Privately, Taylor counselled his frontbencher.<\/p>\n
Moderates, including McLachlan and the Queensland senator Paul Scarr, called Bragg\u2019s speech \u201cterrific\u201d while others privately said the reaction by the media and some internally was \u201coverblown\u201d.<\/p>\n
McLachlan, an outspoken South Australian senator who has publicly criticised his party\u2019s positions on migration and the climate crisis, said Bragg \u201cdelivered a masterclass in thought leadership\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis address was an important step in the development of a policy suite that seeks to advance the nation,\u201d McLachlan told Guardian Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis aspiration for Australia is admirable. Every member of the Coalition<\/a> should follow his lead and discuss policy pathways openly.\u201d<\/p>\n Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n Scarr, who has also defied his party and crossed the Senate floor in March to censure Pauline Hanson after she wore a burqa in the upper house, said he \u201cthought it was a terrific speech. High-level and reinforcing our core Liberal values\u201d.<\/p>\n Other Liberals have been frustrated at the intervention by Bragg, with one MP saying privately colleagues were angry at the lack of discipline and this could be \u201chis last chance\u201d.<\/p>\n Even after critical commentary from his colleagues in recent days, Bragg has maintained it was important to talk about big ideas.<\/p>\n The NSW senator said while many of his ideas, such as a specific net overseas migration target, hadn\u2019t been greenlit by the shadow cabinet, it was important to \u201cmove the debate on\u201d.<\/p>\n Bragg said voters needed \u201cambitious policy for tomorrow, not micro-announcements for today that aim to please and appease\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m confident that we will be rewarded for putting more detail on the table,\u201d he told Guardian Australia.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a>Free newsletter | When needed<\/p>\n Sign up to Breaking News Australia<\/p>\n Get the most important news as it breaks<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n On Friday, the shadow housing minister also corrected comments made in an interview on RN Breakfast where he responded \u201cyes, definitely\u201d, when asked whether Australians should accept substandard homes<\/a> under his changes to the construction code, which would make energy efficiency standards voluntary.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2998.jpg\")
<\/p>\n