Canberra Liberals leader Leanne Castley has suspended Elizabeth Lee and Peter Cain from the party room and is seeking to permanently remove them. The two backbenchers crossed the floor during a vote on the ACT Legislative Assembly's sitting calendar for next year.
Ms Lee and Mr Cain voted with the Greens and two independents in a failed attempt to keep the number of sitting weeks in 2026 at 13, rather than reducing it to 12. Ms Lee stated before the vote, 'I accept the views of the majority of my party room colleagues; respectfully I disagree.'
In a statement, Ms Castley said the pair had been suspended immediately and that she would 'be seeking to remove them permanently.' Ms Lee and Mr Cain were notified of their suspension by the party whip, who informed them it was the leader's decision.
Ms Lee has called for a party room meeting to allow all ACT Liberal MLAs to have a say on the suspensions. She argued that the leader's unilateral decision contradicted long-standing Liberal Party convention allowing backbenchers to vote with their conscience.
Mr Cain expressed surprise at the suspension, stating he received a text from the whip. He looks forward to a full party room meeting to debate the matter. Ms Lee criticized the government's push for fewer sitting weeks, calling it 'unacceptable' to reduce accountability.
