Latest news with #SimonWelsh
Sky News AU
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Generational change in electorates ‘limiting' Nationals' election ambitions
Redbridge Group Director Simon Welsh claims generation is more important than geography in elections. 'Not for a second suggesting that the Nationals are about to start losing seats because of this sort of attitudinal predisposition, but I think it kind of limits ... the Nationals' ambitions,' he told Sky News Australia. 'Nationals tend to do well in seats that are older and seats that are getting older, so that's characteristic of a lot of regional Australia, just broadly.'
SBS Australia
07-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Max Chandler-Mather says working in parliament was 'bloody awful' and 'miserable'
Max Chandler-Mather says he is "really proud" of his work in giving renters a voice on the national stage, as he reflected on his "miserable" time in parliament. The outgoing Greens housing spokesperson said they operated against "often very hostile two major parties" and that he is "quite happy" about not spending more time in the House of Representatives. Redbridge Group director Simon Welsh is predicting the Greens will lose the seat to Labor. "I really feel really proud of a lot of the work we have done over the last three years," Chandler-Mather said on Tuesday evening. "Perhaps what I feel most proud of is giving renters a bit of a voice on the national stage. So often we are ignored and treated like second-class citizens. It felt like at the very least we were able to force that issue onto the national stage." He said the result "is always a possibility". "It was always going to be a risk, when you're fighting these really big institutions — the property and banking industry, the major political parties, parts of the media establishment — and you're going out there saying renters deserve a little bit, and people on low incomes deserve a bit more. "There was always going to be a risk that you were going to cop a bit of hostility. "I take that as a point of pride, but it always comes with risk. I don't regret a thing, really." But he said he feels he has let a lot of people down. "We helped build a lot of hope and then we lost in Griffith. Ultimately, I have to take responsibility for that." The election was a night of mixed results for the Greens, with the party losing two of its Brisbane seats. Party leader Adam Bandt's seat of Melbourne remains undecided at time of publication. Despite this, Bandt said on Monday that the party has received a record Senate vote this election, and is on track to take 11 upper house seats. Chandler-Mather said the Greens were subject to a "massive collapse in the Liberal vote that transferred to Labor". "We were operating against often very hostile two major parties," he said. "I'll be honest — one of the things I'm quite happy about at the moment is I don't have to spend more time in the House of Representatives. Because basically every time I stood up, I got screamed and yelled at. "In terms of a workplace, it was bloody awful, and frankly a lot of the time, miserable." Later responding to a question on criticisms directed towards the Greens, including slowing progress on issues such as housing and undelivered promises like rent freezes, he said: "Parliament is a sick place, can I just say? Genuinely." "There were times when I was sitting in parliament and you'd watch both sides of politics team up to defend the stage three tax cuts. "Then we were getting attacked because we said we should spend a bit more on public housing and give something for renters. "I feel proud of that work … and I think if I had my time again, I would do it all again." "Did it have an effect? Maybe that lost us some votes." Chandler-Mather acknowledged the party had fallen short when it came to lower house seats — which was "bitterly disappointing". "But I think there is a lot of reason for hope," he said. "We need to work out how to do better. Two days out from the election, [I] don't have all the answers."
SBS Australia
04-05-2025
- Business
- SBS Australia
Did the Coalition's pledged cuts to migration backfire?
A pledge to cut migration levels could be one of the key issues to haunt the Coalition as it reels from its . Part of the Coalition's pitch to voters was a proposed 100,000-place cut to net overseas migration (the difference between the number of people entering and leaving Australia). While it said the bulk of the cuts would focus on skilled migration , the lack of detail around which visa streams would be targeted was repeatedly scrutinised in the final weeks of the campaign. Redbridge Group director Simon Welsh told SBS News the Coalition's immigration stance "absolutely" backfired. "Where the electorate was wanting hope and a positive plan, they were offering negativity," Welsh said. "Whether that was on immigration, , [or] whether that was on public servants." Outgoing Liberal leader Peter Dutton linked record levels of migration — which peaked at 536,000 in 2022-23, but which Treasury estimates will return to 260,000 next year — with exacerbating demand on housing supply and pushing up prices. Welsh argued that in diverse communities, this rhetoric turned voters away from the Coalition. He said there are two distinct voting blocs — established migrant communities and those in the "growth phase", which are experiencing higher levels of migration to Australia. Among the latter, which includes the Chinese and Indian diaspora, Welsh said the Coalition's immigration policies "really were a negative". "For families that are thinking about wanting to bring family over, because those communities are in this growth phase, that Liberal stuff was definitely a drag to them," he said. This was evident in the results across Sydney and Melbourne. Labor retained Hawke, Gorton and Chisholm in Victoria, and Parramatta and Reid in NSW, despite early polling showing these highly diverse seats were contestable. The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre said voters had rejected the politics of fear and division. "Voters have acted with compassion and it's time for our elected representatives and political leaders to reflect this in the incoming parliament," Deputy CEO Jane Favero said in a statement. In a March working paper, emeritus professor Peter McDonald and professor Alan Gamlen of the ANU Migration Hub argued that migration numbers were being "weaponised" to "elicit panic and sway voters". They outlined several reasons for the record migration levels during 2022-23. These included an influx of students, backpackers and temporary workers unable to travel during the pandemic, as well as several visa extensions under the Morrison and Albanese governments. However, with student levels on the decline and many of these extensions set to expire, they predict migration levels will sharply drop in three to four years. "From about 2027, as the number of departures expands considerably, net overseas migration is likely to plummet," they said. Visit the to access articles, podcasts and videos from SBS News, NITV and our teams covering more than 60 languages.
Sky News AU
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Coalition ‘losing' votes to third parties and independents
Redbridge Group Director Simon Welsh discusses the 'loss of altitude' in the Liberal primary vote as the election closely approaches. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have paused their election campaigning for today following the death of Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88. 'Where the Liberals are losing the vote, a big chunk of that we know is going to third parties and independents,' Mr Welsh told Sky News Australia. 'You would think that kind of plays in Kooyong's favour.'
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
Two men guilty of murder after car park stabbing
Two men have been convicted of murdering a man during a fight in a Rotherham car park. Lee Davies, 38, from Rotherham, died in hospital after being stabbed during an altercation on Drummond Street on 8 June 2024. A jury found Simon Welsh, 37, of Doncaster Road, Rotherham, and Jake Shaw, 27, of Canklow Road, Rotherham, guilty of the murder after a three-week trial. They will both appear at Sheffield Crown Court on 19 June for sentencing. Welsh was also found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent, relating to an incident from November 2023. Another man, Martin Shaw, 46, of no fixed abode, was also on trial for murder but was found not guilty. Mr Davies' family released a statement following the verdict. They said: "Today we feel that justice has been served and we welcome the guilty verdict placed upon the defendants. "Losing our son Lee Peter Davies has taken an enormous toll on our family. "He will be missed beyond measure, especially by his two young children who now have to grow up and navigate life without a father." They added: "We would like to thank the jury, the heroic witnesses who came to court and the investigation team for their time and efforts and a special thanks to the prosecution team, the OIC and SIO and our family liaison officer. "We now ask that we are afforded the time to grieve for Lee privately knowing that his murderers are going to be punished appropriately." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North Murder charges after man killed in car park fight Three men arrested after fatal car park fight Murder arrests after man killed in car park fight South Yorkshire Police HM Courts & Tribunals Service
