If you wanted a sense of the divide between right-wing senator Alex Antic and some of his Liberal colleagues, you only have to look at events in parliament this week.
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you → want → parliament
Senator Antic had introduced a bill to allow parents to still receive their family tax benefit if they, on the grounds of "personal, philosophical, religious or medical belief", objected to their child being vaccinated.
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child → introduce → belief
It would have reversed the "No Jab, No Pay" policy introduced by the Turnbull government in 2015 to boost childhood immunisation rates against preventable diseases.
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It → reverse → diseases
Senator Antic's bill sat on the notice paper for nearly a year, indicating it did not have many friends in Canberra.
But it was debated and brought to a vote on Wednesday with the help of Clive Palmer's sole representative in parliament, Ralph Babet.
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it → sit → parliament
Thirty-four senators voted it down, including Liberal frontbencher Anne Ruston, who defended the former Coalition government's policy and raised concern about a recent rise in whooping cough and measles cases in Australia.
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who → vote → Australia
"We are already seeing hospitals operating beyond their capacity," Senator Ruston said, citing advice from the Australian Medical Association.
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Ruston → see → Association
Now is not the time to let more infectious diseases back into the community."
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diseases → let → community
Senator Antic was the only Coalition member to vote for the bill.
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Antic → vote → bill
He was joined by One Nation's Pauline Hanson, Malcolm Roberts, Sean Bell and Tyron Whitten, as well as Senator Babet.
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He → join → Hanson
A policy divide and a senior post
Senator Ruston, as the shadow health minister, is trying to prosecute an argument that the Albanese government's cuts to private health insurance rebates will shift demand and cost onto public hospitals.
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cuts → try → hospitals
At the same time, she is having to speak and vote against bills brought by a member of her own party that would, in her view, contribute to that same problem.
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that → have → problem
It highlights what has been a recurring political headache for senior Liberals who have had to repeatedly distance themselves from Senator Antic's policy positions and One Nation-friendly rhetoric.
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who → highlight → positions
That headache could become a migraine if Senator Antic becomes SA Liberal president on Saturday.
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Antic → become → Saturday
The state presidency is roughly equivalent to chair of a company board and involves overseeing campaign preparations and internal meeting agendas.
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presidency → involve → preparations
It also comes with a spot on the party's federal executive — responsible for managing the Liberal Party's affairs — alongside opposition leader Angus Taylor and federal president Tony Abbott.
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It → come → Taylor
Distancing yourself from a right-wing backbencher is one thing, but someone holding a senior internal position is another matter entirely.
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someone → distance → position
Labor has already signalled its intent to link Senator Antic's views with the Liberal Party as a whole.
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Labor → signal → whole
"Are they actually happy to have a vaccine sceptic in their party who was literally cheered on by One Nation senators during his speech?" Labor senator Murray Watt said on Wednesday.
"
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Watt → have → Wednesday
Senator Antic has not only taken over the Liberal Party in South Australia, but is on track to become its president in South Australia.
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Antic → take → Australia
That is what the Liberal Party of Australia has become."
Who will decide the presidency?
Senator Antic's views may be out of step with some of his parliamentary colleagues, but there's no shortage of rank-and-file members within the SA party who back his vision.
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who → become → vision
That's partly because Senator Antic has, over the last five years, spearheaded a recruitment drive for like-minded conservative members in local party branches.
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Antic → spearhead → branches
Those members have, in turn, elected delegates to the party's state council, which will vote on the presidency at the party's annual general meeting (AGM) on Saturday.
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which → elect → Saturday
Senator Antic is contesting the ballot against Liberal SA Upper House leader Nicola Centofanti, a non-Antic aligned conservative with the backing of moderates hoping to stop an Antic presidency.
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Antic → contest → presidency
His supporters are framing Saturday's presidency ballot as a referendum on whether the SA Liberal Party remains a conservative party.
They also argue an Antic presidency is the best opportunity to wrestle back votes from One Nation.
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presidency → frame → Nation
At the last poll taken in August, the SA Liberals' primary vote (17 per cent) was still eight points behind One Nation's (25 per cent).
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vote → take → Nation
But as ABC News has previously explored, the prospect of an Antic presidency has led some in the party to discuss a federal takeover, primarily over fears about what it could mean for the party's relationship with One Nation and capacity to win elections.
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it → explore → elections
What an Antic presidency could look like
If Senator Antic is elected president, attention will turn to the Liberal Party's policy direction.
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attention → look → direction
In a pitch to delegates, he said he wanted to "restore policy authority to members".
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he → say → members
"I will move to ensure our members have a genuine say in the policy direction of this party," Senator Antic wrote in an email.
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Antic → move → email
"We need economic action on inflation, housing and energy without surrendering to net-zero orthodoxy and we need to stand up for the cultural inheritance of this country."
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we → need → country
He added that the party needed to treat the One Nation "challenge" as "the warning it is".
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it → add → warning
"Not by copying every One Nation position, but by proving that the Liberal Party can once again be the vehicle for the values that made voters want to vote blue,"he said.
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blue,"he → copy → values
The prospect of an Antic-friendly party membership having more say over policy could pose a challenge to SA Liberal leader Ashton Hurn and her authority over the party's direction.
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membership → have → direction
The results of Saturday's ballot will also give an indication of where the numbers lie for the Liberal Party's SA senate preselection, likely to be held next year.
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numbers → give → preselection
Although Senator Antic is not up for re-election, the ABC has previously reported that some of his delegates are withdrawing their support for incumbent Leah Blyth, claiming a "betrayal" of conservative values.
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some → report → values
Senator Blyth is the current Liberal president and is not recontesting the position.
She was asked about Senator Antic's "No Jab, No Pay" bill on 891 ABC Adelaide on Thursday, with presenter Jules Schiller comparing it to a footballer "turning the ball over all the time to the opposition".
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footballer → reconteste → opposition
"There are about 200 people that are able to cast their judgement on that on Saturday," Senator Blyth replied.
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Blyth → be → Saturday
"So we will have to wait and see."
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we → have → ?
The Aporia