O’Toole buoyed by polls

MP says Longman result shows what issues matter to voters

LABOR’S weekend byelection success showed people voted on “everyday” issues, said Herbert MP Cathy O’Toole.

She said the 4 per cent swing to Labor MP Susan Lamb in the southeast Queensland seat of Longman was an outstanding result.

“It showed we’ve listened and we understand that people are concerned about access to quality jobs, locally available health care and fair and equitable funding for education and vocational training,” she said.

LNP candidate for Herbert Phillip Thompson said he was not deterred.

“The people of Townsville say to me that they want a change, they need a change so I am here to be that change,” he said.

LABOR’S focus on jobs, health and education helped win the Longman by- election and will do the same in the North, says Herbert MP Cathy O’Toole.

Ms O’Toole said the 4 per cent swing to Labor MP Susan Lamb in the by- election for the southeast Queensland seat on Saturday showed people voted on issues that affect them “every single day”.

“I think the outcome of the by- elections is simply outstanding for Labor,” she said.

“It showed we’ve listened and we understand that people are concerned about access to quality jobs, locally available health care and fair and equitable funding for education and vocational training.”

Ms O’Toole said issues such as the cost of child care, aged care and wage stagnation were key in Longman and would also be important in Herbert during the next federal election.

“What the by- election, particularly in Queensland, showed us is that policies that focus on looking after the big end of town and banks are not welcome,” she said.

“The messages that came out of Longman are not that different to what we hear here in Townsville. We hear about health, education, jobs and we also hear about the need for early childhood education and aged care.”

Meanwhile, LNP candidate for Herbert Phillip Thompson said he was not deterred by the swing against his party.

“It’s been roughly a century since a government has won a seat off an opposition in a byelection … so I don’t think you can say the result will have a bearing on the next election,” he said.

“All the LNP candidates should hold their heads really high and I’m sure they’re looking forward to the federal election being called.”

Mr Thompson said he was focused on being a “reasonable and reliable” voice for Townsville.

“As a former serving soldier from Townsville, as a resident of Townsville who has a family here, my issues are just like everyone else’s and that’s what I’ll be fighting for,” he said.

“The people of Townsville say to me that they want a change, they need a change, so I am here to be that change.”

Mr Thompson said he was ready “whenever” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull decides to call the next election.

LABOR Leader Bill Shorten wants to focus on ordinary people rather than “silly political games” after putting leadership speculation to bed with formidable wins in four byelections.

Mr Shorten was dogged by persistent questions about his position throughout the gruelling campaign, based largely on seat- by- seat polls that turned out to be wildly inaccurate.

His main leadership rival, Anthony Albanese, was also highly visible in the lead- up to Super Saturday, delivering a speech widely viewed as an effort to position himself for the top job in the event of poor results. Labor won four of five seats up for grabs, including contests in two crucial marginal electorates that were framed as litmus tests for Mr Shorten.

The Opposition Leader said the thousands of people he spoke to on the by- election campaign trail had no interest in politicians talking about themselves.

“What really matters to voters is how their family is going and how is their health,” Mr Shorten said yesterday. “If your family is OK and your health is OK then you can start to have dreams.”

He said Labor’s policies were focused on people’s lives.

“They want to know when the waiting list for their surgery will be reduced,” he said. “They want to know if we can improve the cancer treatment locally. They want to know if their local school can be properly funded.”

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will “humbly” reexamine his government’s policies after the Coalition failed to win two key seats from Labor in the by- elections on Saturday. The Queensland seat of Longman and the Tasmanian seat of Braddon stayed in Labor hands, despite eight weeks of feverish campaigning.

“We will look very seriously and thoughtfully and humbly at the way in which voters have responded,” Mr Turnbull said yesterday.