Lib Democrats back Labor over Liberals in Canning

Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm has announced his party will preference Labor over the Liberals in the Canning by-election.

AAP

Senator David Leyonhjelm with Labor Senator Doug Cameron. Source: AAP

The Liberal Democrats will direct preferences to Labor ahead of the government in the Canning by-election.

The party's Senate representative David Leyonhjelm believes the minor party can garner up to 10 per cent of the primary vote.

He accused Prime Minister Tony Abbott of trying to wipe out the Liberal Democrats as a party and ensure that libertarians had no voice in Australian politics.

He criticised Mr Abbott's position on national security, free speech, sporting shooters and same-sex marriage, saying he was turning the Liberal Party into a conservative party.

"Only the Liberal Democrats stand up for real liberal values," Senator Leyonhjelm told reporters in Canberra on Friday.

The by-election for the West Australian seat, caused by the death of Liberal MP Don Randall, will be held on Saturday week.

The Liberal Party's federal director Brian Loughnane was critical of the decision.

"@AustralianLabor and @DavidLeyonhjelm deal just an example of the Canberra games that have lead to Senate chaos," he tweeted.

Liberal candidate for Canning Andrew Hastie said the "backroom deal" between Labor and the Liberal Democrats was "the worst example yet" of political games from Canberra trying to hijack the by-election.

The former SAS captain said such "dodgy dealings" were distasteful.


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Source: AAP


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