Paul Scarr is a Liberal Senator from Queensland and a supporter of Sussan Ley. He joins me in the studio. Welcome.
Senator Scarr:
Hi, PK. Good to see you again — and your viewers.
Patricia Karvelas:
My viewers are very interested in what on earth is happening on your side of politics. Let me start here: has Angus Taylor approached you and asked for your vote?
Senator Scarr:
I haven’t had a discussion with Angus yet, but I do have a missed call from him.
Patricia Karvelas:
Do you want to call him back now — put it on speaker?
Senator Scarr:
No, PK. But I’ve been very clear: I’m loyal to Sussan Ley. It’s only nine months since the federal election. We still don’t even have the election review for discussion. Sussan was dealt a very difficult hand, and she’s shown resilience, commitment to our Liberal values — and she has my support.
Patricia Karvelas:
So regardless of what happens, you’ll stick with Sussan Ley tomorrow?
Senator Scarr:
Sussan has my support. I don’t switch loyalty on and off like a light. She has my support today, and she’ll have it tomorrow.
Patricia Karvelas:
What’s your message, then, to MPs considering voting for Angus Taylor? What risk are they taking?
Senator Scarr:
Everyone has to make up their own mind, and I respect my colleagues’ views.
Patricia Karvelas:
Why are you worried about a switch?
Senator Scarr:
More broadly, PK, we’re in a period where people expect instant results. If they don’t get immediate satisfaction, they want to change leaders. We’ve seen it federally and at state level. People deserve a fair go — time to prove themselves — and support from their team. There’s no harder job than Opposition Leader, especially after the result we had nine months ago.
Patricia Karvelas:
How do you think the Australian people will respond to your first — and only — female leader being torn down?
Senator Scarr:
That’s up to the Australian people, PK.
Patricia Karvelas:
Do you worry they’ll judge you harshly for deposing your only female leader?
Senator Scarr:
I will say this: our opponents will brutally weaponise it. They did it effectively against Peter Dutton — who’s a good friend of mine and was misrepresented. They’ll do it again, and our party should expect that.
Patricia Karvelas:
Could this make your standing in the community even worse?
Senator Scarr:
Whatever happens tomorrow, we must present a united front. That’s what I’m committed to. I’ve been in this party 39 years. I’m committed to our values and to being a team player — and I’ll continue to be.
Patricia Karvelas:
You’ve been working heavily on Immigration. That’s all paused now. You’re supporting Sussan Ley — does that mean if Angus wins, you might lose your frontbench position?
Senator Scarr:
PK, it doesn’t matter whether I’m on the frontbench.
Patricia Karvelas:
It matters to me — I like having you on the program.
Senator Scarr:
Frontbench, backbench, park bench — it doesn’t matter. It’s not about me. It’s about presenting an effective opposition, holding the government to account, and reflecting Liberal values. It’s never been about me.
Patricia Karvelas:
In Angus Taylor’s launch video he talks about a stronger, more defined position. Does that signal a shift to a more conservative pitch?
Senator Scarr:
From my perspective, we’ve already been presenting a strong alternative. Sussan navigated energy policy well, and the party largely united behind it. We had strong proposals on red tape reduction, and we’ve held the government to account on the National Reconstruction Fund. It’s been a difficult nine months: two Coalition splits, Barnaby Joyce defecting to One Nation, the Bondi terrorist attack, and then nearly three weeks of instability. Through all of it, Sussan has shown resilience, strength, integrity and grace — and that’s why she has my support.
Patricia Karvelas:
James Paterson says you’re losing 200,000 votes a month.
Senator Scarr:
It’s been an extraordinarily difficult nine months.
Patricia Karvelas:
Who’s responsible for that drop?
Senator Scarr:
We all are, PK. Shadow Ministers, former Shadow Ministers, the whole team — including me. Politics is a team game. And as Sussan said, disunity is death. I saw that firsthand in Queensland in the late ’90s with the rise of One Nation — all it did was deliver decades of Labor governments.
Patricia Karvelas:
Is that what you’re staring at now?
Senator Scarr:
I sincerely hope not. That’s why unity tomorrow — whatever the outcome — is essential.
Patricia Karvelas:
Who do you think has the numbers?
Senator Scarr:
Whoever wins, I think it will be reasonably close.
Patricia Karvelas:
James McGrath — a Queensland colleague and Sussan Ley supporter — resigned from Shadow Cabinet. That’s not a good sign for her, is it?
Senator Scarr:
Anyone resigning isn’t helpful from Sussan’s perspective.
Patricia Karvelas:
But James McGrath is a key ally.
Senator Scarr:
James is a very good friend. He’s given his heart and soul to the LNP. I respect his choices — he’ll be doing what he believes is in the party’s best interest.
Patricia Karvelas:
But it is a shift away from Sussan Ley?
Senator Scarr:
Well… it is a shift.
Patricia Karvelas:
Thanks for joining us.
Senator Scarr:
Thanks, PK.
