Latest news with #IndigenousVoicetoParliament
Sydney Morning Herald
10-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Liberals' failure needs a paternity test
Every public poll found that women are losing interest in the Liberal Party which, while supporting female-only spaces and sports, strangely struggles with the idea that there might be a role for female-focused policies. Loading In defence of my one big thing there is, well, economics. And S&P Global's concern that we are overspending and hiding the amount of debt we're in from ourselves. There are also big things which are not policy related. The campaign was lost due to bad data and confused messaging too. Until the final days, Liberal campaigners clung to the belief that they would win seats off Labor, based on their internal polling. The polls were wrong. As soon as the election results started rolling in, that became evident. By 8pm on Saturday, two hours after polls closed, texts were being exchanged about what exactly had happened. Explaining the discrepancy between his rosy predictions and the electoral wipeout in the Australian Financial Review the day after the election, Mike Turner from Freshwater Strategy blamed an invalid assumption, originated by the Liberal Party, which he says skewed the data the Liberals were receiving. This assumption was that Australians who had voted 'no' in the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum would swing in behind the Liberal Party. The architects of the 'no' campaign confused concerns over a big change to the Constitution, combined with antipathy towards the fashionable distractions of the corporate class, with a readiness among everyday Australians to hop into the trenches to defend against progressive culture wars. This may have informed some of Dutton's statements during the campaign. But the election was neither won nor lost on culture wars as such – except insofar as these statements contributed to the second big campaigning mistake: a lack of disciplined messaging. As I said to a Liberal from campaign headquarters who asked my opinion in the first fortnight of the campaign, Dutton was like a man who had stepped into an elevator and suddenly couldn't stop farting: his messages were firing out willy-nilly and many of them stunk. He made the same mistake Albanese made during the Voice referendum. He needed to be focused on why the Liberal Party thought it could do better on the cost of living and how it would set Australia up for a prosperous future, but too often he wasn't. Culture is important – don't get me wrong – but arguing over it is a luxury of the well-to-do classes, who aren't caught up worrying about first-order issues like rising costs. That's a lesson the Greens and Liberals could equally learn from losing their leaders. What's more, the obsession with the Voice-weighting theory obscured deeper problems with the data informing the Liberal campaign. All this should be fodder for the coming Liberal Party election review, which this time would benefit from complete independence. Because there wasn't just 'one big thing' underpinning the Liberal loss in the 2025 contest. Instead, it was the way in which many big things compounded during the campaign which led Australians to disregard their disappointment with Labor's wobbly first term and decide Albanese was the lesser of two evils. Failure is proverbially an orphan, but here it will pay to insist that paternity tests be taken.
The Age
10-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Liberals' failure needs a paternity test
Every public poll found that women are losing interest in the Liberal Party which, while supporting female-only spaces and sports, strangely struggles with the idea that there might be a role for female-focused policies. Loading In defence of my one big thing there is, well, economics. And S&P Global's concern that we are overspending and hiding the amount of debt we're in from ourselves. There are also big things which are not policy related. The campaign was lost due to bad data and confused messaging too. Until the final days, Liberal campaigners clung to the belief that they would win seats off Labor, based on their internal polling. The polls were wrong. As soon as the election results started rolling in, that became evident. By 8pm on Saturday, two hours after polls closed, texts were being exchanged about what exactly had happened. Explaining the discrepancy between his rosy predictions and the electoral wipeout in the Australian Financial Review the day after the election, Mike Turner from Freshwater Strategy blamed an invalid assumption, originated by the Liberal Party, which he says skewed the data the Liberals were receiving. This assumption was that Australians who had voted 'no' in the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum would swing in behind the Liberal Party. The architects of the 'no' campaign confused concerns over a big change to the Constitution, combined with antipathy towards the fashionable distractions of the corporate class, with a readiness among everyday Australians to hop into the trenches to defend against progressive culture wars. This may have informed some of Dutton's statements during the campaign. But the election was neither won nor lost on culture wars as such – except insofar as these statements contributed to the second big campaigning mistake: a lack of disciplined messaging. As I said to a Liberal from campaign headquarters who asked my opinion in the first fortnight of the campaign, Dutton was like a man who had stepped into an elevator and suddenly couldn't stop farting: his messages were firing out willy-nilly and many of them stunk. He made the same mistake Albanese made during the Voice referendum. He needed to be focused on why the Liberal Party thought it could do better on the cost of living and how it would set Australia up for a prosperous future, but too often he wasn't. Culture is important – don't get me wrong – but arguing over it is a luxury of the well-to-do classes, who aren't caught up worrying about first-order issues like rising costs. That's a lesson the Greens and Liberals could equally learn from losing their leaders. What's more, the obsession with the Voice-weighting theory obscured deeper problems with the data informing the Liberal campaign. All this should be fodder for the coming Liberal Party election review, which this time would benefit from complete independence. Because there wasn't just 'one big thing' underpinning the Liberal loss in the 2025 contest. Instead, it was the way in which many big things compounded during the campaign which led Australians to disregard their disappointment with Labor's wobbly first term and decide Albanese was the lesser of two evils. Failure is proverbially an orphan, but here it will pay to insist that paternity tests be taken.
News.com.au
03-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Moment it all went wrong for Peter Dutton
Anthony Albanese has been re-elected for a second term as Prime Minister after delivering a crushing defeat to Peter Dutton. After three years dominated by debates over the economy, cost of living, housing affordability and immigration — against the backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions, the war in Gaza, Chinese aggression and Donald Trump's shock re-election — voters have opted to give the PM a second shot. Less than six months ago Mr Dutton was riding high on the prospect of making Mr Albanese a one-term PM, but a series of blunders and missed opportunities saw the Coalition's polling lead evaporate over the course of the campaign. But as the finger-pointing and recriminations within the opposition get underway, it's hard to escape the Trump-sized elephant in the room. Just as Canada's Pierre Poilievre went from a 27-point lead to losing his own seat as the US President's threats and mockery rallied the left, Australia's conservatives were left similarly off-footed and floundering as Mr Trump's tariff chaos turned their tentative Trumpian shift into a political liability. Here's how it all went wrong for Mr Dutton. May 21, 2022: Albo elected PM The 2022 federal election delivers a resounding defeat for the Coalition after nine years in power, with Labor picking up 77 seats in the House of Representatives to form a majority government for the first time since 2007. Defeated Prime Minister Scott Morrison resigns as Liberal leader and is replaced by Mr Dutton. October 14, 2023: Voice referendum wipe-out In a major personal blow for Mr Albanese, Labor's Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum goes down in flames with 60 per cent of Australians voting no. A tearful PM declares that 'while tonight's result is not one that I had hoped for, I absolutely respect the decision of the Australian people'. The Liberal Party criticises Labor for holding the $450 million referendum during a cost-of-living crisis. July 4, 2024: Payman defects from Labor Western Australian Labor Senator Fatima Payman quits the party to sit on the crossbench after refusing to 'toe the party line' on the issue of Palestinian statehood. Ms Payman, a former refugee from Afghanistan, accuses party officials of intimidation and 'stand up [sic] tactics'. She announces the formation of her new party, Australia's Voice (AV), on October 9. August 25, 2024: Rennick resigns from LNP Renegade Queensland Senator Gerard Rennick resigns from the Liberal National Party to contest the election as an independent, after being dumped from the ticket the previous year when he lost a preselection ballot to party treasurer Stuart Fraser. Mr Rennick, an outspoken critic of Covid vaccines, forms the People First Party (PFP). August 14, 2024: Gaza refugee ban controversy Mr Dutton sparks backlash after calling for a total ban on Palestinian refugees fleeing Gaza, telling Sky News 'I don't think people should be coming in from that war zone at all at the moment'. The government insists it will not compromise national security, while Mr Albanese accuses the opposition leader of 'always looking to divide'. Other critics including independent MP Zali Stegall claim the proposal is 'racist'. October 14, 2024: Dutton overtakes Albo for first time A shock Newspoll finds the Coalition now leads Labor 51-49 on a two-party preferred basis for the first time since the 2022 election, after months of being neck-and-neck. November 6, 2024: Trump comment haunts Albo Donald Trump returns to the White House in a landslide victory, with both leaders congratulating the incoming US President on his historic political comeback. Video resurfaces of comments made by Mr Albanese in 2017 saying Mr Trump 'scares the s**t out of me'. Mr Dutton needles the PM in Question Time the next day, saying 'we will make sure that President Trump is not somebody to be scared of but somebody that we can work very closely with', while Mr Albanese tells reporters he feels no need to apologise to the President for his past comments. November 7, 2024: PM speaks to Trump Mr Albanese has his first phone call with Mr Trump to congratulate him on his re-election. 'We talked about the importance of the Alliance, and the strength of the Australia-US relationship in security, AUKUS, trade and investment,' he writes on X. 'I look forward to working together in the interests of both our countries.' November 12, 2024: Rudd backed in 'village idiot' row The PM rejects calls to fire Kevin Rudd as US Ambassador, after revelations he previously called the US President-elect a 'village idiot'. December, 2024: Parliament House meeting Mr Dutton holds a strategy meeting with senior Liberals at Parliament House to map out the election strategy going into the New Year. Insiders later tell the Herald Sun there was a 'cast iron agreement before Christmas that we would be going out in January election-ready'. January 12, 2025: 'Get Australia Back on Track' The opposition leader launches his campaign in Melbourne with an homage to Mr Trump's 'Make America Great Again' slogan, promising to 'Get Australia Back on Track'. He unveils key priorities including accessing superannuation for first homebuyers, 'rebalancing' migration, building nuclear power and cracking down on crime. January 26, 2025: Coalition holds polling lead The Coalition leads Labor 51-49 in Newspoll, which also reveals the lowest satisfaction ratings for Mr Albanese since taking office. February 19, 2025: Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots Billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer announces his backing of the Trump-inspired Trumpet of Patriots, after failing his High Court bid to re-register the United Australia Party for the election. Trumpet of Patriots positions itself as an alternative to the major parties and encourages voters to preference Labor and the Coalition last. February 22, 2025: $8 billion Medicare pledge Declaring the election a referendum on Medicare, Mr Albanese announces free GP visits will be offered to the vast majority of Australians in a dramatic $8 billion investment. Mr Dutton seeks to neutralise a 'Mediscare' repeat by upping the ante, pledging $9 billion. March 7, 2025: Cyclone Alfred delays election Tropical Cyclone Alfred bears down on southeast Queensland and northern NSW, derailing Mr Albanese's plan to call an election for April 12 and forcing the government to go ahead with handing down the budget on March 25. March 9, 2025: Voters doubt Libs ready Newspoll holds steady for the Coalition at 51-49, but the findings show most voters, especially younger ones, do not believe the Dutton-led team is ready to govern. March 18, 2025: Deportation 'thought bubble' Mr Dutton floats the idea of holding a referendum to give the government more powers to strip citizenship of terrorists and other serious criminals — only for Shadow Attorney-General Michaelia Cash to play down the prospect hours later. The PM brands it another 'thought bubble'. March 25, 2025: Budget lays out election battle Treasurer Jim Chalmers hands down his pre-election federal budget headlined by cost-of-living relief measures, as the bottom line falls back into the red with a $27.6 billion deficit. Mr Chalmers says the budget is ' our plan for a new generation of prosperity in a new world of uncertainty'. March 27, 2025: Dutton's fuel promise Mr Dutton says the budget shows the election will be a 'sliding doors moment for our nation' and that 'our prosperity will be damaged for decades to come' if Labor is re-elected. He says he will repeal Labor's tax cuts and instead halve the fuel excise for 12 months. March 28, 2025: Election called The election is officially called for May 3, with Mr Albanese visiting Governor-General Sam Mostyn to dissolve the 47th Parliament as the official five-week campaign kicks off. Polls suggest a hung parliament, with neither party looking like picking up 76 seats in the House, while betting markets favour a Labor win. Mr Albanese says the election will be a 'choice between Labor's plan to keep building or Peter Dutton's promise to cut'. The opposition leader argues 'we can't afford three more years of Labor'. March 28, 2025: Brutal poll savages PM The same morning, a shock Redbridge poll published exclusively by finds the majority of voters say they are worse off after three years under Labor, with 54 per cent unable to name a single thing Mr Albanese has done 'that has made your life better in any way'. March 30, 2025: Labor takes lead The first Newspoll released during the election campaign shows Labor sneak ahead 51-49 on a two-party preferred basis, fuelled by a two-point drop in the Coalition's primary vote to 37 per cent with Labor at 33 per cent. April 1, 2025: Albo dodges Trump question Mr Albanese, facing fresh pressure over US tariff negotiations and his failure to secure a phone call with Mr Trump, repeatedly refuses to answer a reporter's question about what 'scares the s**t out of you' about the US President and if he was 'still frightened about those things'. The PM insists only that he has a 'constructive relationship' with Mr Trump. April 3, 2025: 'Not the act of a friend' Mr Trump makes his long-awaited 'Liberation Day' tariffs announcement, confirming Australia will join other countries in being hit with 10 per cent levies on all imports to the US. Mr Albanese slams the move as 'totally unwarranted' and 'not the act of a friend' in a press conference in Melbourne. Mr Dutton tells reporters in Perth it is a 'bad day for our country' and says he believes 'we could have achieved a different outcome'. April 7, 2025: Humiliating WFH backflip In one of the most embarrassing campaign moments for the opposition, the Coalition spectacularly backflips on its push to force public servants back into the office five days a week, with Mr Dutton admitting he 'made a mistake' and 'got it wrong'. Labor had relentlessly attacked the policy, saying it would disproportionately hurt female workers, and polls showed it was deeply unpopular. April 9, 2025: Albo wins first debate The leaders trade barbs at the Sky News/Daily Telegraph People's Forum in western Sydney, with Mr Albanese crowned the winner by the audience. The first debate is overshadowed by news Mr Dutton's father suffered a heart attack that evening. April 12, 2025: Price's 'MAGA' moment Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Price tells supporters in Perth that a Coalition government will 'make Australia great again'. She later denies any connection to Mr Trump's MAGA slogan, saying she 'didn't even realise I said that', and accuses reporters of being 'obsessed' with the US President. April 13, 2025: Coalition falls further The second Newspoll of the campaign sees Labor extend its two-party preferred lead to 52-48, as the Coalition's primary vote falls to 35 per cent — now lower than before losing the 2022 election. It comes as both parties launch their official campaigns in Perth and Sydney. April 14, 2025: Libs drop 'diss track' The Liberal Party releases a 'diss track' attacking the PM over cost-of-living, sparking a short-lived rap rivalry after a Labor state branch publishes, then quickly removes its own diss track due to 'offensive' language in the original version. April 15, 2025: Indonesia-Russia military bombshell The opposition leader comes under fire from the government after he appears to suggest the Indonesian President has confirmed a bombshell story published military website Janes claiming Russia lodged a request to base long-range aircraft in Papua. April 16, 2025: Dutton admits 'mistake' Both sides claim victory in the ABC-hosted second leaders debate. Mr Dutton concedes his comments on Indonesia were a 'mistake' and on Mr Trump, the opposition leader says as a nation 'we trust the US' but 'I don't know the President'. April 20, 2025: Trump chaos weighs on Dutton Momentum continues to build for a Labor political resurrection thanks to the Trump tariff chaos and Medicare promises, with Labor ahead in Newspoll 52-48. On the question of who is trusted more to lead Australia through the Trump turbulence, 39 per cent back the PM and 32 per cent favour Mr Dutton. April 22, 2025: 'Personal abuse' in third debate Mr Dutton is narrowly judged the winner in the third debate, hosted by Nine, with the leaders accusing each other of 'lying' and 'personal abuse' in a heated slanging match. April 27, 2025: Welcome to Country stoush The final leaders debate on Seven sees the PM decisively declared the winner overall and on issues including cost of living and tax, however Mr Dutton gets 'The Pulse' racing (not to be confused with getting a rise out of 'The Worm') as viewers support his comments that Welcome to Country ceremonies have gone too far. April 28, 2025: Wong says Voice back on the menu Days out from the election, Foreign Minister Penny Wong raises eyebrows by hinting the Voice to Parliament is an inevitability despite its overwhelming defeat in 2023, telling the Beetoota Advocate podcast 'I think we'll look back on it in 10 years' time and it'll be a bit like marriage equality'. Ms Wong later walks back her comments, telling SBS 'the Voice is gone'. May 2, 2025: Albo coasting to victory The final Newspoll before election day puts Labor ahead of the Coalition 52.5 per cent to 47.5 per cent on a two-party preferred basis. Mr Albanese is handily re-elected with a majority after a brutal night for the Coalition, with Mr Dutton losing his Brisbane seat of Dickson that he has held since 2001. Liberal Senator James Paterson concedes that the Trump factor was 'significant'. 'It was devastating in Canada for the Conservatives,' he tells the ABC. 'I think it has been a factor here.'
Sky News AU
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Lee Hanson blasts Penny Wong's Voice remarks after failed referendum
One Nation Senate candidate Lee Hanson has slammed comments by Foreign Minister Penny Wong suggesting the Indigenous Voice to Parliament is 'inevitable,' despite its clear rejection by over 60 per cent of Australians in a 2023 referendum. "As an Australian citizen, I'm shocked to think that our government is actually wanting to pursue that and completely disregards what all Australians, or 60 per cent of Australians, have actually said," Ms Hanson told Sky News host Rowan Dean. "No respect for what we want and have requested from our government. "So, if I am elected, I will be fighting this."
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Labor minister Anika Wells fuels speculation The Voice is still alive in party's ranks
Labor frontbencher Anika Wells has appeared to suggest a third position on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament in as many days, reigniting political tensions over the defeated proposal. Foreign Minister Penny Wong sparked a firestorm when she suggested the Voice, like the struggle for marriage equality, was inevitable in a podcast interview with the Betoota Talks podcast. 'We'll look back on it in ten years' time, and it'll be a bit like marriage equality,' Senator Wong told the Betoota Talks podcast. 'I always used to say, marriage equality, which took us such a bloody fight to get that done, and I thought, all this fuss... It'll become something, it'll be like, people go "did we even have an argument about that?" Her backing for the Indigenous body came just three days after Anthony Albanese ruled out any attempt to bring back the Voice, telling the leaders' debate: 'It's gone... I respect the outcome (of the referendum), we live in a democracy.' Sen Wong later echoed Mr Albanese's words in an apparent backflip, telling SBS, 'the Voice is gone... The prime minister has made that clear, and the Australian people have made their position clear, and we respect the result of the referendum.' But now the Minister for Aged Care and Sport has suggested that the Voice may continue in another 'form'. Appearing on the ABC's News Breakfast this morning, Wells was asked directly: 'Voice to Parliament, will it make a comeback do you think at some point?' She responded: 'The Voice in the form we took to the referendum is gone. 'We respect the opinions and the votes of people, they made that very clear, but we're always looking for ways to help First Nations people and for that policy to be tangible and credible.' Treasurer Jim Chalmers has touted Ms Wells as a future leader of the party. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton seized on Wells' comments, claiming it was evidence that 'the Voice, in some form, presumably through legislation, is going to be a part of the Albanese government's next term in power, if they're successful on Saturday'. 'I'll just ask Australians to think about that for a second,' he said. 'You sent a very clear message to the prime minister that you said no to the Voice, and now the prime minister is saying back to you, "well, we've got this secret plan, when we're in government, to reintroduce the Voice in the form of legislation".'
