bill - Elise Scott and Rebekah Ison, Sydney Morning Herald:

November 26, 2014 - "Same-sex marriage is vital for three reasons: liberty, conscience and state power.

"That's the argument of Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm who on Wednesday introduced a private senator's bill to allow same-sex marriage.

"The bill would allow any Australian to marry regardless of 'sex, sexual orientation and gender identity'.

"However, it also gives non-government religious and civil celebrants the right to refuse to marry same-sex couples."

"The libertarian doesn't believe government should interfere in individual choices and freedoms, and also supports the medical use of marijuana and assisted suicide.

"Banning same-sex marriage diminishes people's ability to make life plans and marriage equality keeps state power in check, he says.

"'The state is a wonderful servant but a terrible master,' he says. 'The state cannot discriminate, and if it does so, that is an abuse of power.'

"He claims Prime Minister Tony Abbott counselled him against introducing the bill because it would cause more trouble for the government....

"Mr. Abbott promised pre-election to empower his party room to decide whether the coalition has a conscience vote on same-sex marriage, and Senator Leyonhjelm believes there is enough support for that to occur."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/liberal-democrat-david-leyonhjelm-introduces-samesex-marriage-bill-20141126-11uolh.html
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Senator Leyonhjelm hires Helen Dale as adviser

David Leyonhjelm calls on Helen Dale to help fight for libertarianism - Paul Sheehan, Sydney Morning Herald:

September 10, 2014 - "Only one official libertarian sits in the [Australian] federal Parliament, though there are many closet libertarians hidden inside the tax-and-spend big government of Tony Abbott. This week that libertarian, Senator David Leyonhjelm of the Liberal Democratic Party, ... appointed Helen Dale, born Helen Darville, also known by the literary pseudonym Helen Demidenko, to his staff as a senior adviser.....

"I first met Dale and Leyonhjelm at a libertarian conference in Sydney earlier this year where both were delivering papers. Dale's presentation focused on social changes caused by technology, not expensive social engineering....  Practising law, she saw government regulation and compulsion as frequently having both adverse and unintended consequences.

"'I noticed the extent to which government regulations often had a malicious effect,' she said. 'Unlike many lawyers, I do not think the solution to every problem is "pass a law". Law has limits.'

"She arrived at this belief via a circuitous path, having become famous at age 20, as Helen Demidenko, for a novel written when she was 19, The Hand that Signed the Paper. It won the Miles Franklin Award in 1995....

"In 2002, at the age of 30, she turned to the law. She graduated with first-class honours from the University of Queensland and became a judge's associate. She won a scholarship to the University of Oxford, where she graduated with a bachelor of civil law. Because she has dual nationality, holding British and Australian passports, she remained in Britain and practised law. While doing a graduate course at the University of Edinburgh School of Law, she won the Law Society student essay prize....

"'Senator Leyonhjelm is a classical liberal, as am I," Dale says.... 'Working for him means leaving a job I enjoy and a city, Edinburgh, I love, ... but if I can help introduce the public to the radical notion that people are often best left alone, then my move will be wholly worthwhile'."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/david-leyonhjelm-calls-on-helen-dale-to-help-fight-for-libertarianism-20140910-10f132.html
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A look at Australia's two new libertarian senators

Meet Bob and David, our new libertarian senators - Joanna Mather, Financial Review:

July 12, 2014 - "Bob Day and David Leyonhjelm are a rookie crossbench duo with ideas so radical right they make some members of the Liberal Party blush.

"Like allowing young people with few prospects and 'from the wrong side of the tracks' to forego the protections afforded by industrial relations legislation to offer themselves up for cheaper rates than their university-educated peers.

"Or getting rid of bicycle helmet laws. 'Bicycle helmets are an absolute classic,' Leyonhjelm tells AFR Weekend. 'Because it’s your own head. If you want to fall off your bike and smash your own head, why should that be the government’s business? It’s your affair.'

"Anther topic close to the libertarian heart of Leyonhjelm, who won a NSW Senate spot for the Liberal Democrats, is road speed limits. Rather than being arbitrarily set by ­government they should be temporarily lifted, he says, and drivers free to determine, through trial and crashing error, the sweet spot between safety and pace.

"Day, the Family First senator for South Australia, doesn’t describe himself as a libertarian. But many of his views align strongly with Leyonhjelm’s. The pair hadn’t met before their surprise election last September. But they are fellow travellers: successful businessmen in their early 60s who are in furious agreement about the need for smaller government and lower taxes.

"They also worship personal freedom. 'It has been proven throughout history where freedom reigns there is prosperity, there is peace,' says Day, a millionaire builder from South Australia who fell out with the Liberal Party before joining Family First."

Read more: http://www.afr.com/p/national/meet_bob_and_david_our_new_libertarian_LkXOVpa8yOXC0s7ZZJDGHN
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Australian senator to move marriage equality bill

New senator David Leyonhjelm urges libertarian MPs to 'come out of the closet' and support same-sex marriage - Lisa Cox, Sydney Morning Herald:

July 14, 2014 -"Liberal Democratic senator David Leyonhjelm has called on 'true' liberals in the Abbott government to support same-sex marriage, confirming he will move a marriage equality bill as soon as the Coalition agrees to a conscience vote.

"Senator Leyonhjelm said on Monday that he would bring a private member's bill to the Parliament to redefine the Marriage Act, which currently defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

"'I ask you to understand that the liberties you care about should be available to everybody, and that there is no place in Australia for second-class citizens,' Senator Leyonhjelm told reporters in Canberra....

"He exhorted Labor leader Bill Shorten and Prime Minister Tony Abbott to support his bid to give same-sex couples marriage rights.

"'Today, I challenge Mr Shorten and Labor Party members to look Senator [Penny] Wong in the eye and tell her she does not deserve equal rights. Today, I challenge Mr Abbott and Liberal Party members to do the same with Mr Abbott's sister,' he said.

"Labor's leader in the Senate, Penny Wong, and Mr Abbott's sister, Christine Forster, a City of Sydney Liberal Party councillor, are both openly gay, with Ms Forster recently becoming engaged to her long-time partner.

"Labor Party MPs are permitted a conscience vote on same-sex marriage, but the Coalition is opposed to same-sex marriage and yet to grant its MPs a conscience vote, meaning any bill is unlikely to pass the Parliament."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/new-senator-david-leyonhjelm-urges-libertarian-mps-to-come-out-of-the-closet-and-support-samesex-marriage-20140714-3bw6w.html
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Two libertarians in Australian Senate

Is Australia Friendlier to Libertarianism Than the U.S.? - Hit & Run : Reason.com  - J.D. Tucille:

March 27, 2014 - "Libertarianism is a thing, the headlines tell us — and that seems to be true now that two libertarian-leaning lawmakers occupy seats in the Senate. Wait...two senators? Yes, two: Senator David Leyonhjelm from New South Wales and Senator Bob Day from South Australia. After their election, The Australian proclaimed them 'two home-grown Ron Pauls'.

"Leyonhjelm ... is the more overtly libertarian of the two, favoring marijuana legalization, lower taxes, same-sex marriage, and smaller government. He was elected as a candidate of the classical liberal/libertarian Liberal Democratic Party. A quote on his Facebook page boasts, 'But there are two guiding principles that determine our approach to legislation—we would never vote for an increase in taxes and we would never vote for a reduction in liberty.'

"Day has a long history of free-market activism and was a board member of the libertarian Centre for Independent Studies, but he was elected as the candidate (and chairman) of the populist/social conservative Family First Party. Even so, he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 'Libertarianism appeals to the innate desire to be free, to be liberated; people essentially want to be left alone to enjoy the fruits of their labour.'

"That article quoting Day also noted that 'the former policy director of libertarian think tank The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) has been appointed Human Rights Commissioner.' The IPA has been called out during parliamentary question time as a 'sinister' behind-the-scenes player in Australian policy making — specifically, in revising the Racial Discrimination Act to strengthen free speech protections — so it's apparently having an impact."

Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2014/03/27/is-australia-friendlier-to-libertarianis
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Liberal Democrat elected to Australian Senate

Libertarian David Leyonhjlem supports some Coalition polices but not others | The Australian:

September 9, 2013 - "A pro-gun candidate set to be elected to the Senate believes allowing members of the public to carry weapons for self-defence could help curb violent crime.

"Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm admits people might have voted for him in the mistaken belief he was a Liberal Party candidate, or because he was first on the ballot paper. He gained 8.9 per cent of the vote in NSW.

"His party, which believes in social libertarianism, a free market economy and small government, joins a group of minor party and independent senators that look set to hold the balance of power after July next year....

"Mr Leyonhjelm said he also left the Liberals because of John Howard's crackdown on guns following the Port Arthur Massacre, describing it as 'a disgraceful attack on law-abiding citizens'....

He supports removing the carbon and mining taxes.... He also opposes Mr Abbott's paid parental leave scheme.... Other Liberal Democrat policies include the decriminalisation of drugs and assisted suicide and the legalisation of gay marriage."

Read more: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/election-2013/libertarian-david-leyonhjlem-supports-some-coalition-polices-but-not-others/story-fn9qr68y-1226715075049
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