Voters ‘free kick’ at major party in state by-election
The state’s Liberal branch admits there are lessons to be learned from the recent by-election after a massive swing in favor of One Nation against the party despite retaining the seat.
The Liberals claimed victory in the Mornington Peninsula seat of Nepean in a key Victorian byelection seen as a preview of what to expect when the rest of the state goes to the polls in November.
The ruling Labor Party did not field a candidate and the Victorian Electoral Commission was initially running the two-candidate ballot as a race between Liberal Anthony Marsh and independent Tracee Hutchison.
As of Sunday morning, Mr. Marsh had 38.5 percent of the primary vote, or 63.4 percent based on the two candidates.
Despite the win, the seat was returned with a whopping 9.6 per cent of the vote against the Liberal Party, with One Nation’s Darren Hercus picking up a significant share of the vote.
Mr. Hercus received 24.6 percent of the primary vote, while Ms. Hutchinson received 21.2 percent.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson celebrated the win, stating that the party faced challenges in the upcoming state elections.
“I don’t think there’s any denying the fact that we have a very fragmented electorate at the moment and we’re seeing people looking beyond the major parties,” he told reporters.
“(Voters) believed this was a byelection where they could take a free kick because they wanted to send a message to the major parties that they wanted us to listen to them.
“We’ve seen a decline in the primaries, I’m not suggesting otherwise (and) we have lessons to learn from that.”
Mr Marsh described the by-election as a “bizarre contest” as Labor did not put forward a candidate.
“We know people are frustrated, but this win also shows that they see there is a viable alternative heading into November,” he said.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen said One Nation’s ability to attract a large share of the vote showed the Liberals could not govern without them.
“They will rely on preference agreements to have the support of One Nation (and) Victorians cannot afford that,” he said.
Federal Liberal leading candidate Claire Chandler praised her provincial colleagues for securing the seat, saying it showed the party was gaining momentum heading into the November state election.
But he was quick to temper expectations for Saturday’s by-election in the federal seat of Farrer, which he held for the Liberal Party for 25 years before the resignation of former opposition leader Sussan Ley.
The by-election is shaping up to be a four-way contest between Liberal, National, One Nation and independent candidates.
Senator Chandler told Sky News: “Every by-election is different; the issues in Farrer will be very different to the issues in Nepean.”
The Liberals have held Nepean completely for all but one period for the last 40 years. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of former party deputy leader Sam Groth in February.
