Hate to tell you but the IPA has been whining at the government ever since they got into power. The people screaming that they're too close to the government from my POV seem rather crazy. Yes as a right wing think tank which talks about policy, they do have an influence on the right wing party but people act as if the IPA controls the Liberals. I can assure you from the inside that it's bullshit. The liberals constantly rebuff the IPA and vice-versa. It's about as ridiculous as the people who were claiming that the Greens controlled the ALP.
I don't think I was suggesting that the IPA controls the Liberal Party with it's Murdoch tentacles , just it plays a significant roll in it's policy platform. Do they get everything they want, or course not, neither does the moderate part of the party, or the uber-religious part. Same thing happens in the Labor Party, the left rarely get's what it wants even though it dominates local membership, the centre-right doesn't always get want they want, despite appearances, and the Unions don't always get what they want either.
I was commentating more on the IPA now seem to have become the Media darlings of the conservative movement. This is probably a symptom of the modern media cycle, but you really have to go out of the way to find a panel show that doesn't contain the line, "...and now from the IPA...". Either be design or by not trusting ministers to speak off-the-cuff on these shows, the IPA has become the conservative mouthpiece in the country. The same could be said about The Australia Institute, or Per Capita on the progressive side as well. I don't think outsourcing political thought and policy direction to groups not up for regular reelection is necessarily a good thing.
I think a more apt comparison would be the union movement's influence in the Labor party, not the greens. Do they have too much influence in comparison to their size in the general community, absolutely. The unions do play too much of a role in various conferences and especially in selection of candidates. What happened to Louise Pratt in WA was shameful and the same almost happened to Penny Wong. Over time I believe union influence will be moderated, but it will take more time than I would like and they will have to dragged kicking and screaming. But, you know what, unions did start the Labor movement in the country and they will always and should be a part of the party. It's not like the IPA were one of the parties that formed the Liberal party. Oh wait...
Anyway, Bob Day an avowed member of the IPA has already flagged the reintroduction of the changes to 18C. Are the Coalition in the Senate going to vote against it? Or is it a convenient way to get the legislation through both houses without Brandis stuffing it up again.
Maybe we'll see one of the famous members are allowed to cross the floor and vote against the party speeches from Abbott. Of course who were the last people to cross the floor from the coalition? Turnbull because he was pissed off at being rolled and is still more popular than the rest of the frontbench and maybe a few backbenchers like Sue Boyce who wasn't up reelection. You can cross the floor, but it's probably not good for your career! Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer a system where members of all parties could cross the floor without reprisal as long as they can provide some level of due cause, but the myth that the Coalition is completely open to it is a little much.
