And then there is Senator Fawcett (and despite what Creamy says about him being a Liberal stooge and beholden to party politics) …
I don’t think I’ve ever used those words to describe Senator Fawcett.
That said, the fact is that Senator Fawcett and his fellow coalition members (like Senator Heffernan) are obliged to support party policy, except in relation to the rare issues on which the party permits a conscious vote. That's not being a 'stooge'. That's being a member of a political party.
But let’s assume they start ‘freelancing’. Other than huffing and puffing at Senate Committee hearings, what do you think the likes of Senators Fawcett and Heffernan are going to
actually do to bring about
actual change?