Latest news with #Liberal-leaning
Miami Herald
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Héctor Palacios, founder of an opposition movement in Cuba, dies in Miami
Héctor Palacios Ruiz, a prominent former political prisoner and one of the first dissidents who broke with Fidel Castro's revolution to create an opposition movement in Cuba, died in Miami on Saturday. He was 82. For years, Palacios had battled cancer and several other illnesses – including several strokes and heart disease – stemming from his time in prison due to his political activities in Cuba, including months of isolation in a tiny walled-up cell, relatives said. He was one of the 75 well-known dissidents who were incarcerated during a government crackdown in 2003 known as the Black Spring, accused of treason. He was sentenced to 25 years, but was released in 2007 due to mounting international concern for his poor health. At a time when publicly opposing the Cuban government was perceived as quixotic and dangerous by most of the population, Palacios, along with other prominent figures like the late Oswaldo Paya, the late Vladimiro Roca, and Martha Beatriz Roque, embarked on what would be decades of trying to foster an opposition movement inside the island. 'Palacios is part of the original group of founders of the civic and political opposition in Cuba, with an immense level of prominence,' said opposition leader Manuel Cuesta Morúa from Havana. 'For several years, he was president of the Democratic Solidarity Party, the largest Liberal-leaning party in the country, with representation in almost every province. For a long time, he played an important role in [opposition] projects such as Concilio Cubano in 1995 and Todos Unidos in 1999, and, along with Oswaldo Payá, he was one of the driving forces behind the signature collection for the Varela Project.' After leaving the Communist Party and his position as director of a state music agency in the late 1980s, Palacios headed the Democratic Solidarity Party and was one of the leaders organizing Concilio Cubano, Cuban Council, a coalition of about 140 dissident groups and human rights organizations that showed Cuban authorities that opposition was gaining momentum. Along with the 'Homeland is For All' declaration penned by Roca, Roque and the Varela Project, the plebiscite initiative spearheaded by Payá, Concilio Cubano was one of the most serious efforts by Cuban dissidents to coalesce early on around a platform of political goals, including a general amnesty for all political prisoners, free and direct elections and economic freedoms. But the government arrested many participants, including Palacios ahead of their planned big gathering on Feb. 24, 1996. That day, the Cuban government shot down two civilian U.S. planes flown by members of Miami-based Brothers to the Rescue that flew that day from South Florida. Palacios said the Concilio leadership attempted to have the gathering later that year, but he was arrested in November and then again in January 1997. He was imprisoned while awaiting trial for charges of contempt of the authorities. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for criticizing Castro – using the word 'crazy' to describe him – in an interview with a foreign media outlet. He was released early, thanks to the mediation of Pope Jean-Paul II, who visited Cuba in January 1998. Palacio's efforts faced the same challenges that members of the opposition in Cuba experience today: how to unify dissident groups, connect them to the broader population, build alliances with exile organizations and navigate shifting U.S. policies, all in an effort to mount a successful opposition to the six-decade communist rule on the island. Palacios served as the secretary of Todos Unidos, All United, a coalition of dissident groups created in 1999. A sociologist, he also founded the independent Center for Social Studies and turned his Vedado apartment into a library where activists were exposed to the political writings and other books by Czech dissident and late President Vaclav Havel, Morúa said. None of those organizations were allowed to function legally, as the Cuban government bans independent civic or political organizations, and state security agents were at times able to infiltrate them. An affable six-foot tall 'guajiro' — Cuban slang for peasant — 'he was a full time activist. You could count on him at any time,' said Juan Adolfo Fernandez, one of the 75 dissidents imprisoned in 2003 who knew Palacios well. María Elena Alpizar, an independent journalist and one of the founders of the Ladies in White movement, a group of female relatives of political prisoners, called him 'a great anti-communist Cuban patriot,' in a publication lamenting his death. But he also took positions that made him unpopular at times and created controversy among peers and exiles in Miami, such as supporting President Barack Obama´s policy of engagement with Cuba. 'We must engage in dialogue; this policy of isolation is what the Cuban government wants,' he wrote in a letter he sent to Obama. He also told U.S. legislators that the amount of U.S. foreign aid reaching dissidents on the island was minimal. He met with then-Senator Obama during a campaign stop in Miami in 2008, after Cuban authorities let him travel to seek medical treatment in Spain. Palacios told the Miami Herald at the time that he welcomed Obama's ideas to ease travel and remittances to Cuba, which he advocated for in a congressional hearing that same year. 'What Obama intends to do about Cuba includes many things that I share,' Palacios said. 'This is not the moment to fence in the people of Cuba. This is the moment to open the doors so Cubans and Americans can go there. We cannot subject the people of Cuba, after 50 years of war, to one more war and we cannot continue killing each other. Changes in Cuba are taking place and people have not realized this. Fidel Castro is no longer there but the people are and the people are stronger than ever.'' Palacios resisted pressure by the Cuban government to go into exile and returned to the island after having received medical treatment in Spain and after visits to Miami and European countries, where he advocated for the release of political prisoners and democratic change on the island. He told el Nuevo Herald at the time: 'I'm returning to Cuba first because I'm Cuban, and second because I've earned the right. I've fought and suffered enough for my homeland.' He continued his opposition work and remained a spoken critic of the Raúl Castro government, warning that the Cuban ruler couldn't bring meaningful reforms to the island. After a life under constant surveillance and harassment by Cuban state security, he finally went into exile in 2014. He became a U.S. citizen and lived a quiet life in Miami, his liberal views at times unpopular among Cuban exiles who have increasingly aligned with the Republican Party and its hawkish Cuba policies. 'Palacios advocated for more avenues for exchange and more opportunities between Cuba and the United States as a way to foster a democratic transition, especially a peaceful one,' Morúa said. 'Once the idea of doubling, tightening, and increasing sanctions and making them more radical began to gain much more traction, this led to his losing media coverage in the United States and presence among others in Miami who advocate for this same approach.' In 2014, Palacios told el Nuevo Herald that the dissident movement's main challenge remained the same: forging a broader 'connection with the Cuban people, the only one who can change the situation on the island. Until those people have faith in the opposition, and at the same time, the opposition educates them for change, it won't happen.' Born in a humble family of farmers in El Escambray, the mountainous enclave in central Cuba, he wanted his ashes scattered there in a free Cuba, his relatives say. He is survived by his three children, Frank, Héctor Mario and Odalys Palacios, and two grandchildren.
Sydney Morning Herald
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Package teal: The independent movement, three years on
Elsewhere in Sydney, the teal line held firm. Sophie Scamps retained Mackellar with a swing, Zali Steggall held Warringah, and Allegra Spender stayed on in Wentworth. The only departing teal was Kylea Tink, whose North Sydney seat was abolished. Victoria: Teal cracks show The sole teal upset came in Victoria, with Zoe Daniel all but assumed to have lost Goldstein to former Liberal MP Tim Wilson in a dramatic rematch (although a recount is still on the cards). Daniel beat Wilson in 2022, but this time Wilson pulled ahead on postal votes after Daniel prematurely claimed victory on election night. The margin in the see-sawing count narrowed again in recent days, but most observers predict Wilson will win – just. His triumph was historic: the first Liberal to reclaim a seat from an independent, and the first to defeat a teal incumbent. He dubbed himself a 'teal slayer' and borrowed from their campaign playbook – early corflutes, branded T-shirts, and 'coffee swarms'. While Daniel focused on national issues like climate policy and tax reform, Wilson zeroed in on hyper-local concerns around crime and planning, despite them being state matters. He also targeted Goldstein's 10 per cent Jewish community, calling himself a Zionist and criticising Daniel's support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. Wilson's win came despite being outspent by Daniel, who raised more than $1.8 million – including $570,000 from Climate 200 – and, like other incumbents, had the advantage of publicly funded office resources running into the hundreds of thousands. Wilson said his $1 million campaign was partly self-funded, but he disclosed no donations pre-election, in line with the minimum requirements under federal rules. Third-party groups – Australians for Prosperity, Better Australia, and Repeal the Teal – ran aggressive attack ads against Daniel. Two of these had direct Liberal links. 'The teals are not an unstoppable force,' Wilson said. 'No matter how large their chequebook, it can be beaten by a strong Liberal heart and a courageous Liberal heart.' Loading Monique Ryan survived a tough battle in Kooyong after a redistribution added Liberal-leaning areas such as Toorak and Malvern from the abolished neighbouring electorate of Higgins. Her six-point 2022 victory over Josh Frydenberg was reduced to a slim margin – 50.6 per cent after preferences, or just 1400 votes as of Saturday – following a strong challenge from Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer. Anticipating a tight race, Ryan's team knocked on 55,000 doors and raised $1.1 million from 2683 donors (including $47,000 from Climate 200) since the start of the year. Hamer's campaign cost around $1.5 million, according to a Liberal party spokesman. Kenny noted that the Melbourne teals had a rougher ride than their Sydney counterparts due to a number of small but compounding factors: the unpopularity of the Allan Labor state government, local law and order issues in affluent suburbs, and less favourable boundary changes. 'So a lot of small things adding up to pretty difficult circumstances,' he said. Added to this was the sizeable Jewish population in both electorates – larger in Goldstein. 'There's obviously quite a strong pro-Israel vote in Goldstein … so I think that's probably not helped [Daniel], either. And given that we're talking about such fine margins, you don't need big shifts in any of these things for it to matter.' Kenny and other analysts said while then-opposition leader Peter Dutton was not popular, the vitriol felt for him was not comparable to Scott Morrison in 2022 – most notably because Dutton was not prime minister. Still, Dutton mostly stayed clear of teal seats, where he was seen as a liability. 'That anti-Dutton message doesn't work quite as well … particularly as we got later in the campaign, and it became clear that he wasn't going to win,' analyst Ben Raue, of The Tally Room blog and podcast, said. 'Dutton stayed away from these seats, he was no help there. If Tim Wilson gets re-elected [in Goldstein], it's not thanks to him.' Unlike Bradfield in NSW, the Liberal candidates in Goldstein and Kooyong also had long lead-in times – Wilson began campaigning almost as soon as he lost in 2022, while Hamer was preselected for Kooyong more than a year out from the election. Both candidates mounted strong ground games. Beyond the city: High hopes, hard limits Regional Victoria was also disappointing terrain for independent candidates hoping to make fresh inroads. Helen Haines comfortably retained Indi with 58.5 per cent of the vote after a minuscule swing against her (-0.41 per cent), but no new Climate 200 candidates broke through. Wannon, held by Liberal MPs (including former prime Minister Malcolm Fraser) since 1955, proved resilient to the teal pitch for a third time. Dan Tehan's campaign, assisted by right-wing lobby Advance, framed Alex Dyson – a comedian and podcaster – as a 'Green in disguise' and even a 'clown'. The result was a modest swing to Tehan, now a rising power in the diminished Coalition. Touted contests in peri-urban Flinders, on the Mornington Peninsula, and regional Monash, covering parts of Gippsland, failed to fire, despite independent candidates snatching double-figure primary votes. No inroads were made elsewhere in NSW: Berowra (won by Liberal Julian Leeser), Gilmore (Labor's Fiona Phillips), Cowper (Nationals' Pat Conaghan), Calare (National-turned-independent Andrew Gee), Lyne (Nationals' Alison Penfold), Farrer (now Liberal leader Sussan Ley), or Riverina (Nationals' Michael McCormack). Kenny said regional seats were less susceptible to independent challengers unless they were former Nationals – like Andrew Gee or Bob Katter. 'The Nats have done quite well, and the reasons for that is that these country electorates, or regional electorates, tend to be very stable, population-wise,' he said. 'They tend to still reflect the somewhat older model of people being loyal to a particular party consistently and perhaps even intergenerationally.' Climate 200-backed independents failed to take any of the six Queensland seats they contested – although Holmes à Court has said Ellie Smith, who ran in Dutton's seat of Dickson, holds some responsibility for unseating the opposition leader by sending preferences to Labor's Ali France. Do the teals still matter? And to whom? Holmes à Court said the election result was 'a strong endorsement' for community independents and noted that independents had finished in the top two candidates in 22 electorates. He noted that 1 million Australians voted for an independent and that independents enjoyed the strongest swing, marginally ahead of Labor. 'But politics is brutal, right? There's, there's no silver medal,' he admitted. Psephologist Kevin Bonham was more blunt. He said the teals were 'a side show'. 'The whole election was very heavily about what people thought of the Coalition and the influence of Trump making people wary of change,' he said. 'The sort of the issues that the teals campaign on were big things in 2022, and they're just not the same deal any more to a lot of voters.' Labor's massive majority means it doesn't need support from the independents to pass legislation and has a reliable Greens bloc in the Senate. Kenny says the teals could still be influential in the political discussion. 'They're articulate. They're professional. It's what differentiates them from a lot of the hacks that the major parties [field],' he said. 'Zali Steggall made this point very well. She's not had the balance of power in either of the two last parliaments, but still been able to get quite a lot done in terms of legislation that she's either sponsored or championed in one way or another, or made amendments to through negotiations.' Perhaps where the teals remain most significant is in what their presence means for the Liberal Party. Of the 35 candidates backed by Climate 200, only five targeted Labor-held seats – in Bean, Fremantle, Franklin, Gilmore and Solomon – and all were unsuccessful. The movement's greatest impact continues to be as a thorn in the side of the conservative party. However, Ghazarian noted that the mixed results for the teals signal volatility among voters. 'This result suggests that it's still not conclusive about the longevity of the teals and that voters are still willing to go back or to support the Liberal Party if the candidate and the local campaign resonates with their preferences and with their aspirations,' he said. Despite likely regaining Goldstein, the Liberal Party will remain in the political wilderness if it cannot win back the inner-city metropolitan seats it has lost to the teals, according to Kenny. '[Liberal leader] Sussan Ley seems to be saying the right things now about steering the Liberal Party back to where the Australian people are – in other words, back to the mainstream centre,' he said. 'I think that represents some sort of recognition of what they've lost to the teals and to mainstream Australia, and therefore, by definition, you have to say it at least potentially presents a threat to the teals as well. Because the teals – that's the ground they're looking to occupy. But it's also the ground, broadly speaking, that Albanese is looking to occupy as well. 'It's pretty crowded territory, that middle ground – so if the Libs want back in there, they're going to have to do so with more than rhetoric.' Holmes à Court agreed. Even if the Liberals managed to put forward candidates that teal voters might, in theory, support, he argued the power of the movement now came from the social energy and sense of purpose surrounding it. 'One phrase I've heard many times over the last year is 'active hope',' he said. 'The first time I heard the phrase from a Sophie Scamps volunteer. The vollie explained, 'I could stay home and throw the remote every time Dutton comes on the telly or yell at my husband how Murdoch is destroying democracy, but volunteering gives me hope and the satisfaction that I did something meaningful when it mattered'.' 'The Liberal Party would have to change quite dramatically to inspire Australians to join – let alone volunteer.'
Sky News AU
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
'They are still counting': Allegra Spender refuses to admit Teal defeat in Goldstein as Liberal's Tim Wilson claims the win
Allegra Spender has refused to acknowledge defeat for her fellow Teal candidate Zoe Daniel after Liberal Party candidate Tim Wilson secured the Melbourne seat of Goldstein. Mr Wilson now has a 983-vote lead in the seat, and this is likely to increase as the AEC counts the remaining postal votes – which are currently favouring the Liberal candidate by a margin of almost 64 per cent to 36 per cent. The AEC website also lists a further 1,182 absent, provisional and declaration pre-poll votes which need processing, and are unlikely to swing as heavily in favour of Mr Wilson. Monique Ryan's neighbouring seat of Kooyong is still in doubt, with Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer a formidable opponent as she sits roughly 600 votes behind of Dr Ryan. Ms Spender on Wednesday was pressed about why Zoe Daniel and Monique Ryan struggled to gain as impressive a lead as she did in the race for Wentworth. Ms Spender responded: 'At this stage, those two seats are still pretty much in play as I understand.' Sky News called the contest for Mr Wilson shortly after 2pm on Tuesday. Sky News host Laura Jayes reiterated to Ms Spender that Mr Wilson had secured Goldstein for the Liberal Party but the Teal MP was adamant the seat was still in play. 'I think they are still counting, but we'll see. I think the media has called it various ways, but we will see what happens in the end," Ms Spender said. The Independent MP pointed to 'significant redistributions' in both electorates as a factor in the defeat. The redistribution in Kooyong undoubtedly worked in the Liberal Party's favour, earning them several Liberal-leaning suburbs and eliminating at least six polling booths which swung Independent in 2022. However, all recently added booths to the Goldstein electorate - such as Bentleigh Central, Bentleigh South, Moorabbin Central, and Moorabbin South - registered a greater two-candidate preferred vote for Ms Daniel, the Teal MP compared to Mr Wilson. Ms Daniel saw a 12.53 per cent swing her way in Moorabbin South, with 703 votes compared to Mr Wilson's 574. The Teal MP saw an even larger swing of 14.27 per cent in Moorabbin Central, securing exactly 100 more votes than Mr Wilson. Bentleigh South recorded a slimmer swing, of 4.84 per cent swing Ms Daniel's way, securing 839 votes to Mr Wilson's 703. Similarly, in Bentleigh Central, a 4.01 per cent swing towards the Teal MP was recorded, with Mr Wilson earning 498 two-candidate-preferred votes compared to Ms Daniel's 573. Both seats were considered Liberal safe seats, each being strongholds for the party since their inception, with the exception of Ms Daniel's first term after her 2022 victory. 'Let's remember that these are seats that have never been held by non-liberals before and never held by women before, so it was always going to be tough,' Ms Spender said. 'Both of them had smaller margins than mine going into the election, so we'll just have to see. 'You're seeing a lot of seats that are really tightly in play at the moment, and I think that really comes down to lots of local factors' Ms Daniel is also yet to concede the seat, saying in a statement on Tuesday she wanted to 'respect the democratic process'. 'While the media has called the result in Goldstein, I will wait for further counting out of respect for my scrutineers and the democratic process,' the Teal MP said. 'This seems sensible given the margin is in the hundreds and there are about 12 thousand remaining votes to be counted.'
ABC News
04-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Everyday Australians offer explanations for the Coalition's electoral wipe-out
Across the country, voters sent a clear message about who they wanted in Canberra. But what exactly drove so many to turn their back on the Coalition? Labor will return to Parliament House with a firm grip on power, representing seats many never would have expected to fall from the Coalition's clutches just years ago. Nationwide, blue seats turned red, from the most northerly electorate of Leichardt in Queensland, south to Tasmania's bellwethers, Bass and Braddon. In the cities, Liberals lost both marginal and long-held electorates, the likes of Deakin and Menzies in Melbourne, Petrie and Bonner in Brisbane, and Hughes in Sydney's south-west. Meanwhile, Independents maintained their hold of blue-ribbon seats across the country. Australians had much to contemplate when they cast their ballots after years of economic pain, and an increasingly challenging global landscape promising further uncertainty. Why did so many reject Peter Dutton's Coalition? Was it an unlikeable captain, poor policy offerings, a blundering campaign, culture wars debates, or anti-Trump headwinds? The ABC has spoken to voters from these shifting seats across the country, and listened to their fears, fury and frustration with the parties and the political system. Their stories provide an insight into exactly what brought Mr Dutton and the Liberals undone. David Thompson and Debra Kruse changed their voting preferences this election. ( ABC News: Jessica Moran ) 'Laughable portfolio of policies', say Tasmanians The northern Tasmanian seat of Bass, which takes in Launceston and surrounding areas, is known for being marginal and often swings with the government of the day. It is considered more Liberal-leaning than some other Tasmanian electorates, alongside nearby Braddon. Residents in Bass did not hold back when they offered their views on the Coalition's campaign. "I've never seen such a laughable portfolio of policies … worst portfolio anybody's ever brought in Australia," said swinging voter and IT consultant David Thompson. " I mean, the nuclear thing was just uneconomic, unproven … it just didn't resonate at all. " He felt the policy offerings from the Coalition were "shambolic" and many "thought bubbles" that were back tracked within days. Lawyer Debra Kruse said she had changed her voting preferences this election. The pressing issue on her mind was the environment and future quality of life for her three children and five grandchildren. "We have grandchildren who will never be able to buy a house unless they get lots of help … I just didn't see anything from the Coalition that would help," she said. Peter Dwyer was not surprised by Labor's landslide national win. ( ABC News: Jessica Moran ) Another Bass resident, Peter Dwyer, said while he did not vote for Labor he was not surprised by the swing away from the Liberal Party locally and nationally. While he mostly backs the Coalition, he was not supportive of their nuclear energy policy, describing it as a "60s thing" that "we've left behind". He feels the Liberal party has swayed too far to the right. "I'm probably fairly typical of most Australians; we just look at elections today and just go, not another one," he said. Mr Dwyer felt Peter Dutton had admiration for US President Donald Trump, which bothered him. "I think the Coalition were very, very unwise to sort of align themselves to a large degree with [President Trump] … he's proving himself more and more to be a financial instability globally." This sentiment was echoed by Mr Thompson, who said, "nobody wanted the craziness that is 'the Donald' in Australia". Mr Dutton had been accused of inciting Trumpian rhetoric language and ideas, while also appointing Jacinta Nampijinpa Price as Shadow Minister for Government Efficiency. The role echoed the one the US president created for controversial tech billionaire Elon Musk, but both Mr Dutton and Ms Price rejected the similarities. A recent poll from the Lowy Institute found two thirds of Australians had little or no trust in the US, a historic low in the poll's almost two-decade history. In other parts of the country, voters pointed to the national and personal issues that influenced their votes. Deakin resident Cathy voted for Labor to protect the NDIS. ( ABC News: Jesse Thompson ) Fears for the future in city suburbs Many Liberals are reckoning with the colossal losses across the major cities, with long-held suburban seats changing hands. The Liberal Party's Keith Wolahan, who looks to have lost his Melbourne seat of Menzies, said his party "has an issue with people in urban Australia". In the neighbouring electorate of Deakin, Coalition front-bencher Michael Sukkar lost his seat to Labor's Matt Greg. The electorate had become increasingly marginal, with Mr Sukkar securing it by only 0.2 per cent of the vote in 2022, and a redistribution shrinking the margin even further. Prior to this, the seat had only been held by a Labor member three times since 1972. "I just feel like Labor is more compassionate to ordinary, working class people like me," said Cathy, a local Deakin resident. She hoped the Labor government would provide more support to renters and protect the National Disability Insurance Scheme — which her daughter accesses. One of Labor's less expected gains of this election was the south-western electorate of Hughes, where voters appeared concerned for the future. The electorate takes in parts of Liverpool, Campbelltown and the Shire, and has been held by Liberal MPs since 1996. Here, residents told the ABC their biggest concerns were for future generations. "I'm not struggling but I feel sorry for the younger people … I am happy Peter Dutton lost his seat," one man told the ABC. Another woman, who didn't give her name, said she had deep concerns for the country, but is "not really happy" about Anthony Albanese's re-election. "The young ones can't afford to buy a home anymore, everything is just too expensive … the younger generation are going to be our future," she said. " We just needed someone to give us better direction with things … I don't know if Albanese is the right person for the next three years. " Thomas Paff (right) says he had a lot to contemplate at this year's federal election. ( ABC News: Emma Siossian ) Regional voters looking for change In regional areas, some locals said housing, social and cost-of-living policies ultimately determined their vote. Thomas Paff lives in the beachside town of Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales Mid-North Coast, with his wife and newborn baby. The 28-year-old said he and his wife had a lot to contemplate at this national poll. They live in the regional electorate of Cowper, which became a closely-watched contest where the Nationals were threatened by a local independent. Ultimately, the incumbent Pat Conaghan beat Caz Heise, maintaining the long tradition of National representation in the electorate. Mr Paff said he took more time to consider his political choice this election after having his first child, and was happy with Labor's win at a national level. He and his wife were convinced to change their usual voting preferences due to what they saw as Labor's "family-friendly" policies. "There were a few things about childcare that my wife and I thought were appropriate to us," he said. "This isn't the way we normally vote, but this time with the newborn, we thought we should look at different policies, and that's why we chose Labor," he said. "We are happy with the result, we get a few days of childcare, and there was a 20 per cent HECS debt reduction [pledge], and my wife and I both have a HECS debt, so that was good as well." He said the big dream for the young couple was "to get into the housing market soon". Cairns local Kurt McDonald was looking for housing solutions. ( ABC News: Christopher Testa ) Regional centres have felt the pinch of rising house prices in recent years, and in the far-northern electorate of Leichhardt, voters said it was a key issue for many. "Ultimately, I think everyone wants to own their house one day," said Leichhardt local Kurt McDonald. The 30-year-old lives in Cairns, the heart of the electorate, a major regional centre, a popular tourist spot and a destination for cashed-up, city-based sea-changers. "Places in Cairns, over the last couple of years, have doubled in rents, housing values have doubled [it feels like]," Mr McDonald said. Labor had been eyeing off Leichhardt, hoping to steal it from retiring Liberal Warren Entsch, and managed to secure it with a more than 10 per cent swing. Mr McDonald believes the Liberals failed to prove they had long-term solutions for the pressing economic problems many locals faced. "The Liberal party didn't really seem like they knew which way to go depending on the day," he said. " It jumped from culture wars one day, to cost of living the next, so it was quite difficult to be taken in by that sort of approach. " Voters across the country made it clear they found multiple reasons not to back Coalition candidates. From foreign relations and campaign rhetoric to housing and energy policies. The Liberal and National parties now have the difficult job of trying to build a new strategy to gain support of those in the cities, seaside and everywhere else across the vast nation. They have three years to try and regain their lost base.
Perth Now
04-05-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Key MP at Albo's post-vote coffee
Anthony Albanese has embarked on a victory lap after leading Labor to a landslide win at Saturday's federal election. The Prime Minister's first stop was Bar Italia – a cafe in his inner-western Sydney seat of Grayndler – where he had coffee with supporters. Mr Albanese used to visit the cafe with his mother Maryanne, who died in 2002. 'I used to visit this coffee shop with my mum,' he told reporters. 'I grew up just down the road here and I did certainly think of her last night as well. She would be very proud.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese kicked off his post-election victory lap by stopping at a cafe he used to frequent with his late mother. Julian Andrews/ NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Among the guests was Jerome Laxale, who managed to fend off the Liberals' Scott Yung and keep the seat of ultra-marginal seat of Bennelong in Labor's hands. Mr Albanese praised Mr Laxale for navigating challenges posted by a redistribution that pushed more Liberal-leaning areas of North Sydney into the seat, saying he 'rocked it'. 'There wasn't one second that Jerome doubted his capacity to win,' Mr Albanese said. 'He put his head down and didn't complain about it – a bit of a rough deal when you win a seat then it gets turned back the other way.' Mr Albanese (left) invited Finance Minister Katy Gallagher (middle) and Bennelong MP Jerome Laxale (right) to coffee. NewsWire / Monique Harmer Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Laxale fended off his Liberal challenger Scott Yung and kept Bennelong in Labor's hands. NewsWire / Monique Harmer Credit: News Corp Australia He said it was emblematic of the 'discipline that our team showed'. 'We will be a disciplined, orderly government in our second term, just like we had been in our first,' Mr Albanese pledged. 'We have been given a great honour of serving the Australian people, and we don't take them for granted, and we will work hard every day.' Labor has won at least 86 seats in the 150-seat parliament, while the Coalition has been reduced to 37 so far with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton one of the casualties.
