Libertarians take a page out of Greens’ playbook in bid to ‘gobble up’ disaffected Liberal voters

NSW MP John Ruddick hopes his Libertarian party can consolidate the ‘rats and mice’ parties to the right of the Coalition. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

The New South Wales Libertarian movement is taking political plays from arch rivals in a bid to become to the Liberals what the Greens are to Labor, after unexpected success at the state’s council elections.

John Ruddick, NSW’s sole Libertarian MP, said the strong local government election results had buoyed the party and it would now seek to gain more seats in both houses of parliament at the upcoming federal and state elections.