Chester, the former minister and critic of former leader Barnaby Joyce, will fill the gap created by Andrew Gee who quit the party over its opposition to the Voice to parliament.
Nationals MP Darren Chester has joined the opposition frontbench.Chester will become the shadow minister for regional education, regional development, and local government and territories. Gee’s other portfolio, the more junior assistant portfolio regional health, has been taken over by Dr Anne Webster, the member for Mallee.
Chester, who in 2015 became the first Nationals MP to support same-sex marriage, said he was not against the concept of a body such as the Voice but believed it was a “step too far” to enshrine this body in the constitution.Arguing the government was acting like a car salesman who declined to provide crucial information until after a transaction, Chester told this masthead voters were “being asked to vote for a vibe”.
National Party leader David Littleproud said Chester would focus on policy issues such as childcare access and education attainment in the regions, while Dutton said the appointments would strengthen his team.“I thank my Coalition team for their hard work and their unity in holding the government to account,” Dutton said in a written statement.
Dutton and his Liberal Party have not yet made a call on whether to campaign for or against the Voice, or allow MPs to campaign according to their views, and also whether they will back the legislation that will enable the referendum to take place.“If you are going to take something to a referendum you need to know the detail.
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