![\"Voters](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/7edd398554cbe02f8fab558d08585845.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nA prominent councillor has quit the Liberal Party and hinted at joining One Nation after saying her colleagues were embarrassed by conservative values.<\/p>\n
It comes after Waverley Councillor Lauren Townsend quit the Liberal Party when colleagues refused to back her push for Australia Day celebrations at Bondi Beach.<\/p>\n
Ms Townsend had called for large-scale Australia Day celebrations, costing about $400,000, at the beach, which was rejected.<\/p>\n
There was then a smaller proposal to purchase d\u00e9cor of \u201cup to $5,000\u201d and set up \u201cAustralia themed markets\u201d for Australia Day\u2014but this was also rejected.<\/p>\n
The six-strong Liberal contingent had the majority in the council and still shot down the modest proposal.<\/p>\n
Two Liberal councillors, Dov Frazer and Joshua Spicer, supported the motion for Australia Day celebrations, while Ms Townsend was absent for the vote.<\/p>\n
Other Liberals, Mayor Will Nemesh, and Councillors Katherine Westwood and Michelle Stephenson did not support the motion.<\/p>\n
Ms Townsend told News24 that her decision to quit the Liberal Party was about a \u201cclash of core values\u201d, saying her colleagues were embarrassed by conservative values.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis wasn’t a dispute over just a budget or an item. What you want to spend money on is what you value. This was a clash of core fundamental values,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey just didn’t want to put their hands in their pockets. Which is quite sad because I know other councils happily spend into the six figures (on Australia Day).\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ms Townsend also accused sections of the Liberal Party of being uncomfortable with conservative views and values.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a conservative in the Liberal Party in 2026 has felt like one needs to sort of keep quiet, not cause offence, and at best you’re tolerated,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI think you’re kind of resented by those who in the party that feel our way back to success is chasing the teal vote rather than sticking to our principles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Townsend explained that Australia Day was not the only issue where she had felt tension with colleagues, noting the phrase \u201cMerry Christmas\u201d had proved divisive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to have ‘Merry Christmas’ instead of ‘Season’s Greetings’. Again, the argument was the cost, you know, how do you justify spending the money,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough, we are going to have some red and green bunting this year, so that is an improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her letter resigning from the Liberal Party, Ms Townsend said the traditional balance between conservative and moderate factions had broken down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel increasingly as though I cannot openly express conservative views or vote along conservative lines while still being loyal to a party that no longer shares them,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this was only a personal betrayal, it could be overcome. But I believe it reveals a fundamental difference of values that cannot be overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Townsend has indicated she will remain on Waverley Council and serve the remainder of her term, initially as an independent.<\/p>\n
But she has also left the door open to joining another political party, saying: \u201cI might find another political home quite soon with people who share though my values.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her comments appear to suggest that One Nation could be a potential new political home, although Ms Townsend has not formally announced her intentions.<\/p>\n
Read related topics:Liberal Party<\/a>Pauline Hanson<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A prominent councillor has quit the Liberal Party and hinted at joining One Nation after saying her colleagues…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85458,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5859,6257,42004,140966,38018,140985,39220,140950,140988,140977,140951,140973,140998,75240,38777,43999,140958,140984,22,4917,1562,140962,140987,140986,140983,140979,140953,21,2798,140991,46327,140952,140955,141001,140965,140960,140996,11036,36009,140978,39286,140976,140967,60885,111288,95324,140995,58616,140980,123375,140990,140970,140981,4806,140994,140968,141002,8937,140959,140956,65099,140975,42147,1955,91680,140972,140963,44220,7350,140989,140974,4553,65411,37668,140957,53092,114402,132840,37552,38710,38322,38464,41601,9754,43431,140969,37665,37698,140754,37011,75636,57356,41551,140999,140964,140971,140961,37073,48140,130884,39096,141000,140992,31188,1491,28625,140993,140954,140997,140982],"class_list":["post-85457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-5859","tag-6257","tag-a-clash","tag-a-conservative","tag-a-dispute","tag-a-fundamental-difference","tag-a-party","tag-a-personal-betrayal","tag-a-potential-new-political-home","tag-a-prominent-councillor","tag-a-prominent-local-sydney-councillor","tag-a-smaller-proposal","tag-about-400","tag-an-improvement","tag-an-independent","tag-an-item","tag-another-political-home","tag-another-political-party","tag-au","tag-auspol","tag-australia-day","tag-australia-day-and-christmas","tag-australia-day-celebrations","tag-australia-day-clash","tag-australia-day-ms-townsend","tag-australia-day-but","tag-australia-themed-markets","tag-austrlia","tag-bondi-beach","tag-christmas-clash","tag-colleagues","tag-conservative-and-moderate-factions","tag-conservative-lines","tag-conservative-values","tag-conservative-views","tag-conservative-views-and-values","tag-core-fundamental-values","tag-core-values","tag-councillor","tag-councillors-katherine-westwood","tag-decor","tag-dov-frazer","tag-greetings","tag-her-colleagues","tag-her-comments","tag-her-decision","tag-her-intentions","tag-her-letter","tag-her-push","tag-her-term","tag-joshua-spicer","tag-just-a-budget","tag-large-scale-australia-day-celebrations","tag-liberals","tag-mayor-will-nemesh","tag-merry-christmas","tag-michelle-stephenson","tag-money","tag-ms-townsend","tag-my-values","tag-news24","tag-not","tag-offence","tag-one-nation","tag-other-councils","tag-other-liberals","tag-our-principles","tag-our-way","tag-people","tag-possible-one-nation-move","tag-quiet","tag-season","tag-sections","tag-snapp","tag-some-red-and-green-bunting","tag-success","tag-tension","tag-the-argument","tag-the-beach","tag-the-cost","tag-the-council","tag-the-door","tag-the-fight","tag-the-liberal-party","tag-the-majority","tag-the-modest-proposal","tag-the-money","tag-the-motion","tag-the-only-issue","tag-the-party","tag-the-phrase","tag-the-remainder","tag-the-right","tag-the-six-figures","tag-the-six-strong-liberal-contingent","tag-the-teal-vote","tag-the-traditional-balance","tag-the-vote","tag-their-hands","tag-their-pockets","tag-this-year","tag-two-liberal-councillors","tag-up-to-5","tag-values","tag-voters","tag-waverley-council","tag-waverley-councillor","tag-waverley-councillor-lauren-townsend","tag-waverly","tag-waverly-council"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}