Voter backlash bad for Libs

A VOTER backlash against the Federal Government — as seen in the Wentworth byelection — could spell trouble for Sarah Henderson, an expert has warned.

Ms Henderson holds the seat of Corangamite on a slim 3 per cent margin, but Deakin University politics expert Geoff Robinson said that could be under threat at the next election.

Dr Robinson said voter discontent with the Coalition Government was evident and that it could decide Ms Henderson’s fate in Corangamite.

“I think she is in genuine trouble of losing the seat, which is probably nothing to do with her political skills,” he said. “I think she’s been dragged down by a government that is struggling.”

It comes as the Federal Government copped an unprecedented swing against it — about 18 per cent — at the Wentworth by-election on Saturday.

While counting of the votes continued yesterday, independent candidate Kerryn Phelps was expected to win the seat, one that had been controlled by conservatives for 117 years until former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull quit parliament in August.

Dr Robinson said the leadership spill that forced Mr Turnbull to resign could have flow-on effects in Corangamite, where Ms Henderson’s margin is the slimmest of any federal Liberal MP.

“I think Malcolm Turnbull was a good fit for Corangamite and I think replacing him has posed problems for the Liberals,” he said.

“Having said that, they won the seat when Tony Abbott was leader, so it’s not essential.

“But with Malcolm, it was a plus (for Ms Henderson), so without him will make it harder for her.”

Ms Henderson said she was unsurprised by the outcome in Wentworth, given the turmoil within the Liberal Party in August.

“The result in Wentworth is a tough one but not unexpected,” she said.

“We understood voters in Wentworth were angry about what happened several months ago and they have expressed that.

“Labor and the Greens also lost a third of their vote.”

But she did not say whether she was concerned about the voter backlash extending to her own seat. “In Corangamite, I will continue to fight tooth and nail for the people I represent,” Ms Henderson said.

Corio federal Labor MP Richard Marles said the swing recorded at the Wentworth by-election showed voters were disillusioned with the current government.

“This is what happens when you’ve got a government in chaos that ignores the community they should be working for,” he said.