‘They knifed us’: The spat that could come back to haunt Albanese (3 Mar 2025)
Article summary: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s prospects of securing teal independent backing for re-election have been weakened by growing tensions between independent MPs and Special Minister of State Don Farrell. The conflict centres on Farrell’s push for new political donation laws, which were passed with Coalition support despite strong opposition from the teals.
The independents argue that the reforms give major parties an unfair financial advantage, particularly by capping candidate spending at $800,000 and limiting donations to $50,000 per donor annually. Many teals spent significantly more in their last campaigns to compete with well-funded major party opponents.
Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel condemned the government’s handling of the negotiations, stating, “We had spent three years building trust with the government on a whole range of issues, then in the end they knifed us.” She warned that the breakdown in trust could prove problematic if Labor finds itself in a minority government after the next election.
Some Labor ministers, including Ed Husic and Chris Bowen, had privately expressed concerns that the reforms would harm environmental groups allied with Labor and weaken teal defences against the Liberals. However, Farrell persuaded Albanese to back the legislation, arguing it would prevent billionaire-backed candidates from dominating elections, referencing Clive Palmer’s past $100 million spending.
Farrell secured support for the bill from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in a face-to-face meeting on February 11, as teals and other crossbenchers attended a function at The Lodge. The opposition feared that if they rejected the deal, Farrell might broker a more damaging agreement with the Greens and teals. However, relations between Farrell and the independents had already soured.
A key moment of contention occurred in a meeting on November 19, where Farrell’s office accused teals Monique Ryan, Zali Steggall, and Kate Chaney of being verbally aggressive toward Labor staff. Farrell commented, “I try to treat people the way I would expect to be treated. Some do not.”
The teal MPs strongly denied the allegations, suggesting that branding them “aggressive” was sexist. Chaney stated, “I’m not one to leap to a sexist explanation quickly, but [Farrell’s office] saying we were aggressive; I think there’s a sexist element in that.” She described the meeting as “assertive” and insisted she was simply communicating her stance to the government. Steggall also dismissed the claims, accusing Farrell of trying to “gain some credibility when they have none in respect to this legislation.”
Sources close to Farrell claimed that instead of negotiating amendments to the bill, Chaney, who led negotiations with Labor, outright rejected key elements of the proposed donation limits. Chaney, however, argued that independents rely on small donations from many contributors to counteract the advantages of high-profile incumbents and should not be unfairly restricted.
Chaney accused Farrell of dismissing the teal MPs as a “short-term annoyance” despite the major parties’ declining share of the vote. The ongoing discord raises doubts about the teals’ willingness to work with Labor in a minority government, potentially complicating Albanese’s path to re-election.
