Former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has resigned from the Liberal National Party, citing disappointment with the response of state and federal governments to COVID-19. In a statement released on July 26, Newman said, “I have in recent months become dismayed that the political wing has failed to stand up for our core values of fiscal responsibility, smaller government, support for small business, the elimination of red tape, and the defence of free speech and liberty.” “The last straw for me has been the destruction of people’s livelihoods, jobs and freedoms under governments’ heavy-handed response to COVID-19 across the nation,” he added. “It is important to keep Australians safe, but it is equally important to keep us free. The two concepts do not need to be mutually exclusive.” “Our federal and state governments have failed to honour the spirit of individual freedom that is at the heart of not only Liberal …