INSIDERS SAY POLL RESULT ‘DISASTROUS’
Massive Groom primary swing has LNP faithful concerned
GARTH Hamilton will return as the member for Groom, but LNP figures in Toowoomba are split on how the party can rebound from a Saturday night primary vote result that insiders say “verges on disastrous”.
The conservatives needed preferences to retain the seat from Labor’s Gen Allpass, after the LNP’s first preference count dropped by nearly 12 points to just above 41 per cent.
It’s the first time the LNP has not won the division in its own right since it became one party in 2008.
Both moderate and conservative members within its ranks are prescribing different solutions.
Mr Hamilton, who said the LNP had “lost credibility” among Australian voters, has also not revealed whether he will support Peter Dutton as the new leader of the Liberal Party.
THE war of words has erupted inside the LNP in Groom after the conservative party’s “disastrous” primary vote result at the federal election on Saturday night, with key figures predicting a “cleansing” within the ranks.
While postal votes still need to be counted, incumbent MP Garth Hamilton has been returned with an eight per cent swing against him.
He has achieved a first preference vote of 41 per cent so far, down 12 points from predecessor John McVeigh’s performance in 2019.
In fact, Mr Hamilton’s first preference drop is the largest by a sitting LNP member in Queensland, beating primary swings in Brisbane (10.9 per cent) and Ryan (10.7 per cent).
His regional colleagues to the east and west of Toowoomba saw far smaller swings, with Maranoa MP David Littleproud achieving a slight move towards him on a two-party basis.
High-profile independents Suzie Holt (above, 8.9 per cent) and Kirstie Smolenski (7.53 per cent) were the biggest beneficiaries of the LNP’s drop in support, while Labor’s Gen Allpass received a modest primary bump as well.
Mr Hamilton said he owned the result from Saturday night.
It comes as Mr Hamilton now finds himself in opposition, after the Coalition was swept from government in a result fuelled by big swings to independents in Sydney and Melbourne and the Greens in Brisbane.
Both moderate and conservative figures within the party locally have come to completely different conclusions over the LNP’s drop in first preference votes.
Members within the progressive wing of the party said the seat was now vulnerable at the next campaign for failing to act on matters like climate change.
“It’s verging on disastrous, in an electorate like this, for a whole range of reasons, not just its history,” one figure said. “Groom is one of the most diverse energy regions in the country, we’ve got a range of projects like coal, wind, a pumped hydro proposal, solar.
“If a representative can’t talk about a lower emissions future, given those projects that are happening, that representative is either blind to what’s happening or not up to date.”
Others said the Coalition had stopped listening to voters on a national level.
“The party federally needs to listen to the people more — we’re a grassroots party and we need to be listening to the people,” one member said on the condition of anonymity.
But Toowoomba North branch president Neil Munro took a different view, saying the party had been punished for supporting a 2050 net-zero climate policy.
“It’s very significant that the Nationals lost no seats — the Nationals were dead against the net-zero path,” Mr Munro said.
“The optimism comes from the fact that we have been chastised, and the cleansing has to come next.
“We were not beaten by Labor, we were beaten by their own base, many of whom were wondering why they were supporting us given our net-zero policy.”
Speaking to The Chronicle on Monday, Mr Hamilton reenforced his view that the LNP had lost credibility with centre-right voters.
“We lost credibility as the party of centre-right, we lost trust with the voters,” he said.
“We’ve seen an election where Labor has won without a mandate — this isn’t a situation that’s anything other than us having lost.
“The first thing we need to do is acknowledge the result and take it on the chin.
“That process of restoring credibility, there’s no silver bullet – that’s us lifting our standards.”
Queensland MP and outgoing Defence Minister Peter Dutton is likely to succeed Scott Morrison as leader of the party, but Mr Hamilton wouldn’t comment on who had his support.
“I’ve got a strong working relationship with Peter,” he said.
“I’m focused on what we need to do as a party and I want someone who is going to address those issues.”
Mr Hamilton once again thanked his supporters and volunteers for re-electing him, after securing the seat at the 2019 by-election.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the people of Groom, and I am here entirely because of the LNP and I thank all the members who have supported me,” he said.