Cory Bernardi: Australian senator defects to launch right-wing party

Senator Cory Bernardi has announced he will start his own party

Australian right-wing Senator Cory Bernardi has defected from the nation's government to launch his own Australian Conservatives party.

Mr Bernardi confirmed his move in Australia's upper house on Tuesday, ending months of speculation. The outspoken senator has repeatedly criticised PM Malcolm Turnbull's government for being too moderate.

Mr Bernardi gives his speech in the Senate on Tuesday

Mr Bernardi's views on topics including same-sex marriage, climate change and abortion have polarised public opinion. "This has been a very difficult decision for me," Mr Bernardi said. "Perhaps the most difficult one of my political life."

"The level of public disenchantment with the major parties, the lack of confidence in our political process and the concern about the direction of our nation is very, very strong."


Mr Bernardi said he had not spoken "to any sitting MPs" about joining his party, but he would run candidates at the next election.

Who is Cory Bernardi?

The 47-year-old South Australian was first elected to the Senate in 2006 after becoming the youngest ever Liberal Party state president aged 29. The son of an Italian immigrant father and fourth-generation Australian mother, Mr Bernardi was a stockbroker, financial adviser and elite rower before entering politics.

Backed by powerbrokers on the Liberal Party's right, Mr Bernardi was appointed a shadow parliamentary secretary, but resigned in 2012 after making controversial comments linking same-sex marriage to bestiality.

He has maintained a high profile on the backbench, making regular forays into public debate.
Mr Bernardi has his own website and blog, a podcast, and is the self-published author of seven books - including two for children.

What does he believe?

In an email to supporters in March 2016, Senator Bernardi said his mission was to build a movement "to fight against the tyranny of political correctness". "Unless the mainstream parties connect with the 'forgotten people' they will choose a different path," Mr Bernardi wrote.

"It's a global phenomenon and would be foolish to think it won't emerge in Australia." Mr Bernardi has pointed to Brexit and the rise of far-right politics in Europe as evidence of the public losing faith in major parties.

After spending time in New York observing Donald Trump's presidential campaign, Mr Bernardi wrote he had learned "what needs to be done".

"My time in the United States has been invaluable not only in identifying some of the common problems evident in global politics but also formulating solutions," he wrote.

Among his views that have attracted controversy, Mr Bernardi has been critical of abortion and questioned whether climate change was caused by human activity.

"We will be united by the desire to create stronger families, to foster free enterprise, to limit the size and scope and reach of government while seeking to rebuild civil society," he said on Tuesday.

"We will give hope to those who despair at the current state of Australian politics and who demand a better way for themselves, for their children and for the nation."