Government’s majority hangs on byelection
SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says a lot is at stake in today’s Wentworth federal byelection, in which voters could elect an independent over the Liberal candidate.
Asked if he was praying for a miracle in the Sydney seat, held until recently by Malcolm Turnbull with a twoparty preferred vote of almost 18%, Morrison said: ‘‘I pray often about many things’’.
‘‘Of course, it is a very big, tough contest tomorrow, and there is a lot at stake,’’ he said yesterday.
Liberal party elder John Howard has urged Liberal voters ‘‘grumpy’’ at Turnbull’s surprise ousting as prime minister not to jeopardise the stability of the Morrison Government with a protest vote today.
The coalition governs with a oneseat majority, and if Wentworth falls to independent Kerryn Phelps, as internal Liberal party polling suggests, it would create a political headache for Morrison.
‘‘In the last 24 hours, Kerryn Phelps has made it clear she couldn’t say she was giving full confidence to the Government if she were elected. I think that sets it out pretty clearly,’’ Morrison said.
Liberal candidate and former Australian ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma was running on 45% of the twoparty preferred voted compared with 55% for Dr Phelps, polling leaked this week showed.
Sharma has had a difficult final week of his campaign as the Government in Canberra lurched from one miniupset to the next, including the embarrassment of its own senators accidentally voting in favour of a One Nation motion stating ‘‘it’s OK to be white’’.
On Thursday, Sharma condemned a ‘‘despicable’’ email circulating in the electorate falsely claiming Phelps was pulling out the race because of a HIV diagnosis and urging voters to back him.