Latest news with #Lethlean
The Age
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Labor was bracing for a Victorian backlash. It came, but not where everyone thought
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. 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. 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. 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. He was surprised at the visibility of the Nationals' campaign and how many young people were involved. 'Perhaps I should be a little more active in convincing people to be a little more responsible when they vote next time,' Gavin said. 'My partner keeps bringing that up that there are a lot of signs and they're sick of seeing them.' Despite being too young to vote, 17-year-old Zoe Peters said Lethlean's campaign was hard to miss. 'I've seen a lot of cars with 'Andrew Lethlean' signage on the back and I've noticed on TikTok a lot of younger people handing out the fliers at the polling places,' she said. 'It looked like a lot more young people were involved than they used to be.' Zoe's friend Evie Nuttall has also noticed Lethlean's presence across the region, making himself seen at community events. 'The Andrew bloke came to my footy game,' she said. 'I've seen a lot of signage for him.' Speaking outside the vote counting centre on Thursday, McKenzie scoffed at reports the party had spent between $1 million and $2 million. 'Insert laugh,' the senator said. McKenzie insisted the campaign didn't even rank among the top 30 Coalition seats in terms of expenditure. 'We were flooded with volunteers at the campaign office at the mall, and people know Andrew. If they didn't know him, they wanted to be part of something that was about changing how politics is done here in Bendigo,' she said. Lethlean on Friday afternoon acknowledged he was unlikely to win the seat, but said he was proud to have achieved the biggest swing against Labor in the country. 'We ran a strong and positive campaign with plans for the future of our region, and we challenged the Labor government to achieve a fair share for our community,' he said. 'I am confident we won't be taken for granted again.' Chesters declined to comment and by Friday night was yet to claim victory. While Labor looks to have escaped with Bendigo, the Nationals' performance fires a warning shot for next year's state election. 'I would have suspected anyway that we would probably be running in Bendigo next year,' O'Brien said. 'Certainly, this shows there is a mood for change, that people in Bendigo are looking for a fresh start and there's an opportunity for them to see that with the Nationals.' For her part, Allan insisted she takes nothing for granted in her seat of Bendigo East. 'I never have, and in the past the National Party, the Liberal Party have run in the seat of Bendigo West, and their decision in the future will be a matter for them,' she said.
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.
Sky News AU
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Nationals still in the fight and threatening to clinch shock victory in core Victorian Labor seat
The Nationals are threatening to produce a shock victory in the core Labor seat of Bendigo, with the seat firmly held by the major party since 1998. Despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's resounding election victory, counting in the once ironclad Labor seat of Bendigo in regional Victoria has slowed, with the Nationals a stone throw away from securing an upset result. Nationals candidate Andew Lethlean, a well-known local bar operator is now trailing incumbent Labor MP Lisa Chesters by 1009 votes, with the two-party preferred count sitting at 50.72 to 49.28 per cent. However, at 2pm on Wednesday Mr Lethlean was sitting 808 votes ahead of Ms Chesters with the Nationals receiving a 29.6 per cent swing on first preferences. Ms Chesters is doing better-than-expected on postal votes though, which traditionally favour conservative candidates as Mr Lethlean leads postal votes 51-49 on a two-party preferred measure. Labor has firmly held the seat since 1998 with Ms Chesters heading into the 2025 election on a sizeable margin of 12 per cent. Bendigo was one of the seats where preference voting had to be reset after the AEC included Labor and the Liberals in the two-party preferred count on election night, instead of Labor and the Nationals. The Nationals have not run a candidate in Bendigo since 2016 receiving only 3.63 per cent of primary votes, with the party last holding the seat in 1949. Ms Chesters still remains a strong chance to hold as the vote count continues to significantly stall, with a two-candidate preferred only completed for 23 of the 66 polling places and 69.25% of ballet papers processed. The Nationals are believed to have poured nearly $1 million into the seat and ran a targeted campaign tying Ms Chesters to Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, who holds the state seat of Bendigo East. The Nationals spent more money in the electorate than anywhere else in Victoria and pursued extensive letterboxing campaigns, with one unnamed Labor figure telling The Age 'What the hell is going on in Bendigo?' During the campaign Mr Lethlean came under fire after it was reported a bar he owned sold alcohol while its license was suspended. Mr Lethlean said the suspension was the result of an 'administrative oversight' and stated the annual license fee was paid as soon as the issue was identified. Unlike their Liberal counterparts, the Nationals secured re-election in nine out of ten of their lower house seats, losing Calare in NSW to independent Andrew Gee who quit the party in late 2022 due to the Coalition's stance on the Voice. With the country party now making up a larger percentage of the Coalition due to the Liberals catastrophic loss, Nationals MP Michael McCormack told the ABC his party would be calling for more shadow ministries. '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 The Riverina MP, who retained his seat with a 3.3 per cent swing also advised the 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.
ABC News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Nationals candidate for Bendigo pushes to swing safe Labor seat at federal election
Travel a few blocks in any direction in Bendigo and you're likely to see a poster of Nationals candidate Andrew Lethlean. The publican is the first candidate in nine years to represent the Nationals in the electorate and, according to his political opponents, boasts an estimated $1 million in campaign funding. Stay updated: Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on The Bendigo electorate has been held by Labor since 1998 and is considered a safe seat. Lisa Chesters was elected in 2013 and has grown the margin to 11.2 per cent. The electorate stretches north to the flood-ravaged town of Rochester, west to Carisbrook and south to the Macedon Ranges. It is a well-populated region. 'Tidal wave' of cash? In the growing city of Bendigo Mr Lethlean's face adorns billboards, roving utes, homes and businesses. Ms Chesters said there was a "tidal wave" of money behind the Nationals campaign, but the party has declined to put a figure on spending. "I've just got a passion that the region's been left behind," Mr Lethlean told " We've got some massive support from businesses, locals, individuals that have put in money. " Several vehicles are driving around Bendigo to advertise Mr Lethlean's campaign. ( ABC Central Victoria: Shannon Schubert ) A focus of the campaign is Ms Chesters has been far less visible and has at times played catch-up and matched Coalition election pledges. She has accused the Nationals of playing "Trumpian" politics and been angered by Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 'Exhausting' contest Deakin University senior lecturer Geoffrey Robinson said it was unlikely Labor would lose the seat. "The National Party's appeal is very much restricted to more traditionally rural cities," he said. "Where Bendigo's identity is more going back to the goldfields, it is more similar to a mini-Melbourne. " I expect Labor's margin will shrink a bit though. " Mr Littleproud has visited the electorate three times during the campaign, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is yet to make an appearance. "I don't think Labor is concerned about losing the seat," Dr Robinson said. Greg Bickley came close to beating Ms Chesters in 2013. ( ABC News: Terri-Anne Kinglsey ) Greg Bickley ran in Bendigo for the Liberal Party in 2013 and said it was an "exhausting" experience. He beat Ms Chesters by 2,872 votes in the primary ballot but lost on preferences. "The challenge is that the sitting member has a budget for advertising, while candidates don't get paid for their time to campaign — you do that of your own accord," Mr Bickley said. "It's a costly exercise personally, financially and sometimes socially." Mark Slattery says Mr Lethlean may have a shot at victory. ( ABC Central Victoria: Shannon Schubert ) 'In with a chance' As Labor voter Mark Slattery speaks to the ABC, a ute drives past pulling a trailer with a huge Andrew Lethlean sign and two Australian flags. "He's everywhere," Mr Slattery said. "He's in with a chance, I reckon." Nicole Pratt says she has only seen Labor's candidate on social media. ( ABC Central Victoria: Shannon Schubert ) Nicole Pratt said Ms Chesters was all but invisible compared to Mr Lethlean. "He's everywhere, out and about in the community," she said. "It's definitely a difference to others, like Lisa Chesters … I haven't seen her at all this election." Ms Chesters increased her margin at the last federal election. ( ABC Central Victoria: Shannon Schubert ) Ms Chesters told the ABC she was trying to be respectful to voters. "I've been out there doorknocking, I've been out there doing my listening posts," she said. " I've been respectful and not bombarded people with a tidal wave of advertising. " Mr Lethlean has been hitting the campaign trail hard. ( ABC Central Victoria: Shannon Schubert ) Mr Lethlean is positioning himself as an affable businessman who will balance the books. That pitch was damaged somewhat by revelations his pub Ms Chesters has been pushing the party line of stability. A Nationals spokesperson said the party was coming from "a long way back" as the "underdogs" but there was strong belief in Mr Lethlean. Loading Having trouble seeing this form? Try
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
