Fed: Democrats can't afford to lose another leader

AAP General News (Australia)
12-07-2003
Fed: Democrats can't afford to lose another leader

By Sharon Labi

CANBERRA, Dec 7 AAP - The last thing the Australian Democrats need is to have to find
another leader.

If Andrew Bartlett were to quit or be thrown out as leader for his drunken assault
on government whip Jeannie Ferris, there is no obvious replacement in waiting.

Already more than half of the Democrats' seven senators have been leader at some time
or another in the past 18 months, even if just for a day.

Just over a year ago, Natasha Stott Despoja quit as leader after taking the job from
Meg Lees 16 months before.

Stott Despoja's departure left her deputy Aden Ridgeway as leader - but for only 24 hours.

The party's national executive then installed Brian Greig to head the party for six
weeks until Andrew Bartlett won the job.

Senator Stott Despoja aside, none of the Democrats' recent leaders has made much of
an impression, although Senator Bartlett has at least succeeded in bringing some level
of unity to his team.

With Senator Bartlett now on indefinite leave after his verbal and physical altercation
with Senator Ferris over some missing bottles of wine last Thursday night, Lyn Allison
is driving the Democrats bus.

That leaves just Queenslander John Cherry and West Australian Andrew Murray who haven't
had a turn.

Last Thursday's fracas in parliament has damaged the Democrats and may end up costing
Senator Bartlett the leadership.

It's already cost him his credibility and a trip to Indonesia. He was scheduled to
leave today with a parliamentary delegation, but cancelled after standing aside as leader.

Instead the 39-year-old appeared today in Brisbane with his wife Julie, saying he had
a personal health issue to deal with over the next year. He did not elaborate.

Andrew Bartlett is a trained social worker and he may find himself seeking help from one.

While politicians condemned his behaviour, he did at least earn some sympathy from
new Labor leader Mark Latham, who said nobody in public life was perfect and that Senator
Bartlett deserved a second chance.

Mr Latham should know, after infamously breaking the arm of a taxi driver two years ago.

Senator Bartlett, who replaced Democrats defector Cheryl Kernot in the Senate in 1997
and was re-elected in 2001, will not face the voters next year, unless the government
calls a double dissolution election.

He was today refusing to relinquish his leadership and his party was standing by him - for now.

But with the Democrats' fortunes in decline with the rise of the Greens, his party
can ill afford such controversy.

AAP sal/sp/jlw

KEYWORD: BARTLETT (ANALYSIS )

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