PineappleCrusher_ makes his case for re-election in Moncrieff

On 29 May 2019, the High Court of Australia expelled former Prime Minister, Liberal leader, and now Member for Moncrieff PineappleCrusher_ AO from his seat. This Parliament is the first time the long-time parliamentarian and leader in Australian politics was expelled from his seat. With the Moncrieff by-election coming up on the 15th of June, PineappleCrusher_ has plead his case to Moncrieff on Insiders for his re-election.

A member of the Order of Australia, Mr. Crusher has been a crucial player in Australian politics ever since his election as leader of the Liberal Party in April 2018. Being Leader of the Opposition in the April-June Parliament, his party and Centre Alliance formed a coalition after the June 2018 election; the first time the country had seen a right-wing led government since January. His government did not escape the controversy and scandals that the usual Australian government experiences. In July, Minister tobycool2001_1 resigned after being convicted of electoral fraud. In September, just days before the dissolution of Parliament, the Government was defeated in a vote of no-confidence, moved by Leader of the Opposition and future Prime Minister Youmaton. He soon resigned, to be replaced by TheAudibleAsh who led the Liberals to government in partnership with the UDP, CA, and Reason.

"I’m a patriot. Day after day, I wake up with an urge to participate in our civic processes. I’m proud to be Australian – proud to be a Queenslander, and proud to be a father of Mathias and Constantine."

Click here to skip the backstory of PineappleCrusher_

Who is PineappleCrusher_?

PineappleCrusher_ was born 21 October 1977 in southern Brisbane, Queensland to Matthew and Magnolia Crusher. He was born into the upper-middle class, his father a doctor and mother working in the banking industry. He attended Brisbane Central State School, transferring into the private Catholic system at St Joseph's College in Year 5. He was a high academic achiever, and participated in rowing and debating. He left high school with a Tertiary Entrance Rank of 98, one of the highest in the state.

He moved to Melbourne to study economics and commerce at the University in Melbourne, and was offered a job in Singapore with banking firm Standard Chartered in 1999. He joined the Young Liberals in 1995, and rose through the ranks of the East Melbourne branch.

In 2006, Crusher moved back to Brisbane with his wife Margaret moved back to Crusher's hometown of Brisbane to start studying law at University of Queensland, and was offered a job in the Department of Justice and Attorney-General.

His political career

PineappleCrusher_ has had a political career of highlights and controversy, and has been a key figure in the right-wing movement.

Crusher first entered the federal political world in late 2017, running for the seat of Brisbane as an Independent. He joined the Liberal party and immediately challenged for the leadership, winning unopposed. He changed the name of the party to the Liberal Nationals, and supported the government. He resigned after a scandal involving preferences in the Sturt by-election, and resigned as the Member for Brisbane returning to private life.

Bellman United leader and soon-to-be Prime Minister BellmanTGM approached Crusher in January, asking him to be a Senator for his party, an offer which was accepted. Upon the parties rise to government, Crusher became the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Defence, and the Attorney-General. PineappleCrusher_ yet again left his positions under controversy. He ordered the move of the Australian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, triggering a vote of no confidence in the government which passed 10 to 6. Soon after, he became leader of the now re-branded Liberty Party, and changed the name back to the Liberal Party soon after.

After the April 2018 election, Crusher emerged as the new Leader of the Opposition, against a Socialist government led by Socialist Senator Bsharri, in an unusual situation where the Prime Minister was a Senator rather than an MP in the lower house. After the Bsharri government fell in June, him and his party were the front-runners in the June federal election that finally saw Crusher and his party return to government, with Crusher in the top job.

Crusher's tenure as Prime Minister

PineappleCrusher led the Liberal-Centre Alliance government, supported by CA leader tbyrn21. He was also supported by the PFC, a continuation of the legacy of the Bellman United Party, naturally led by BellmanTGM.

As Prime Minister, Crusher led a Government that had both success and downfalls, the later outweighing the former. Liberal MP tobycool2001_1, now Clerk of the House, was forced to resign after being accused and convicted of electoral fraud in the June election. Despite this, the party regained the seat under new representative TheMontyJohnson.

The party was also accused by tbyrn21, leader of the Centre Alliance and junior coalition partner, of failing to communicate with the CA on important issues. This reached a breaking points towards the end of the term, due to the Liberal's refusal to help pass tbyrn's signature bill that would restrict the sale of lootboxes in video games.

"I've had enough of this government, I have been supporting them for a long time on various issues, and the one time I ask for something back they can't even do that... As such I and the rest of the CA will be leaving the government and heading to the crossbench." tbyrn21 said.

The government fell in September 2018 to a vote of no confidence, supported by all members except the Liberals, and even their former coalition partner in the Centre Alliance. He soon resigned as leader of the Liberal Party, to be replaced by TheAudibleAsh, who led the party to junior coalition partner status in the upcoming Federal Election.

Post Prime Ministerial career

Crusher retreated back to the Senate following the disaster for his party. In the Senate he moved the Abortion (Prohibition) Bill 2019, a bill which would amend the Criminal Code Act 1995 imprison doctors who perform abortions to life imprisonment, or 10 years if unsuccessful. The bill would also severely fine women who have an abortion. The bill was ultimately rejected by the Senate, with only himself and fellow Liberal Viado_Celtru voting Aye.

In December 2018, he contested the seat of Pearce, covering all of Western Australia, in what was a far cry away from his eastern state roots. He maintained a relatively low profile in politics for the term. At the March election, he attempted to contest the western Sydney seat of Parramatta, only to fail against SDP member Horror-HQ, leaving Crusher without a seat in Parliament for the first time since January 2018.

The May 2019 federal election saw Crusher re-contest his now home seat of Moncrieff, covering South-East Queensland and the Gold Coast outside of the Brisbane area. He won with a super-majority of first preference votes, consolidating the right-wing hold over the now blue-ribbon seat.

Expulsion from the parliament

In a string of referrals in May, PineappleCrusher was referred twice to the High Court of Australia by the Clerk tobycool2001_1 for failure to participate in the required amount of debates as per parliamentary participation laws.

On the first referral, the HCA ruled that he had just fallen within the legislation. However, shortly after the referral, Crusher was again referred under the "3 in 12" rule, stating that parliamentarians must debate in at least 3 in every 12 debates. On 29 May 2019, Crusher was expelled from the parliament on order of Justice of the High Court General_Rommel J.

Pleading his case for re-election in Moncrieff

PineappleCrusher has publicly announced he is re-contesting the seat of Moncrieff, and it doesn't look like he will let it go without a fight. With the odds obviously in his favour following the result in May's federal election, will his expulsion see Moncrieff abandon him? ABC Insiders spoke to PineappleCrusher in an interview this week, where he pleaded his case for re-election. We asked Crusher 6 questions.

Full answers to our questions are available here.

Who are you and what is your history in Moncrieff?

I’m a patriot. Day after day, I wake up with an urge to participate in our civic processes. I’m proud to be Australian – proud to be a Queenslander, and proud to be a father of Mathias and Constantine. I’m honoured to be a former Prime Minister, and a Companion of the Order of Australia, but I take more pride in my values. I believe in a liberal democratic society where each generation, irrespective of wealth, gender, creed, and sexuality can prosper and hit new achievements day after day. I believe in a government that works for Australians; where it is a referee, rather than a player. A government that believes in lower taxes for working Australians, and a government that protects our vulnerable through a safety trampoline.

PineappleCrusher provided a very long answer to this question, the above just being a snippet, part of which this article was opened with.

Mr Crusher placed a large emphasis on his belief of government that acts as a "referee rather than a player", and a "rural centric view". He boasted the Carpentaria Futures Fund; a key element of his government's budget and his long history in Moncrieff despite contesting Pearce and Parramatta.

What have you achieved in your term as Moncrieff MP so far?

Mr Crusher spoke largely about his participation in Questions with[out] Notice in Parliament, and opposition to Government plans in health and infrastructure.

It brought tangible clarification to the people of Moncrieff; on the government’s stance on the private health rebate, their stance on infrastructure in the electorate and whether there will be action on erosive processes in the Lockyer Valley. It showed that the government – in the wider scope of governance – cannot be trusted to deliver for Moncrieff’s best interests.

He mentioned little of plans that he personally has in regards to Moncrieff, other than opposition of Government plans. It could be seen that Crusher is taking solely opposing approach to this term, perhaps because of the high power the current Socialist-Green government holds.

Why did you miss debates that got you referred?

"After I got elected as the Member for Moncrieff, I became disenfranchised with the parliamentary process. With the Socialists and Greens putting ink to paper, and banding together, we knew it was going to be tough."

Quite clearly, Mr Crusher cites his primary excuse for non-attendance as being "disenfranchised" with the Parliament, citing current government. He states he made a "clouded decision that resources would be better invested outside of Parliament", and adopted an "activist methodology". Despite this, Crusher made no press releases bar one on this new "activist" agenda. Whether this is a sign of a low-lying grassroots campaign on his part, or simple laziness, is yet to be realised.

Despite the non-attendance, he says he "loves debating", and states that the current participation rules are far too high; a view shared by many politicians across the board.

"Parliamentarians are now mandated to debate almost constantly in order to maintain an appropriate level of activity – something that, alongside ignoring the backdoor responsibilities of a representative, kills the art." he said.

Is your referral a sign of non-commitment to the position?

Crusher immediately shrugged off the merit of this question, stating he has been a "fierce voice ... in the execution of other parliamentary responsibilities". He attacked the government MPs who have high debate attendance, saying that they simply "mutter a few sentences", which the High Court has ruled as debate in previous rulings.

What can you offer Moncrieff?

Crusher spoke of a plan that closely resembles the previous policy platforms his party adopted with him at the helm. He states that he plans to release a personal manifesto, which we expect to be released during the week leading up to the by-election on 15 June.

"I will endeavour to implement at Canberra. Lower taxes, more infrastructure, action on environmental issues, better essential services, national security, and protecting our way of life. Australia is at a crossroads, and when Australia fails – Moncrieff fails." he said.

And finally; why should Moncrieff trust you again?

As per the previous answers, Crusher has painted himself as a local candidate, and someone who is capable of representations all areas of Moncrieff. He sends a messages to Moncrieff that despite the ejection, he is bounded by three common values of "hope, opportunity and reward", and essentially only gives those reasons as to why Moncrieff should trust him yet again.

Will Moncrieff keep their faith in Crusher?

Although opinion polls in the seat of Moncrieff are yet to be conducted, Insiders believes that Mr Crusher has the ability to make his case to Moncrieff once more and again be their Member of Parliament. However, he will be on a tight leash. If he continues his attitude outlined in his response to our questions, he could see himself in the exact same situation that has brought him here. If Moncrieff doesn't dump him after a third incident if it were to happen, it would show high loyalty seen in seats such as Warringah for Tony Abbott.

PineappleCrusher will not let Moncrieff go without a fight, and he has shown that. Whether Moncrieff will let him back, is a different story.

Amanda Johnson is a journalist for ABC NEWS and a writer for Insiders.

Topics: pineapplecrusher, moncrieff, moncrieff-by-election, liberal, hca, referral, participation, parliament, debates