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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Trent Zimmerman

Lidia Thorpe’s change of allegiance is not a justification for constitutional reform

Lidia Thorpe
Lidia Thorpe’s resignation from the Greens has sparked a debate about whether senators should be able to switch parties or become independents and remain in parliament. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Billy Hughes was an extraordinary Australian politician. His parliamentary service of 51 years is a record never beaten and unlikely to be repeated, and he is often remembered for his frequent change of party allegiances.

Hughes managed to sit in the parliament as the representative of no fewer than six political parties – from Labor to Liberal with several variations in between. He famously quipped, when asked why he had never joined the Country party, that you have to draw the line somewhere.

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