Former Liberal heavyweight Teena McQueen died on Wednesday after battling severe sickness, weeks after defecting from the Liberal Party to One Nation. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
McQueen served as federal Liberal Party vice-president from 2017 to 2023. She was a long-serving member of the Liberal Party before defecting to One Nation in May. Known for conservative commentary, she regularly appeared on Sky News and spent time with Gina Rinehart at US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
Former prime minister and current Liberal president Tony Abbott said he had lost a good friend. "She sometimes put loyalty ahead of judgment but it was typical of Teena's large and generous spirit that she would confide in others her plans and then take guidance on their merits," he said on social media. "In recent weeks, her frustrations with the party became public but it was always the cause of better government for Australia that motivated her."
New South Wales opposition leader Kellie Sloane described McQueen as a "force of nature in Australian politics." McQueen revealed in May that she felt the Liberal Party's demise began when Mr Abbott lost his position as prime minister. She was a divisive political character even within Liberal ranks. In 2022, then-senator Simon Birmingham branded her position as the party's vice-president as untenable when she declared it was good "lefties" had left the party.