Latest news with #AndrewLethlean
Sydney Morning Herald
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Labor was bracing for a Victorian backlash. It came not in Melbourne's suburbs, but Bendigo
, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Labor had long been bracing for a tough battle in Melbourne's outer suburbs, where a swing the party anticipated never materialised. But the ALP was caught off guard by an energised Nationals campaign and a shock 10 per cent swing against it in the once safe-as-houses seat of Bendigo. The Nationals' Andrew Lethlean gave Labor a scare, gaining a 10 per cent swing to him in the seat of Bendigo. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui Labor is set to retain the seat by a thin margin after almost a week of counting, and avoid an embarrassing defeat in an otherwise dominant federal election. The story of Bendigo, depending on who you ask, is either one of voters turning on their home-town premier, or that of a cashed-up and spirited campaign by a well-connected candidate. Or, as is often the case, a bit of both. Labor's sitting MP Lisa Chesters has held the seat since 2013 and retained it in 2022 with a very comfortable margin of 12.1 per cent. But on Friday afternoon, she led with 51 per cent to the Nationals' 49 per cent on a two-party preferred basis, and a difference of 2226 votes. The current margin means the seat has the largest swing against Labor of any in the country, excluding contests with independents. Nationals candidate Andrew Lethlean, a well-known local bar owner, is the first National to contest the seat since 2016 and sought to become the first Coalition MP to win Bendigo since 1996. His campaign capitalised on a possible backlash against Premier Jacinta Allan, who holds the overlapping state seat of Bendigo East, as Allan's popularity has plummeted in successive polls. Bendigo business owner Deb McAliece backed Andrew Lethlean. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui Campaign leaflets show Allan wearing a 'Yes' T-shirt from federal Labor's failed Voice referendum. About 60 per cent of people in Bendigo voted 'no' in the referendum. Other signs focused on Chesters, declaring: 'Time is up Lisa and Labor.' The Nationals campaign in Bendigo, which Labor suggested cost between $1 and $2 million, made Lethlean the most visible person in the regional city and surrounding towns. The campaign launched in January at Lethlean's venue The Social bar and eating house, where he was joined by Nationals leader David Littleproud and senator Bridget McKenzie. A Nationals leaflet for Bendigo tying federal Labor to Premier Jacinta Allan, the state MP for Bendigo East. The bar was full and the vibes were high as hundreds turned up to support Lethlean. Bendigo business owner Deb McAliece was at the event and said Lethlean's energy made her feel excited about politics for the first time and prompted her to join the National Party. 'The atmosphere was electric,' she said. McAliece, who describes herself as naturally aligning more with the Liberals and Nationals but not overly political, was among a flood of business owners who backed Lethlean. She knows Allan personally and thinks she is a lovely person, but she's angry at the impact of state Labor's COVID-19 policies on small businesses. And while Lethlean is well known to the community and made every effort to meet with business owners, McAliece said Chesters had not. 'I've been in business for 30 years, so I see what can happen when you haven't got anyone in that's putting the work in for small business,' she said. Lethlean's presence has been unavoidable for Bendigo residents over the past three months: from events to signage, TV ads to branded cars, corflutes and volunteers on the street. In short: he was everywhere. Soon after Labor's thumping victory and its strong performance across metropolitan Melbourne became clear last Saturday, Allan suggested the result gave her government a popular mandate to push ahead with the Suburban Rail Loop project. But Allan rejects suggestions the swing in Bendigo was linked to her unpopularity. Instead, she said the Nationals ran a 'cashed-up' campaign with a 'quasi independent' candidate. 'Anyone who lives here knows what's going on in Bendigo. The estimates locally here were that [they spent] somewhere between $1 million and $2 million on a massively cashed-up campaign – a campaign that presented as nothing to do with the Liberal Party and Peter Dutton,' Allan told ABC Radio on Wednesday. Allan claims the Nationals left conservative political lobbying group Advance Australia to run 'nasty, negative material' against Chesters. Loading However, Danny O'Brien, the leader of the Victorian Nationals, said Allan can't have it both ways. 'She can't say that the good result was all her government's doing then in her own backyard say that the 10 per cent swing against her party was something else,' he said. 'Absolutely this is a reflection on the premier and her government in Bendigo. 'There's very good reason for the premier and her colleagues in the Bendigo region to be concerned.' Pete Gavin, a community music co-ordinator, voted Greens but preferenced Labor. He likes both Allan and Chesters and hopes they remain.
ABC News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Labor's Lisa Chesters retains Bendigo despite swing towards Nationals' Andrew Lethlean
Lisa Chesters has retained the regional Victorian seat of Bendigo for the Labor Party. The ABC is projecting Ms Chesters will hold the seat for a fifth term despite a significant swing towards Nationals candidate Andrew Lethlean. The central Victorian seat, in Labor's hands since 1998, has been on a knife's edge since the Albanese government's landslide victory on Saturday night. Ms Chesters held the seat by an 11.2 per cent margin leading into the election. Live results: Find out what's happening in your seat as counting continues Live vote counts have swung wildly between the two candidates since polls closed. A handful of seats nationwide remain in play, including the eastern Victorian electorate of Monash.
News.com.au
07-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Nationals in close battle for safe Labor seat after string of victories
While the Liberals have been left counting their losses after a landslide defeat, one party has enjoyed a string of success, with a safe Labor seat currently within reach. The National Party, along with the Queensland-based Liberal National Party, have secured 24 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives as of Wednesday morning. The National Party alone have secured nine lower house seats, losing just one – Calare in NSW – to Independent Andrew Gee, who quit the Nationals in late 2022. But they could soon be gaining another. Nationals candidate Andrew Lethlean is in a close contest to nab the Victorian seat of Bendigo from Labor's Lisa Chesters. Labor has held the seat since 1998, with Ms Chesters heading into this year's election with a margin of 11.2 per cent. But as of Wednesday morning, Ms Chesters leads with a slim 50.16 per cent of votes, with Mr Lethlean battling it out with 49.84 per cent. Over 85 per cent of votes have so far been counted. A Nationals' victory for Bendigo would represent an over 10 per cent swing towards the party. The Nationals have not confirmed how much money they have thrown at Mr Leathen's campaign but Ms Chesters has claimed he had access to a $1 million pot, the ABC reports. During the campaign, Mr Lethlean came under scrutiny after it was reported a bar he owned sold alcohol while its licence was suspended. The licence has since been paid and reinstated. Mr Lethlean said the suspension was the result of an 'administrative oversight' and said the annual licence fee was paid as soon as the issue was identified. Push for more ministries As of Wednesday morning, the Coalition has secured 40 seats in the lower house, while Labor has 88. Nationals MP Michael McCormack told the ABC his party would be calling for more shadow ministries because the Nationals made up a larger percentage of the Coalition. 'It's worked out on a per capita basis with how many seats you hold as part of a joint number in the Coalition,' Mr McCormack said As the Liberals come to term with their losses, the Riverina MP, who retained his seat with a 3.3 per cent swing, advised Liberals to keep their grievances to their party room. 'Anonymous Liberal people who so often background and brief journalists in Canberra, shut your bloody mouths,' he said. 'Don't share it with the rest of the world and if you do share it with the rest of the world, have the courage and conviction to put your name to it.' Call for Coalition gender quotas There is set to be a record number of women in Australia's parliament than ever before following Saturday's election. However minimal will be from within the Coalition. In the House of Representative, Labor has increased its female representation to 47 MPs out of a confirmed 87, meaning the number of female MPs outnumbers male MPs (40). New faces set to enter parliament this year include Barton's Ash Ambihaipahar, who retained the seat of former Indigenous minister Linda Burney for Labor, Claire Clutterham, who flipped the Adelaide seat of Sturt, and Ali France, who defeated Liberal leader Peter Dutton in Dickson. Meanwhile, the Coalition has seven female MPs out 39, a decrease from its 2022 result of nine. The drop in numbers is largely due to the election losses of former Hughes MP Jenny Ware and Bass MP Bridget Archer, and the retirements of McPherson MP Karen Andrews and Forrest MP Nola Marino. Following the results, Liberal senator Maria Kovacic is calling for the Coalition to implement gender quotas – which the party has long resisted – to ensure more women are elected to parliament. 'We don't have as many women as we have men, and people want us to have more women representing our party in the parliament,' she told ABC Radio on Tuesday. 'We need to move back to the centre. It is very, very clear that the Australian public, the voting public, were not happy with the way that we were conducting ourselves as a potential government.' However, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has rejected the calls for quotas, labelling it a 'knee jerk reaction to the outcome of the election'. 'We have to make sure that we are reaching women for their support and putting forth an argument to demonstrate to them what we're going to do to improve their lives and a future for their children, but I don't believe we need to introduce quotas,' the Northern Territory Senator told Sky News. 'I would hate to think that I ever got to my position on the fact that I'm a woman or anything else for that matter, but what I do think we need to do is preselecting people with very strong values and we need to get out there and push harder and stronger.' Counting continues on Wednesday.
ABC News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Bendigo Nationals candidate Andrew Lethlean under pressure over lapsed liquor licence
A Bendigo bar owned by the Nationals star candidate for the seat of Bendigo was selling alcohol while its licence was suspended this month, potentially attracting thousands of dollars in fines. Andrew Lethlean, a long time publican, is running for the Nationals in Bendigo, a seat held by the ALP since 1998, has blamed the suspension on an "administrative oversight" which has now been rectified. Stay updated: Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on The junior Coalition partner is throwing everything at the seat of Bendigo and have been talking up their chances of toppling MP Lisa Chesters. Mr Lethlean is also the licence holder for The Social Bar and Eating House in Bendigo, and co-owner of the business. Photo shows ABC News Radio logo and the ABC Listen logo below it on a light blue background. Hear the latest election news as it happens on the Election Central Playlist. Only on the ABC listen app. Records from Liquor Control Victoria show the bar's Victorian licence was "ceased in force", or suspended, as late as Saturday But staff at the pub have confirmed it continued to operate as normal throughout April and they only recently became aware of the issue. Social media posts from the venue also show it was open and selling alcohol during the time. The licence has since been paid and reinstated but selling booze without a licence can carry significant penalties and raises questions about Mr Lethlean. Mr Lethlean said there was an "administrative oversight" with the payment of the annual licence fee that caused the licence to be "ceased in force" for two weeks. "As soon as this was identified, the fee was immediately paid. I've proudly run a business in Bendigo for many years, and accept responsibility for this mistake," he said in a statement. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Mr Lethlean owns a bar in Bendigo that sold alcohol while its licence was suspended. ( Facebook ) The Victorian department of justice said it would not comment on individual cases. "Liquor licence renewal fees were due on 31 December 2024. Liquor Control Victoria and Victoria Police are inspecting licensees who may be trading while their licences are suspended,'' a spokesperson from the Department of Justice said. "If a licensee has not paid their liquor licence renewal fee by 31 March 2025, the licence is suspended (known as ceased in force). It is illegal for a licensee to supply liquor after this date if they have not paid their renewal fee." Supplying liquor while the licence is suspended in Victorian can lead to thousands of dollars in fines, and in some serious cases imprisonment of up to two years. Loading Having trouble seeing this form? Try
