Latest news with #KeithWolahan
The Age
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
14 Coalition MPs lost their seats at the election. One already has a new job
The federal election was only on May 3, but one vanquished Liberal MP has already found a new job. Or make that a new-old job. Defeated Coalition MPs who don't have an investment portfolio or private family company to fall back on face a tough job market, considering the strength of the Labor victory. Which boss wants to hire someone on the losing side of an electoral landslide, particularly when the Albanese era could stretch beyond the electoral horizon? Taking matters into his own hands is Keith Wolahan, the Liberal Party bright young thing who lost the outer Melbourne seat of Menzies to Labor's Gabriel Ng after one term. Wolahan has applied and successfully been readmitted to the Victorian Bar's practising roll. Cannily, Wolahan, who notably brushed aside long-standing Liberal MP Kevin Andrews in a memorable preselection, remained a lawyer while in federal parliament although he obviously couldn't practise. Now, the 47-year-old former army commando has taken up a position in Dever's List, the grouping of 250-odd barristers that traces itself back to 1860, when Theophilos Druce began operating as the barristers' clerk. The grouping of lawyers has had a Dever associated with it since 1946. John Dever, Phil Dever and Michael Dever still act as barristers' clerks for the list today. Wolahan fronted the ABC's Insiders on the morning after the massive defeat, keeping a commitment even though he looked like losing his own seat, using the appearance to gently remind his withered husk of a party that most Australians live in the cities. 'The law has always been my profession,' Wolahan told CBD.
The Advertiser
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Knife-edge seats still in doubt as counting continues
SEAT COUNT IN 2025 FEDERAL ELECTION: SEAT NUMBERS * Labor - 91 seats (+13 from 2022 election total) * Coalition - 40 seats (-17) * Greens - 0 seats (-4) * Independents/Minor parties - 10 seats (-1) * Undecided - 9 seats * Vote count as of Friday 10am AEST with 81.7 per cent of the national tally counted * Labor looks set to gain at least three seats in the Senate and the Liberals will go backwards as five seats remain in doubt with 71.3 per cent of the upper house ballots counted WHERE THE COUNT IS UP TO * Labor has 54.61 per cent of the two-party national count with 6,059,883 votes, an increase of 2.48 per cent, the Australian Electoral Commission says * The Liberals have 45.39 per cent of the national vote with 5,036,506 ballots * A mandatory second count of all votes began Tuesday * Menzies in eastern Melbourne has been called for Labor's Gabriel Ng - ousting Liberal MP Keith Wolahan - while Labor MP Lisa Chesters has held onto Bendigo in regional Victoria from a Nationals challenge * An automatic recount will be triggered in seats where the margin is within 100 votes at the end of the count SEATS STILL IN DOUBT * Kooyong (Vic) - Teal independent MP Monique Ryan's lead over Liberal Amelia Hamer is down to 724 votes with almost 85 per cent of the vote counted. It will be difficult for Ms Hamer to close the gap with few postal votes remaining to be counted * Bradfield (NSW) - Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian is ahead of independent challenger Nicolette Boele by 237 votes, with more than 88 per cent of the vote counted, due to postal votes breaking in her favour * Bullwinkel (WA) - Labor's Trish Cook leads Liberal Matt Moran by 333 votes in the nation's newest seat. The first absent votes tallied have broken in Ms Cook's favour and helped her extend her buffer * Callwell (Vic) - Labor candidate Basem Abdo leads the outer Melbourne electorate with just over 30 per cent of first preference votes, but two independents with about 12 per cent each make this seat highly complicated. There is a possibility Carly Moore or Joseph Youhana could snowball up preferences and overtake Mr Abdo in the final tally * Bean (ACT) - Labor MP David Smith is also in jeopardy from an independent in his formerly safe seat, behind Jessie Price by almost 200 votes after a prepoll booth on tiny Norfolk Island added 174 votes to Ms Price's margin. * Longman (QLD) - LNP MP Terry Young leads Labor's Rhiannyn Douglas by 282 votes with almost 81 per cent of the vote counted, but absent and out-of-division prepoll votes could help Ms Douglas * Monash (Vic) - Liberal candidate Mary Aldred appears to have the edge in the regional Victorian seat with 32.3 per cent of the primary vote, but the presence of two strong independents - Deb Leonard and Russell Broadbent - will make it interesting when preferences are fully distributed * Flinders (Vic) - Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie has secured a commanding 41.6 per cent of the primary vote but her lead could be at risk if independent Ben Smith finishes in second ahead of Labor's Sarah Race and soaks up Labor and Greens preferences * Ryan (Qld) - Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown is on track to become her party's last remaining lower house representative, only needing to hold off Labor's Rebecca Hack for second place and use her preferences to surge over the LNP's Maggie Forrest SEAT COUNT IN 2025 FEDERAL ELECTION: SEAT NUMBERS * Labor - 91 seats (+13 from 2022 election total) * Coalition - 40 seats (-17) * Greens - 0 seats (-4) * Independents/Minor parties - 10 seats (-1) * Undecided - 9 seats * Vote count as of Friday 10am AEST with 81.7 per cent of the national tally counted * Labor looks set to gain at least three seats in the Senate and the Liberals will go backwards as five seats remain in doubt with 71.3 per cent of the upper house ballots counted WHERE THE COUNT IS UP TO * Labor has 54.61 per cent of the two-party national count with 6,059,883 votes, an increase of 2.48 per cent, the Australian Electoral Commission says * The Liberals have 45.39 per cent of the national vote with 5,036,506 ballots * A mandatory second count of all votes began Tuesday * Menzies in eastern Melbourne has been called for Labor's Gabriel Ng - ousting Liberal MP Keith Wolahan - while Labor MP Lisa Chesters has held onto Bendigo in regional Victoria from a Nationals challenge * An automatic recount will be triggered in seats where the margin is within 100 votes at the end of the count SEATS STILL IN DOUBT * Kooyong (Vic) - Teal independent MP Monique Ryan's lead over Liberal Amelia Hamer is down to 724 votes with almost 85 per cent of the vote counted. It will be difficult for Ms Hamer to close the gap with few postal votes remaining to be counted * Bradfield (NSW) - Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian is ahead of independent challenger Nicolette Boele by 237 votes, with more than 88 per cent of the vote counted, due to postal votes breaking in her favour * Bullwinkel (WA) - Labor's Trish Cook leads Liberal Matt Moran by 333 votes in the nation's newest seat. The first absent votes tallied have broken in Ms Cook's favour and helped her extend her buffer * Callwell (Vic) - Labor candidate Basem Abdo leads the outer Melbourne electorate with just over 30 per cent of first preference votes, but two independents with about 12 per cent each make this seat highly complicated. There is a possibility Carly Moore or Joseph Youhana could snowball up preferences and overtake Mr Abdo in the final tally * Bean (ACT) - Labor MP David Smith is also in jeopardy from an independent in his formerly safe seat, behind Jessie Price by almost 200 votes after a prepoll booth on tiny Norfolk Island added 174 votes to Ms Price's margin. * Longman (QLD) - LNP MP Terry Young leads Labor's Rhiannyn Douglas by 282 votes with almost 81 per cent of the vote counted, but absent and out-of-division prepoll votes could help Ms Douglas * Monash (Vic) - Liberal candidate Mary Aldred appears to have the edge in the regional Victorian seat with 32.3 per cent of the primary vote, but the presence of two strong independents - Deb Leonard and Russell Broadbent - will make it interesting when preferences are fully distributed * Flinders (Vic) - Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie has secured a commanding 41.6 per cent of the primary vote but her lead could be at risk if independent Ben Smith finishes in second ahead of Labor's Sarah Race and soaks up Labor and Greens preferences * Ryan (Qld) - Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown is on track to become her party's last remaining lower house representative, only needing to hold off Labor's Rebecca Hack for second place and use her preferences to surge over the LNP's Maggie Forrest SEAT COUNT IN 2025 FEDERAL ELECTION: SEAT NUMBERS * Labor - 91 seats (+13 from 2022 election total) * Coalition - 40 seats (-17) * Greens - 0 seats (-4) * Independents/Minor parties - 10 seats (-1) * Undecided - 9 seats * Vote count as of Friday 10am AEST with 81.7 per cent of the national tally counted * Labor looks set to gain at least three seats in the Senate and the Liberals will go backwards as five seats remain in doubt with 71.3 per cent of the upper house ballots counted WHERE THE COUNT IS UP TO * Labor has 54.61 per cent of the two-party national count with 6,059,883 votes, an increase of 2.48 per cent, the Australian Electoral Commission says * The Liberals have 45.39 per cent of the national vote with 5,036,506 ballots * A mandatory second count of all votes began Tuesday * Menzies in eastern Melbourne has been called for Labor's Gabriel Ng - ousting Liberal MP Keith Wolahan - while Labor MP Lisa Chesters has held onto Bendigo in regional Victoria from a Nationals challenge * An automatic recount will be triggered in seats where the margin is within 100 votes at the end of the count SEATS STILL IN DOUBT * Kooyong (Vic) - Teal independent MP Monique Ryan's lead over Liberal Amelia Hamer is down to 724 votes with almost 85 per cent of the vote counted. It will be difficult for Ms Hamer to close the gap with few postal votes remaining to be counted * Bradfield (NSW) - Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian is ahead of independent challenger Nicolette Boele by 237 votes, with more than 88 per cent of the vote counted, due to postal votes breaking in her favour * Bullwinkel (WA) - Labor's Trish Cook leads Liberal Matt Moran by 333 votes in the nation's newest seat. The first absent votes tallied have broken in Ms Cook's favour and helped her extend her buffer * Callwell (Vic) - Labor candidate Basem Abdo leads the outer Melbourne electorate with just over 30 per cent of first preference votes, but two independents with about 12 per cent each make this seat highly complicated. There is a possibility Carly Moore or Joseph Youhana could snowball up preferences and overtake Mr Abdo in the final tally * Bean (ACT) - Labor MP David Smith is also in jeopardy from an independent in his formerly safe seat, behind Jessie Price by almost 200 votes after a prepoll booth on tiny Norfolk Island added 174 votes to Ms Price's margin. * Longman (QLD) - LNP MP Terry Young leads Labor's Rhiannyn Douglas by 282 votes with almost 81 per cent of the vote counted, but absent and out-of-division prepoll votes could help Ms Douglas * Monash (Vic) - Liberal candidate Mary Aldred appears to have the edge in the regional Victorian seat with 32.3 per cent of the primary vote, but the presence of two strong independents - Deb Leonard and Russell Broadbent - will make it interesting when preferences are fully distributed * Flinders (Vic) - Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie has secured a commanding 41.6 per cent of the primary vote but her lead could be at risk if independent Ben Smith finishes in second ahead of Labor's Sarah Race and soaks up Labor and Greens preferences * Ryan (Qld) - Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown is on track to become her party's last remaining lower house representative, only needing to hold off Labor's Rebecca Hack for second place and use her preferences to surge over the LNP's Maggie Forrest SEAT COUNT IN 2025 FEDERAL ELECTION: SEAT NUMBERS * Labor - 91 seats (+13 from 2022 election total) * Coalition - 40 seats (-17) * Greens - 0 seats (-4) * Independents/Minor parties - 10 seats (-1) * Undecided - 9 seats * Vote count as of Friday 10am AEST with 81.7 per cent of the national tally counted * Labor looks set to gain at least three seats in the Senate and the Liberals will go backwards as five seats remain in doubt with 71.3 per cent of the upper house ballots counted WHERE THE COUNT IS UP TO * Labor has 54.61 per cent of the two-party national count with 6,059,883 votes, an increase of 2.48 per cent, the Australian Electoral Commission says * The Liberals have 45.39 per cent of the national vote with 5,036,506 ballots * A mandatory second count of all votes began Tuesday * Menzies in eastern Melbourne has been called for Labor's Gabriel Ng - ousting Liberal MP Keith Wolahan - while Labor MP Lisa Chesters has held onto Bendigo in regional Victoria from a Nationals challenge * An automatic recount will be triggered in seats where the margin is within 100 votes at the end of the count SEATS STILL IN DOUBT * Kooyong (Vic) - Teal independent MP Monique Ryan's lead over Liberal Amelia Hamer is down to 724 votes with almost 85 per cent of the vote counted. It will be difficult for Ms Hamer to close the gap with few postal votes remaining to be counted * Bradfield (NSW) - Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian is ahead of independent challenger Nicolette Boele by 237 votes, with more than 88 per cent of the vote counted, due to postal votes breaking in her favour * Bullwinkel (WA) - Labor's Trish Cook leads Liberal Matt Moran by 333 votes in the nation's newest seat. The first absent votes tallied have broken in Ms Cook's favour and helped her extend her buffer * Callwell (Vic) - Labor candidate Basem Abdo leads the outer Melbourne electorate with just over 30 per cent of first preference votes, but two independents with about 12 per cent each make this seat highly complicated. There is a possibility Carly Moore or Joseph Youhana could snowball up preferences and overtake Mr Abdo in the final tally * Bean (ACT) - Labor MP David Smith is also in jeopardy from an independent in his formerly safe seat, behind Jessie Price by almost 200 votes after a prepoll booth on tiny Norfolk Island added 174 votes to Ms Price's margin. * Longman (QLD) - LNP MP Terry Young leads Labor's Rhiannyn Douglas by 282 votes with almost 81 per cent of the vote counted, but absent and out-of-division prepoll votes could help Ms Douglas * Monash (Vic) - Liberal candidate Mary Aldred appears to have the edge in the regional Victorian seat with 32.3 per cent of the primary vote, but the presence of two strong independents - Deb Leonard and Russell Broadbent - will make it interesting when preferences are fully distributed * Flinders (Vic) - Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie has secured a commanding 41.6 per cent of the primary vote but her lead could be at risk if independent Ben Smith finishes in second ahead of Labor's Sarah Race and soaks up Labor and Greens preferences * Ryan (Qld) - Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown is on track to become her party's last remaining lower house representative, only needing to hold off Labor's Rebecca Hack for second place and use her preferences to surge over the LNP's Maggie Forrest
Perth Now
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Knife-edge seats still in doubt as counting continues
SEAT COUNT IN 2025 FEDERAL ELECTION: SEAT NUMBERS * Labor - 91 seats (+13 from 2022 election total) * Coalition - 40 seats (-17) * Greens - 0 seats (-4) * Independents/Minor parties - 10 seats (-1) * Undecided - 9 seats * Vote count as of Friday 10am AEST with 81.7 per cent of the national tally counted * Labor looks set to gain at least three seats in the Senate and the Liberals will go backwards as five seats remain in doubt with 71.3 per cent of the upper house ballots counted WHERE THE COUNT IS UP TO * Labor has 54.61 per cent of the two-party national count with 6,059,883 votes, an increase of 2.48 per cent, the Australian Electoral Commission says * The Liberals have 45.39 per cent of the national vote with 5,036,506 ballots * A mandatory second count of all votes began Tuesday * Menzies in eastern Melbourne has been called for Labor's Gabriel Ng - ousting Liberal MP Keith Wolahan - while Labor MP Lisa Chesters has held onto Bendigo in regional Victoria from a Nationals challenge * An automatic recount will be triggered in seats where the margin is within 100 votes at the end of the count SEATS STILL IN DOUBT * Kooyong (Vic) - Teal independent MP Monique Ryan's lead over Liberal Amelia Hamer is down to 724 votes with almost 85 per cent of the vote counted. It will be difficult for Ms Hamer to close the gap with few postal votes remaining to be counted * Bradfield (NSW) - Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian is ahead of independent challenger Nicolette Boele by 237 votes, with more than 88 per cent of the vote counted, due to postal votes breaking in her favour * Bullwinkel (WA) - Labor's Trish Cook leads Liberal Matt Moran by 333 votes in the nation's newest seat. The first absent votes tallied have broken in Ms Cook's favour and helped her extend her buffer * Callwell (Vic) - Labor candidate Basem Abdo leads the outer Melbourne electorate with just over 30 per cent of first preference votes, but two independents with about 12 per cent each make this seat highly complicated. There is a possibility Carly Moore or Joseph Youhana could snowball up preferences and overtake Mr Abdo in the final tally * Bean (ACT) - Labor MP David Smith is also in jeopardy from an independent in his formerly safe seat, behind Jessie Price by almost 200 votes after a prepoll booth on tiny Norfolk Island added 174 votes to Ms Price's margin. * Longman (QLD) - LNP MP Terry Young leads Labor's Rhiannyn Douglas by 282 votes with almost 81 per cent of the vote counted, but absent and out-of-division prepoll votes could help Ms Douglas * Monash (Vic) - Liberal candidate Mary Aldred appears to have the edge in the regional Victorian seat with 32.3 per cent of the primary vote, but the presence of two strong independents - Deb Leonard and Russell Broadbent - will make it interesting when preferences are fully distributed * Flinders (Vic) - Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie has secured a commanding 41.6 per cent of the primary vote but her lead could be at risk if independent Ben Smith finishes in second ahead of Labor's Sarah Race and soaks up Labor and Greens preferences * Ryan (Qld) - Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown is on track to become her party's last remaining lower house representative, only needing to hold off Labor's Rebecca Hack for second place and use her preferences to surge over the LNP's Maggie Forrest
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Monique Ryan Kooyong, Australia election results LIVE: 'Future PM' suffers crushing election blow despite last minute signs of hope
Keith Wolahan has lost his seat of Menzies in Victoria. The former army officer (pictured, below) was seen as a Liberal leader of the future, also one of the few remaining city MPs amongst the conservatives. It looked like he was certain to lose on Saturday night but strong postal voting flows suggested just maybe he could fight back and survive. Not anymore, he's too far behind given the postal trends and wouldn't be able to stay in front even if he clawed back in front because in his electorate absentee votes always favour Labor. It's a big generational loss for the Liberals in what was already a devastating defeat nationally.
Sky News AU
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Federal Election: Recount underway at Menzies polling booth after Liberal MP Keith Wolahan's vote drops by 1851 votes overnight
A recount is being conducted in a key seat in the Federal Election after the number of votes for a rising star in the Liberal Party fell by more than 1800 overnight on Saturday. The discrepancy occurred in the seat of Menzies, where Liberal MP Keith Wolahan currently trails Labor's Gabriel Ng by 1,384 votes. Sources have told Sky News that an AEC document from election night shows Mr Wolahan received 8,817 votes at a booth in Doncaster East, but a second count carried out on Sunday showed this had fallen to just 6,996 – a loss of 1851 votes. The initial vote count was carried out with the presence of Liberal Party volunteers and certified at 10.30pm on Saturday. The second count was done at 1.30am on Sunday, with sources saying this occurred after scrutineers had gone home. The Liberal Party is not alleging any conspiracy or wrongdoing, but is currently supervising a recount of votes from the booth, and questions are being asked about how the discrepancy occurred. The AEC has described the discrepancy as a 'transcription" error that was "quickly rectified". "In the count for Menzies, an error in the transcription of the original count was detected and quickly rectified during scrutiny on Sunday. Scrutineers were present for this process," an AEC spokesperson said. "It's not unusual for the AEC to make corrections as we continue with the counting process." The AEC spokesperson also said the recount being conducted is part of the normal process. "Election night counts are conducted by our temporary election workforce at the end of the polling day. The 'fresh scrutiny' currently being conducted is a re-check of all ordinary ballot papers received from every polling place, pre-poll voting centre and mobile polling team in a division, and is required by the Electoral Act to further ensure the accuracy of the counting process," they said. Former Nationals leader Michael McCormack said the first ever recount in his own seat of Riverina had occurred way back in 1903, leading to a legal battle which went all the way to the High Court. 'They had a by-election and John Chanter resumed the role, given the fact that there was (a discrepancy of) about five votes at that time, let alone 1851,' Mr McCormack. The Nationals MP also raised concerns about the high number of informal votes, which he described as a 'real concern'. 'I think we need uniformity, quite frankly, across local, state and federal elections,' he said. 'You can't turn up to a state election, put a number one (on) your ballot, and that's valid … and then turn up to a federal election just a few months later and have to number every box. It is confusing for people. 'People waste their vote, and that is such a tragedy, given the fact that there are 103,000 names on the rolls of honour at the War Memorial, men and women who died for this country so that we can have a fair and free democratic vote. 'I mean, in the Riverina, 11 per cent; the informal would have run third had it been a candidate.'
