{"id":5471,"date":"2023-04-03T16:05:51","date_gmt":"2023-04-03T16:05:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=5471"},"modified":"2023-04-03T16:05:51","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T16:05:51","slug":"liberal-soul-searching-begins-after-by-election-loss-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/asia\/asia-pacific\/australian-news\/liberal-soul-searching-begins-after-by-election-loss-in-australia\/2023\/04\/03\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Liberal soul-searching begins after by-election loss in Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

CANBERRA(AAP) By Dr. Majid Khan-To<\/span> rebuild<\/span> after<\/span> the<\/span> party<\/span> suffered<\/span> an<\/span> unexpected<\/span> loss<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> by-election,<\/span> liberals<\/span> must<\/span> return<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> political<\/span> heartland<\/span> and<\/span> foster<\/span> a<\/span> more<\/span> diverse<\/span> membership,<\/span> key<\/span> figures<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>On<\/span> Saturday,<\/span> Aston’s<\/span> Victorian<\/span> voters<\/span> became<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> opposition<\/span> seat<\/span> held<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> state<\/span> by-election<\/span> since<\/span> 1920.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Victorian<\/span> liberal<\/span> MP<\/span> Keith<\/span> Wallahan<\/span> \u2013<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> only<\/span> two<\/span> Liberal<\/span> Party<\/span> holders<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> greater<\/span> Melbourne<\/span> metropolitan<\/span> area<\/span> \u2013<\/span> has<\/span> listened<\/span> to<\/span> voters<\/span> and<\/span> grassroots<\/span> members<\/span> to<\/span> give<\/span> them<\/span> greater<\/span> confidence.<\/span> He<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> party<\/span> would<\/span> not<\/span> be<\/span> seen<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> credible<\/span> alternative<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Labor<\/span> Party<\/span> until<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> built.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“Our<\/span> members<\/span> are<\/span> getting<\/span> older,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“That’s<\/span> why<\/span> we<\/span> need<\/span> more<\/span> people,<\/span> younger,<\/span> more<\/span> women,<\/span> and<\/span> more<\/span> people<\/span> from<\/span> immigrant<\/span> backgrounds,<\/span> to<\/span> join<\/span> our<\/span> party.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Former<\/span> union<\/span> organizer<\/span> and<\/span> breast<\/span> cancer<\/span> survivor<\/span> Mary<\/span> Doyle<\/span> won<\/span> her<\/span> Aston<\/span> for<\/span> Labor<\/span> seat<\/span> on<\/span> her<\/span> 6.5%<\/span> swing.<\/span> Former<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Malcolm<\/span> Turnbull<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> Liberals<\/span> were<\/span> losing<\/span> touch<\/span> with<\/span> voters<\/span> over<\/span> increasingly<\/span> right-leaning<\/span> policies<\/span> driving<\/span> them<\/span> out.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>He<\/span> pointed<\/span> to<\/span> climate<\/span> change<\/span> denial<\/span> and<\/span> discussion<\/span> of<\/span> transgender<\/span> rights<\/span> as<\/span> part<\/span> of<\/span> voter-rejected<\/span> agendas,<\/span> and<\/span> highlighted<\/span> the<\/span> image<\/span> of<\/span> current<\/span> Liberal<\/span> Party<\/span> leader<\/span> Peter<\/span> Dutton<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> “far-right<\/span> cultural<\/span> warrior.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“All<\/span> of<\/span> this<\/span> madness<\/span> has<\/span> infected<\/span> the<\/span> party<\/span> I<\/span> used<\/span> to<\/span> fight<\/span> for<\/span> years,<\/span> but<\/span> now<\/span> these<\/span> chickens<\/span> are<\/span> back<\/span> to<\/span> settle<\/span> down<\/span> and<\/span> it’s<\/span> an<\/span> election<\/span> catastrophe,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span> .<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“It’s<\/span> clear<\/span> the<\/span> party<\/span> needs<\/span> to<\/span> go<\/span> back<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> center.<\/span> It<\/span> needs<\/span> to<\/span> go<\/span> back<\/span> to<\/span> where<\/span> the<\/span> voters<\/span> are.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Andrew<\/span> Bragg,<\/span> a<\/span> liberal<\/span> moderate,<\/span> agreed<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> party<\/span> should<\/span> not<\/span> delve<\/span> into<\/span> issues<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> cultural<\/span> fringes,<\/span> but<\/span> said<\/span> Dutton<\/span> had<\/span> high<\/span> personal<\/span> credibility<\/span> and<\/span> was<\/span> a<\/span> strong<\/span> leader.<\/span> rice<\/span> field.<\/span> “Some<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> side<\/span> issues<\/span> that<\/span> may<\/span> be<\/span> profiled<\/span> from<\/span> time<\/span> to<\/span> time<\/span> within<\/span> Congress<\/span> are<\/span> a<\/span> major<\/span> distraction<\/span> from<\/span> our<\/span> brand,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“We<\/span> are<\/span> well<\/span> positioned,<\/span> but<\/span> now<\/span> we<\/span> have<\/span> to<\/span> seize<\/span> our<\/span> chance<\/span> to<\/span> develop<\/span> some<\/span> policies<\/span> and<\/span> sell<\/span> them<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Australian<\/span> people.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Senator<\/span> Bragg<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> party<\/span> needs<\/span> policies<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> economy,<\/span> emissions<\/span> reductions<\/span> and<\/span> housing.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Liberal<\/span> Senator<\/span> Dan<\/span> Tehan<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> opposition<\/span> must<\/span> break<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> honeymoon<\/span> and<\/span> focus<\/span> on<\/span> putting<\/span> pressure<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> cost<\/span> of<\/span> living.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“What<\/span> we<\/span> have<\/span> to<\/span> do<\/span> is<\/span> continue<\/span> to<\/span> discuss<\/span> why<\/span> the<\/span> government’s<\/span> policies<\/span> are<\/span> wrong,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Labor<\/span> used<\/span> the<\/span> historic<\/span> victory<\/span> to<\/span> denounce<\/span> Mr<\/span> Dutton’s<\/span> policies.<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Anthony<\/span> Albanese<\/span> said<\/span> Australians<\/span> viewed<\/span> the<\/span> coalition<\/span> government<\/span> negatively<\/span> and<\/span> rejected<\/span> any<\/span> opposition.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“They<\/span> resisted<\/span> every<\/span> initiative,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“They<\/span> have<\/span> to<\/span> rethink<\/span> their<\/span> positions,<\/span> contribute<\/span> and<\/span> be<\/span> constructive.<\/span> That’s<\/span> what<\/span> Australians<\/span> expect<\/span> from<\/span> an<\/span> alternative<\/span> government.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Wallahan<\/span> said<\/span> Dutton<\/span> has<\/span> listened<\/span> to<\/span> party<\/span> hall<\/span> concerns<\/span> and<\/span> has<\/span> worked<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> on<\/span> important<\/span> issues<\/span> since<\/span> the<\/span> last<\/span> election,<\/span> including<\/span> working<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> to<\/span> pass<\/span> legislation<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> National<\/span> Anti-Corruption<\/span> Commission.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Liberal<\/span> lawmakers<\/span> and<\/span> senators<\/span> will<\/span> meet<\/span> in<\/span> Canberra<\/span> on<\/span> Wednesday<\/span> to<\/span> discuss<\/span> their<\/span> positions<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> aftermath<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Indigenous<\/span> referendum<\/span> and<\/span> by-election.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CANBERRA(AAP) By Dr. Majid Khan-To rebuild after the party suffered an unexpected loss in a by-election, liberals must return to the political heartland and foster a more diverse membership, key figures said. On Saturday, Aston’s Victorian voters became the first opposition seat held by the government in a state by-election since 1920. Victorian liberal MP […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[1566,280,562],"tags":[3175,3177,3185,3188,3246,1574,3247,1604,3248,1605,3249,1606,3250,1611,3251,1620,3252,1748,3253,1750,3254,1898,2132,3173],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/792bf540-512f-4a0f-b26d-57c4b39d0c03.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5471"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5471"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5474,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5471\/revisions\/5474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}