Fed: Lees says Stott Despoja should have stayed in Australia

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Fed: Lees says Stott Despoja should have stayed in Australia

CANBERRA, Feb 12 AAP - Former Australian Democrats leader Meg Lees today criticisedparty leader Natasha Stott Despoja for leaving the country at a crucial stage in the SouthAustralian election campaign.

Senator Lees said the party needed leadership stability following the poor showingin the South Australian poll.

The Australian Democrats vote more than halved in South Australia, Senator Stott Despoja'shome state and an area normally regarded as the Democrats' heartland.

Senator Lees said while her leadership was challenged after a poor showing in the WesternAustralian state election, the party should not do the same thing now.

"We can't let the same thing happen this time," Senator Lees told the John Laws' programon Radio 2UE.

"We need stability.

"We don't want to see us jumping in and making decisions before we've done the homeworkand seen the details."

She said Senator Stott Despoja, however, needed to take responsibility for findingout why the vote collapsed.

"I think leadership is difficult," she said.

"I don't want to see the party jump and make decisions about the federal leadershipover a state election.

"But as a leader, I think she has to take responsibility, as I did, for the reviewand for finding out why."

Senator Lees said the South Australian branch was not concerned about Senator StottDespoja leaving the country to attend the World Economic Forum in New York at a crucialstage of the state election.

She said she disagreed, believing that Senator Stott Despoja should have been in Australiafor the full campaign.

"I don't think she should have (gone to New York). But the campaign was apparentlyquite relaxed about that," she said.

"When I was leader, I made a point of trying to keep people in the country for allelections, particularly key ones like that.

"We will simply have a difference of opinion on that."

AAP jg/daw/ldj/mjm

KEYWORD: DEMOCRATS LEES