When you set aside all the spin, Dunkley’s voters delivered a simple message in Saturday’s byelection: they still quite like Anthony Albanese’s government, and they saw no need to belt Labor over the cost of living.

Jodie Belyea’s victory has preserved Labor’s 78 seats in the lower house and the “Frankston tough” candidate, who saw off capable local Liberal mayor Nathan Conroy, is headed to Canberra.

Credit: Artwork — Alex Ellinghausen / Marija Ercegovac

But like the English cricket team after another Ashes loss, senior Liberal MPs have claimed a moral victory in the Dunkley result.

The reality is a little different.

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley thundered on Saturday night that a swing of 3 to 4 per cent in a general election would deliver the Liberals 11 seats and “that is enough in the next parliament to form government”.

In reality, the Coalition holds 55 seats and would need to win 21 seats to form a majority government. Winning 11 would make for a very shaky minority government.

Shadow finance minister Jane Hume was a bit more realistic, arguing that Dunkley was not a marginal seat, that Labor would have wanted to see their primary increase by more given its recent move to deliver tax cuts to more voters and that the party’s primary vote was the best they had managed in a decade.

“I want to make sure that we don’t overcook it here, there’s work to be done. But at this stage of the electoral cycle, I think that we can take this as a very positive sign.”

QOSHE - Dutton will claim a moral victory. The true moral of the story is different - James Massola
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Dutton will claim a moral victory. The true moral of the story is different

10 2
03.03.2024

When you set aside all the spin, Dunkley’s voters delivered a simple message in Saturday’s byelection: they still quite like Anthony Albanese’s government, and they saw no need to belt Labor over the cost of living.

Jodie Belyea’s victory has preserved Labor’s 78 seats in the lower house and the “Frankston tough” candidate, who saw off capable local Liberal........

© The Sydney Morning Herald


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