Latest news with #teal
The Australian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Australian
Which Australian suburbs have the strongest support for teal independents?
From Avalon to Bondi, Hawthorn to Elsternwick, Subiaco to Shenton Park: these are the Liberals' one-time stronghold zones that have abandoned their blue-ribbon traditions, embracing a teal conversion that started as a protest and has become an entrenched movement winning over the majority of voters in some hotspots. At the May 3 election, more than half of all voters in the most teal-leaning suburbs cast a primary vote for their independent MP. Many were so disillusioned with a party that once was guaranteed to claim the lion's share of ballot paper '1's, they directed their preferences into the red corner of their ballot paper instead of the Liberals. Four booths in Sydney – Avalon Beach in Sophie Scamps' Mackellar on the northern beaches and Paddington North, Darlinghurst East and Bondi Beach East in Allegra Spender's eastern suburbs seat of Wentworth – led the way in ensuring their respective teal MP was re-elected with an increased majority, tallying primary vote totals above 50 per cent. At another 88 booths across the six lower-house seats won by teals – including Warringah and Bradfield in Sydney, Kooyong in Melbourne and Curtin in Perth – the independent's primary vote was between 40 and 50 per cent. Even in Goldstein, where former MP Zoe Daniel was narrowly ousted by Liberal returnee Tim Wilson, several teal-leaning communities still pushed Daniel past 40 per cent of primary votes. In the beachside enclave of Avalon – whose three booths finished in the top 11 teal-voting locations nationwide – disillusionment towards the major parties, a strong focus on community issues and progressive social values underpinned Dr Scamps' re-election. Residents Giles Belcher and Alex Carr said they supported Dr Scamps because she hadn't done 'anything wrong', as opposed to the major parties. '(Mackellar) was a Liberal stronghold for years but no one ever did anything … we were just ignored, so it was a protest vote to start with,' Mr Belcher said. '(Dr Scamps) didn't do anything wrong. The Liberals are still a mess so she got in again. 'I think she advocated for the area relatively well … I'm not sure I could point to any one thing that she actually got done, but at least she was a voice, whereas I don't think there was one before.' Mr Carr said the teal vote benefited from an electorate that was an 'unusual blend of being quite environmentally upstanding and community-based, as well as relatively well off' – something, he said, the Labor and Liberal parties respectively neglected. 'You can be very liberal in certain points of view and then still focus on the economics of the world … the perception is (the teals) sit in that centrist place quite nicely.' He said the electorate had not turned anti-Liberal but rather found an alternative that spoke to the community's position better. 'It comes down to the leadership – so therefore if I buy the leadership and the vision of the Liberal Party and then the person on the ground is right, then yeah, I don't think anyone is averse to the Liberal Party,' Mr Carr said. 'It's OK to want your pocket full but believe in environmental change. They seem to be able to hit that mark quite well, whereas I think the other parties have missed that point.' Mr Belcher also opened the door to a Liberal return. 'Leadership is key,' he said. 'If you had somebody with a good vision and the local person was right, I think people would vote for (Liberals) again. But without that, I don't think they have a chance.' Teal voter Ellie Rourke said Dr Scamps had 'done a lot to win the hearts and minds of us here' and that her trustworthiness bolstered her votes. For the Liberals to have any chance of winning back the electorate, they must regain trust and pick a better candidate. 'It's in the individual candidate, not necessarily the party's policies here … I think the Liberals have a lot of work to do across Australia to regain trust, and then within that we just need a better candidate,' Ms Rourke said. Judging by how many Avalon residents voted for the unsuccessful Liberal candidate, James Brown – the former son-in-law of ex-Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull – she's right. At the Avalon Beach booth just over 10 years ago, then Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop won the support of 53 per cent of voters, slightly more than Dr Scamps at this election. On May 3, Mr Brown wasn't able to win even a quarter of the primary votes, finishing with 24.1 per cent. A similar pattern played out in other teal-aligned booths across the country. In Wentworth, Allegra Spender received 46.4 per cent of first preferences in Woollahra, while her Liberal opponent, Ro Knox, won 34.9 per cent – a far cry from the 69.3 per cent Mr Turnbull received at the 2013 election, before he became party leader. In Warringah, home to the original teal MP Zali Steggall, the former Olympic freestyle skier almost cracked half of the primary vote in Fairlight (49.5 per cent), while her Liberal opponent, Jaimee Rogers, managed just 28.1 per cent, well below the 52.1 per cent Tony Abbott received when he led the Coalition to power in 2013. And in Kooyong, Josh Frydenberg's 50.1 per cent of the vote at the Auburn Primary School in 2013 was well out of reach for Amelia Hamer, who barely reached 30 per cent, far behind the 46.8 per cent who gave their first preferences to teal MP Monique Ryan and helped her win one of the most intensely fought electorates of the 2025 election. In Bradfield, the Liberals have lodged a challenge against the result in which Nicolette Boele was declared the winner after a recount gave her a 26-vote victory, reversing the initial count that found Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian had narrowly won. Whether the Liberals should pour resources into trying to regain the teal seats has been a source of debate within Coalition circles. Former leader Peter Dutton focused his attentions on outer-metropolitan seats before the 2025 election, barely setting foot in the teal seats across the five weeks of the campaign. After that approach failed spectacularly, with the Liberals losing a swag of outer-urban electorates including Mr Dutton's own seat, his replacement Sussan Ley declared winning back all lost seats, including those surrendered to the teals, would be a priority. In Avalon – a suburb named after the island from the legend of King Arthur where magic and mythical healing helped him recover from his battle wounds – no such forces look like helping Ms Ley's Liberals any time soon. Resident Jeremy Ing, who is a Liberal voter, said he was 'worried' Mackellar's future was teal. 'I don't see how we won't have a teal MP going forwards because the reality is you've got the Coalition standing against at least three parties because the Greens and Labor preference the teals,' Mr Ing said. His wife Susan, who voted for Labor, said any electorate with a strong teal representation was 'reflective of the disillusionment mainly with the Liberal Party'. 'People are fiscally conservative but socially want to see changes,' Ms Ing said. Asked for comment on the rise of the teals in one-time Liberal strongholds and the failure to win back any of the Sydney seats lost to the independents, a NSW Liberal Party spokesperson said the 2025 campaign would be subject to 'thorough analysis' in a review conducted by former politicians Pru Goward and Nick Minchin. Politics Home Affairs Tony Burke says Palestinian author Mona Zahed did not apply for a humanitarian visa, but instead had applied for an entertainment visa that she was not eligible for, resulting in her application not being cancelled on character grounds. Politics The two leaders addressed rising tensions in Gaza and growing Chinese assertiveness in the Pacific during high-level talks in Queenstown on Saturday.
Epoch Times
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Liberals Reclaim Goldstein After Recount
Independent teal MP Zoe Daniel has formally conceded the Victorian seat of Goldstein after a partial recount confirmed Liberal candidate Tim Wilson won by 175 votes. The result marks Wilson's return to Parliament and comes days after his appointment as the shadow employment minister.
News.com.au
02-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Liberal candidate Tim Wilson takes back tightly contested seat in Goldstein, Victoria from independent Zoe Daniel
Liberal Tim Wilson said his win in the Victorian seat of Goldstein was because he looked to 'reverse engineer' teal strategies that brought them success in 2022. Mr Wilson said his campaign focusing on a bright vision for the future appealed to the electorate and delivered one of the rare flips for the Liberal Party in the federal election. 'I think we were speaking to people's sense of hope and ambition … we weren't playing small, we were going big. We talked very optimistically about a hopeful future,' Mr Wilson told RN Breakfast on Monday. Mr Wilson finished 175 votes ahead of independent candidate Zoe Daniel, attributing the result to the way his campaign had 'brought together a lot of people who wanted to have a shared vision for the community and the country'. 'After the 2022 election, we looked very closely at, well, what do we need to do to change and adjust to fight a new political threat? And what is it that's driving voters to support the teals? 'We worked on it for a very long period of time.' Ms Daniel hinted that she may make another run for the seat in the next election. 'Today we did not win. But we are not defeated. Hard things are hard, and a better kind of politics is worth fighting for. See you in 2028? Maybe!' the former ABC journalist wrote on X. Ms Daniel demanded a recount after losing the seat to Mr Wilson by just 260 votes, saying several errors were made during the distribution of preferences. The Australian Electoral Commission finalised the partial recount of 85,000 votes on Saturday, confirming Mr Wilson had won with a margin of 175 votes. In a statement posted to social media, Mr Wilson said after 29 days of counting the Liberals had 14,697 more first preference votes than the former MP. 'I want to thank all Goldstein voters but particularly the extraordinary effort some went to so their voice was heard,' he said. 'Now the recount is finished, the result is clear. It is time to get on with the job and take the voice and values of Goldstein to shape the future of Australia.' Ms Daniel declared victory in the highly contested seat on election night after early counting leaned heavily in her favour. But a surge in postal votes over the following days swung the pendulum back into blue-ribbon territory, with the seat called for Mr Wilson on May 7. Ms Daniel refused to concede the seat at the time, insisting on waiting for the full distribution of preferences, and then demanded a recount, which was granted in part by the AEC. She said it had been a long process to recount the 85,000 votes, representing 75 per cent of votes cast. 'Goldstein is now one of the most marginal seats in the country, and with that comes embedded accountability,' she said. 'In that, we have done our job. 'In a world where trust in elections is being eroded in so many places, we should never take this for granted.'
West Australian
19-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Independent Nicolette Boele ahead in critical seat of Bradfield by 40 votes as electoral watchdog flags recount
Independent teal candidate Nicolette Boele has edged ahead in the race for the seat of Bradfield by just 40 votes – triggering a bombshell update from the electoral watchdog as the Liberals' purported victory is put into play. Ms Boele's opponent, Liberal Gisele Kapterian, was last week on track to win the longtime blue-ribbon seat for the party. But the latest vote count on Monday evening has now flipped the climate-backed Teal back into the lead by a razor-thin margin of 40 votes. Ms Boele has secured 56,233 votes, while Ms Kapterian sits at 56,191. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) will now carry out a full distribution of preferences and will automatically conduct a recount if the final margin is less than 100 votes. 'It now looks like the result in Bradfield will come down to just a few dozen votes out of around 120,000,' Ms Boele said on Monday afternoon. 'There may be a recount and I await the final declaration from the AEC. 'I'm grateful we live in a country with a trusted electoral commission that conducts itself with integrity. I didn't quite think I'd get such a close look at the institutions underpinning our democracy, but seeing the AEC operate over the past few weeks, I'm glad we live in Australia. The Teal thanked her 'respectful and formidable' opponent for her civility throughout the count. 'This has been a nailbiting couple of weeks for our volunteers, and I'm sure for Gisele Kapterian and her team as well,' she added. 'No matter the final result, our community has sent a powerful message to the major parties: we are not the safe seat we used to be. 'Our votes mattered this time, and they will matter next time too. That's the power of independents and I thank our 1,450 volunteers for the years of hard work it took to get here.'
ABC News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Tim Wilson says Goldstein win is 'deeply emotional', takes parting shot at Zoe Daniel
An emotional Tim Wilson has taken aim at independent Zoe Daniel for not yet conceding defeat in the seat of Goldstein. The former Liberal member is set to reclaim Goldstein from Ms Daniel, making her the first of the "teal" group to lose their seat since coming to power in 2022. Mr Wilson was met by a large crowd of supporters in a Brighton park on Wednesday where he made his victory speech. He said the win was deeply emotional for him, and that he felt humbled and privileged to represent Goldstein again. He described his team as "defying political gravity" to help him secure the seat. "Three years ago, people said that Goldstein could not be won, I was written off, the Liberal Party was written off. "I am very proud — genuinely very proud — to say that we are pleased to accept that we have won the seat of Goldstein back," he said, becoming teary. Zoe Daniel says she's awaiting further results from the count, saying the margin is still close. ( ABC News: Danielle Bonica ) Mr Wilson said he did not think he had heard from Ms Daniel but admitted that his phone "had exploded over the past 24 hours" so he may have missed a message. "The former member has continued to post content on social media suggesting that they wished the count to continue," Mr Wilson said. "All I will say is this: after the last election, and let's be very honest, it was brutal … I showed respect to my supporters, to the people that voted for me by conceding because I thought it was important to provide a clean slate." He also took a swipe at Climate 200 backer, Simon Holmes à Court. " We did not have massive cheques written to us by entities based in Sydney who tried to treat the community like it was an acquisition in a trust fund. " Mr Wilson told the media he did not want to talk about the national result or the Liberal Party leadership today. He dodged a question about whether he had any leadership aspirations, saying his focus had been on making it back into parliament. Tim Wilson described his team as "defying gravity" in helping return him to parliament. ( ABC News: ABC News ) He said the challenges Australia faced had grown more substantial since his last term in office, including in the areas of education, jobs and housing affordability. "That sense of aspiration, that dream is at risk right now. " We are in a time in history where a lot of the things that we've been able to take for granted as a country now sit on the precipice. " He said small businesses were suffering because of a lack of courage of the Labor government. "The current government has thrown sugar on the table to get themselves through an election but they have not addressed the root cause of the problem." Supporters joined Tim Wilson in a Brighton park this morning for his victory speech. ( ABC News: ABC News ) On Tuesday night, Ms Daniel posted on social media that she believed it was sensible to wait for further results "out of respect for my scrutineers and the democratic process". She said there was a margin of just a few hundreds votes while 12, 000 ballots were still to be counted. Election fallout and analysis: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Counting continues elsewhere The intense battle for Greens leader Adam Bandt's seat of Melbourne is ongoing. Sarah Witty was several thousands votes ahead and Mr Bandt needed 33 per cent of preference to retain his seat. The Australian Electoral Commission's release of official preference counts revealed flows of under 26 per cent. Independent Monique Ryan remained just ahead of the Liberals' Amelia Hamer in Kooyong. The Liberal Party remained ahead in Flinders and Monash. There were just a few hundred votes between Labor's Lisa Chesters and the Nationals' Andrew Lethlean in Bendigo. Menzies was likely to be won by Labor's Gabriel Ng. And Calwell was yet to be declared. The 2025 election explained:
