Jacqui Lambie Network

The Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN) is a political party in Australia, formed in May 2015. Bearing the name of its founder, Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie, it has served as the political vehicle for the former independent.

Jacqui Lambie Network
AbbreviationJLN
LeaderJacqui Lambie
Founded14 May 2015 (2015-05-14)
Split fromPalmer United Party
HeadquartersShop 4, 22 Mount Street
Burnie TAS 7320
IdeologyTasmanian regionalism
Populism[1]
Veterans' rights[2][3]
Political positionBig tent
Colours  Gold
Senate
2 / 76
Circular Head Council
1 / 9
Website
lambienetwork.com.au

The JLN was formed to allow Lambie to re-contest her Senate seat at the 2016 federal election, after she resigned from the Palmer United Party in November 2014. It gained 8.3% of the Senate popular vote in Tasmania in 2016, slightly increasing its vote share to 8.9% at the 2019 election. The JLN also fielded candidates for the 2018 Tasmanian state election. In the 2022 federal election, the party was successful in electing a second party member Tammy Tyrrell into the Senate, increasing its parliamentary composition to two senators for the first time.[4]

The party's political positions reflect Lambie's own stances, generally presenting a big tent orientation.[5] The JLN has maintained populist support for working class "battlers", especially welfare recipients.[6][7] The party also maintains strong support for members of the armed services, owing to Lambie's own experience with the ADF. The JLN has a prioritised regional focus on Tasmania, where the party draws virtually all of its support from. Early in her political career, Lambie promoted firm nationalist sentiments, first in opposition to Sharia law,[8] and more recently about supposed "Chinese foreign interference".[9] In an interview with ABC News in 2018, Lambie distanced herself from her previous views on Sharia law, stating she did not want to "cause division", and was influenced by "a previous advisor that was really driving that in".[10]

Policies

While announcing the formation of the party, Lambie revealed the party's 12 "core beliefs", including establishing a national apprentice, trade and traineeship system incorporating both the Australian Defence Force and TAFEs, dedicated Indigenous seats in parliament, and supporting the introduction of a carbon tax.[11]

Royal commission into veteran suicide

In response to a Change.org petition organised by Julie-Ann Finney, whose son David Finney killed himself after a crippling battle with post-traumatic stress injury,[12] Lambie has called for a royal commission into veteran suicide.[13]

The Morrison Government announced their intention to appoint a National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention to inquire into the deaths by suicide of serving and former ADF members.[14]

Lambie criticised the Government's plan in a dissenting report, noting that "The families of veterans who have taken their own lives support a Royal Commission. The institutions who are being blamed for those suicides support a National Commissioner."[15]

On 8 July 2021, a Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide in Australia was established.[16]

Political donations

Lambie introduced a bill to the Australian Senate in February 2020 that proposes to tighten political donations laws.[17] The bill seeks to amend current laws that permit political donations under $14,300 to not be disclosed.[18] Lambie has proposed lowering this threshold to $2,500.

The bill also proposes to introduce electoral expenditure accounts for organisations that run political campaigns. This will compel parties and others to disclose the source of any money they spend on their electoral campaigns.[19]

Australian manufacturing

In early 2020, Lambie started a campaign[20] to support Australian manufacturing with concerns about Australia's reliance on foreign imported products; she believes these concerns are a threat to Australia's economic sovereignty; magnified with the advent of COVID-19.[21]

Foreign interference

Lambie has said on her website "It’s about time that the people in Parliament woke up to China’s attempts to infiltrate our economy and our democracy."[22] Her concerns are echoed by Duncan Lewis, formerly the Director-General of Security at ASIO.[23]

Taxation

Upon its application to register as a political party in 2015, it was described that the party would "favour the introduction of a financial transactions tax".[24]

Electoral history

At the 2016 federal election, the Jacqui Lambie Network fielded 10 candidates for the Senate (three each in Tasmania and New South Wales, and two each in Queensland and Victoria) but no candidates for seats in the House of Representatives.[25]

Federal Parliament
Senate
Election year # of
overall votes		  % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 # of
overall seats		 +/– Status
2016 69,074 0.50 (#17)
1 / 76
1 / 76
 Increase 1 Crossbench
2019 31,383 0.21 (#28)
1 / 40
1 / 76
 Steady Crossbench
2022 23,273 0.27 (#28)
1 / 40
2 / 76
 Increase 1 Crossbench

Tasmanian Parliament
House of Assembly
Election year # of
overall votes		  % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 # of
overall seats		 +/– Status
2018 10,579 3.16 (#4)
0 / 25
0 / 25
 Steady Extra-parliamentary

References
  1. Westcott, Ben (21 June 2022). "Australia's Left Narrowly Wins Balance of Power in New Senate". Bloomberg. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  2. "Jacqui Lambie slams 'disappointing' seven-month delay on veteran suicide prevention trial". ABC News. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  3. "Federal Government gains support for bill allowing release of veterans' personal info". ABC News. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  4. Bovill, Monte (30 May 2022). "Who is Tasmania's likely new senator, Tammy Tyrrell?". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  5. Kenny, Mark (17 September 2019). "Jacqui Lambie mixes battler politics with populism to make her swing vote count". The Conversation.
  6. Visentin, Lisa (9 October 2020). "Jacqui Lambie is a thorn in the Coalition's side". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  7. McCulloch, Daniel; Livingston, Angus (9 September 2019). "Lambie sinks two coalition welfare plans". Canberra Times.
  8. "Lambie takes on Islamic youth leader over sharia law". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 February 2017.
  9. "There's a wrecking ball headed our way". Lambie Network.
  10. Has Jacqui Lambie backflipped on Sharia law and Islam? #OnePlusOne, retrieved 18 February 2021
  11. "Jacqui Lambie Network: former Palmer United Party senator registers new political party". SMH.
  12. "Mother's battle for veteran son gains ground". The Advertiser. 5 May 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  13. "We have a bloody big problem here". Jacqui Lambie Network. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  14. "National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention". Department of the Attorney General.
  15. Commonwealth Parliament; Parliament House, Canberra. "Dissenting Report from Senator Jacqui Lambie". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 1 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. "Home page". Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Australian Government. 2021.
  17. Commonwealth Parliament; Parliament House, Canberra. "Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Donation Reform and Other Measures) Bill 2020". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 1 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. "Disclosure threshold". Australian Electoral Commission. 25 May 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  19. "Money buys power in our parliament". Jacqui Lambie Network. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  20. "Make Australia Make Again". Jacqui Lambie Network. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  21. Lambie, Jacqui (14 May 2020). "We must start manufacturing again: Lambie". The Examiner. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  22. "There's a wrecking ball headed our way". Jacqui Lambie Network. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  23. "Former ASIO boss reportedly fears China is working to take over Australia's political system". SBS News. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  24. "Jacqui Lambie Network: Tasmanian senator registers new political party". ABC News. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  25. "Candidates for the 2016 federal election". Australian Electoral Commission. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
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