Jackson Harding writes: As an Australian who is currently residing across the ditch, I watched the Dunkley count with interest. It was much later here, but it was still interesting to see the difference between the ABC telling it like it is (ALP vote exactly the same, up maybe a tad with the collapse in the Green vote, and the Liberals up by the amount of the right-wing ratbag vote not going to One Nation and Palmer by virtue of them not being there) and then the Sky after dark crowd completing the quadrella of disbelief (federal election 2022, Victorian state election 2022, Aston by-election 2023, and now Dunkley). The looks on their faces! If only that could be bottled! I’d buy a dozen cases.
It shows us that the LNP simply does not need to pander to the ratbag elements on its right — as many have noted before me, that vote is coming back to it anyway via preferences. Here we have proof. Howard’s attempt to head Pauline off at the pass was a fool’s errand. It could steer back towards the centre-right where it once was without any electoral damage whatsoever, and reclaim ground lost to the teals. But will it? Of course it won’t, at least not while the current mob are in charge. And at least not while He Who Must Not Be Named is still among us. No, expect the cry in the next few days that the LNP needs to go further right to please the base.
Marilyn Hobban writes: I met the wonderful Peta Murphy through my work with another charity and decided that although I didn’t live in Dunkley I’d campaign for her in the 2022 election. So it was only natural that I would campaign for her anointed successor, Jodie Belyea. I helped with markets, door-knocking and pre-polling.
Labor volunteers came from all over Melbourne to help Jodie win the seat. All had worked on the Yes campaign for the referendum and were still getting over the trauma of that horrible, abusive eight weeks. The camaraderie was incredible as we worked together with a common goal.
I did pre-polling at the Mt Eliza Scout Hall where you were actually in an unsealed shopping centre car park. The Liberals drove their billboard up and down the car park at least once every day and sat in front of our sandwich boards. Advance Australia parked its enormous billboard about 20 metres away. It was reported to the AEC and moved on.
Steve Brennan writes: The result shows clearly Dutton’s tactics aren’t working. Yes, people are doing it tough, but he simply went to them with no policies of his own to alleviate these day-to-day pressures.
People are sick of negative campaigning, which in the case of the LNP is based on misinformation and lies. It really comes across as an insult to one’s intelligence.
The other major factor in my view was that the Labor government clearly made the stage three tax cuts more equitable than the Coalition’s version. And this could easily be seen by voters as a tangible effort by Labor to ease their burden. This, I believe, was a body blow to Dutton because he had no choice but to concede the point — again, no policies to back up his aggressive negative attack and offer some kind of credible alternative.
Peter Carlin writes: As a voter in Dunkley I think people are bored with the Liberal Party. Every night on the news there is a Liberal politician opposing everything the Labor government does. It’s a habit of the TV channels to seek a reaction from the opposition. It’s an opposition reflex to criticise without presenting an alternative. It’s predictable and boring and seems scripted and insincere.
“It’s a habit of the TV channels to seek a reaction from the opposition.”
Minor correction, It’s a habit of the TV channels to seek a reaction from the LNP. When the ALP was in opposition, they barely got a look in. Remember how at the 2022 fed election, they had to explain who Albo is – he’d hardly been seen or heard of at all.
The LNP bias in MSM (including ABC) is disgraceful.
Maybe one day in the not too distant future, this huge lean will become so obvious that everybody decides to notice it. Equilibrium in a complex system tends to persist past the point you expect it to, then suddenly snaps to a new equilibrium.
“Maybe one day in the not too distant future, this huge lean will become so obvious that everybody decides to notice it.”
You reckon?
True story, I was working in Hobart last week and we employed a Labourer. He was a pleasant fellow but had some strange “philosophies”. Whilst discussing the dearth of Free to Air TV, he commented that “We don’t watch all those shit shows…”
My Partner, thinking of all the Bachelor shows and MAFS ones, “asked which ones are they?”
He came back with: “The News and Current Affairs shows.”
My Partner: “Why not?”
He: “They’re hopeless, they keep changing what they say.”
I suspect your “not to distant future” may not operate on the timer scale you desire. 😉
I did say maybe. But surely you’ve noticed how rapidly the sentiment of the mob can flip; more than half of them are more concerned with social cues than factual ones.
Even The Guardian Australia, to which I happily subscribe and read daily, publishes too many photos of the LOTO. His face heads far too many columns which includes his usual banal comments.
And Trump too – talk about tail wagging dog
I don’t think Australians like being bombarded with crazy. Anecdotally, people in Dunkley were bombarded with insane claims from Advance and the Liberals. That might work in the US where splitting the vote and emboldening crazies means you can win with 20-30% of votes. Here, you run the risk of alienating people.
An acquaintance that was in the area said , “Actually, people prefer Vic Police arrest the right perpetrator, not the easiest one to blame…also, why is the Coalition fine with Australians assaulting women, they seem more upset about the nationality of the perpetrator than the interests of the victim.”
That second angle is a right skewering.
Indeed.. After they realised not a detainee… complete silence from the Coalition
how could people not be bored with the LNP as the opposition is full of boring people (many who would like to take Oz back to the 1950”s)& is given a free ride by some of the most boring so called journalist that work for the MSM. I sometimes wonder if those in the press gallery have a chat each day to check what the story of the day will be then decide on the copy with only a few sentences changed for originality. Unfortunately the national Broadcaster isn’t much better, with many of the same people continually recycled with the same ideas. Thank goodness for the likes of crikey and other websites that give the reader something to think about.
the opposition is full of boring people
I’ll take boring, ethical and competent over flash rats with gold teeth.
People are stupid, they’ll choose to believe someone who is convincing over someone who isn’t, even though they know the former is full of crap.
MSM like too many MPs are a monocultural throwback to the ’50s…. neither look like or relate to actual communities and grass roots, except for the odd scare campaign….
It was a very smart broken promise, a promise the vast majority of Aussie voters would have preferred he never made. Distributing it to the majority? Chef’s kiss.
It was having cake and eating it; retrograde change to the tax system still made, yet applauded by progressives who want to see a more progressive tax system.
Not bored but trying, unsuccessfully so far, to find worthwhile policies. Certainly not pie-in-the-sky nuclear fantasies.