Simon Birmingham says fashionable Liberal get together ‘not seen as remotely liberal’
Former finance minister Simon Birmingham has taken to LinkedIn to name out the Liberal get together mannequin for being damaged.
Birmingham wrote:
It should begin with the raison d’être. Why do we’ve a Liberal Celebration and the way is it related in 2025 and past?
The broad church mannequin of a celebration that efficiently melds liberal and conservative considering is clearly damaged. The Liberal Celebration is just not seen as remotely liberal and the model of conservatism projected is clearly perceived as too harsh and out of contact.
Quoting Theresa Could to the UK’s Conservative get together again in 2002, he wrote: “Our base is too narrow and so, occasionally, are our sympathies. You know what some people call us: the nasty party.”
Australians nonetheless search the entire freedoms that liberalism stands for. Freedoms of perception, worship, household, enterprise and possession. Certainly, they embrace extra freedoms than ever in a society the place individuals take pleasure in extra rights to equality of alternative and train these rights by a large variety of social, household and enterprise constructs.
But in 2025 the Liberal Celebration is seen as grudging if not illiberal of the way in which some train these freedoms.
He mentioned the get together wanted to concentrate on ladies and known as for the get together to embrace gender quotas.
He additionally known as for the brand new chief to embrace citizen assemblies, reconcile itself on “budget sustainability, climate change and national security”, and embrace fashionable campaigning.
The Liberal Celebration has didn’t study classes from the previous and if it fails to take action within the face of this consequence then its future viability to manipulate will probably be questioned.
Key occasions
What we realized, 4 Could 2025
With that we’re wrapping up the weblog. Earlier than we go, listed here are the key tales from Sunday:
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A number of seats remained on a knife-edge on Sunday with the leads to many contests too near name, however with Labor anticipated to additionally make inroads into the federal Senate;
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Labor added a brand new title to its tally of serious scalps with the Nationals deputy chief, Perin Davey, anticipated to lose her Senate seat on Sunday morning;
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Anthony Albanese says he has obtained numerous texts and calls from world leaders after his election win;
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The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has described the election consequence as past the get together’s “most optimistic expectations”;
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The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has lauded federal Labor’s electoral win as “emphatic and historic”;
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The Nationals chief David Littleproud, who was re-elected simply, rejected a suggestion that the Coalition’s nuclear coverage had something to do with its defeat;
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Recriminations over the Coalition defeat have begun, with SA Liberal senator Alex Antic saying the get together ought to transfer additional to the appropriate;
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Liberal average NSW senator Andrew Bragg says the Coalition’s highway again to relevancy begins with “deeper understanding of modern Australia”;
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Labor MP Jeremy Laxale says there’s one individual accountable for the dimensions of the Coalition’s loss – Peter Dutton;
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Unbiased MP Zali Steggall mentioned the Liberal get together has misplaced its means and “abandoned the concepts of liberalism”;
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Coalition MP Keith Wolahan, who’s more likely to lose his seat, mentioned releasing insurance policies late within the marketing campaign was a tactical mistake;
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Wolahan additionally mentioned the get together might want to “dig deep and think about who we are”;
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Unbiased senator David Pocock says he’s “humbled” by the dimensions of the swing in direction of him within the ACT;
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Atmosphere teams have taken a victory lap framing the Coalition’s crushing citizens defeat as the top of its nuclear ambitions.
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The Marine Conservation Society says the Australian authorities should now do extra to guard Australia’s setting.
We’ll decide issues up once more tomorrow.
On X, the Liberal candidate for Goldstein, Tim Wilson, has shared this picture from the American sports activities comedy-drama Ted Lasso.
With 79.2% of the vote counted, Wilson is at present neck and neck with teal impartial Zoe Daniel, who leads by simply 97 votes.
Wilson is hoping the postal votes get him over the road.
Sussan Ley pays tribute to Dutton, says new Liberal chief will probably be chosen as soon as all outcomes are in
The appearing Liberal chief, Sussan Ley, has issued a press release saying the get together was reflecting on the “results with humility”:
Firstly, I need to thank the numerous tens of millions of Australians who voted for the Liberal Celebration (and Nationwide Celebration) and the hundreds of volunteers who supported our marketing campaign.
As Appearing Chief of the Liberal Celebration, and deputy chief for the previous three years, I need to pay explicit tribute to Peter Dutton and thank him for his 25 years of deeply valued service to our nation. He has been an excellent Member of Parliament, senior Cupboard Minister, Chief of our Celebration and pal. We want him, Kirilly, Bec, Harry and Tom all the easiest for his or her future.
She mentioned the events’ ideas have been with the Liberal members who’ve misplaced their seats and the 150 candidates who ran throughout the nation.
The Liberal get together would meet to elect a frontrunner and deputy chief of the opposition as soon as the complete outcomes are in.
Lastly, I thank our many devoted Liberal and Nationwide Celebration members, Australia-wide, for supporting us so effectively throughout this marketing campaign and at the moment.
Simon Birmingham says fashionable Liberal get together ‘not seen as remotely liberal’
Former finance minister Simon Birmingham has taken to LinkedIn to name out the Liberal get together mannequin for being damaged.
Birmingham wrote:
It should begin with the raison d’être. Why do we’ve a Liberal Celebration and the way is it related in 2025 and past?
The broad church mannequin of a celebration that efficiently melds liberal and conservative considering is clearly damaged. The Liberal Celebration is just not seen as remotely liberal and the model of conservatism projected is clearly perceived as too harsh and out of contact.
Quoting Theresa Could to the UK’s Conservative get together again in 2002, he wrote: “Our base is too narrow and so, occasionally, are our sympathies. You know what some people call us: the nasty party.”
Australians nonetheless search the entire freedoms that liberalism stands for. Freedoms of perception, worship, household, enterprise and possession. Certainly, they embrace extra freedoms than ever in a society the place individuals take pleasure in extra rights to equality of alternative and train these rights by a large variety of social, household and enterprise constructs.
But in 2025 the Liberal Celebration is seen as grudging if not illiberal of the way in which some train these freedoms.
He mentioned the get together wanted to concentrate on ladies and known as for the get together to embrace gender quotas.
He additionally known as for the brand new chief to embrace citizen assemblies, reconcile itself on “budget sustainability, climate change and national security”, and embrace fashionable campaigning.
The Liberal Celebration has didn’t study classes from the previous and if it fails to take action within the face of this consequence then its future viability to manipulate will probably be questioned.
Liberals In opposition to Nuclear calls on get together to axe ‘disastrous’ coverage
The group of Liberal supporters who led a marketing campaign in opposition to Peter Dutton’s signature vitality coverage have known as on the get together to drop the plan within the wake of the large defeat.
Liberals In opposition to Nuclear spokesperson Andrew Gregson mentioned:
This consequence sees the Liberals dealing with a generational wipeout. Solely important and instant change can chart a pathway again. Dropping the disastrous nuclear coverage proper now would show they’re ready to pay attention, study and act.
Saturday’s election outcomes are merely the most recent and most compelling proof that the get together trustworthy by no means signed up for nuclear and wouldn’t comply with Mr Dutton down this path.
If we proceed down this path, we’re not simply risking one other electoral defeat – we’re risking the very identification of the Liberal Celebration as based by Robert Menzies.
Amanda Meade
ABC tops election evening TV rankings
The ABC was the preferred vacation spot for election viewing final evening, with its prime election program (between 8.30pm and 10pm) attracting a nationwide common viewers of two.4 million viewers.
In line with official rankings knowledge from OzTAM, the ABC’s broadcast and ABC iview viewers dominated prime-time viewing with a free-to-air complete TV prime-time share of 48.4%.
Seven Information had 580,000 viewers and was the very best ranking business TV station.
Seven says it was the primary community to name the consequence, declaring prime minister Anthony Albanese the winner at 8.08pm.
9 Information was in third spot with 527,000 viewers.
The ABC Information web site and app had greater than 5.7 million customers throughout the day and virtually 500,000 further customers through Apple Information.
Labor MP Julian Hill used his Sunday morning to rub a little bit salt within the Coalition’s wounds.
In a submit to social media, Hill highlighted how the Liberal get together had secured solely 13 of the 37 seats gained by the Coalition within the Home of Representatives.
The Nats and LNP are doing comparatively effectively.
Barnaby Joyce for Chief of the Opposition?

Joe Hinchliffe
‘Women empowering women’ behind Labor’s success in Queensland, Anika Wells says
Labor’s Anika Wells says gender performed a “critical” position within the get together securing its historic win at Saturday’s election.
Talking at a park within the seat of Dickson, which Ali France gained from Peter Dutton, alongside seven different newly elected Labor ladies from the sunshine state – together with one senator and 6 more likely to win decrease home seats – the minister for sports activities and member for Lilley says the Albanese authorities impressed ladies to affix and vote for them.
It’s such a robust image that you just see right here. Not simply that we selected to preselect ladies, however these ladies symbolize their communities.
Wells says younger ladies like Emma Comer, the candidate for Petrie, noticed themselves represented in what was the primary ever majority ladies authorities and the primary ever 50-50 male-female cupboard.
She noticed herself in that, she noticed the chances for somebody like herself in that and he or she put herself ahead in a scenario that she might have by no means performed earlier than.
Ladies, empowering ladies. Ladies legislating for ladies. Ladies working for ladies. That is the consequence.
Together with France, Comer and Wells is Brisbane’s Madonna Jarrett, Bonner’s Kara Cook dinner, Moreton’s Julie-Ann Campbell, Griffith’s Renee Coffey and senator Corinne Mulholland.
Zoe Daniel walks again declare of victory in Goldstein
Unbiased candidate Zoe Daniel is sounding a notice of warning on Sunday after claiming victory within the seat of Goldstein on Saturday evening.
In a submit to social media, Daniel mentioned it will be some days earlier than the ultimate rely will probably be identified.
The lead to Goldstein is clearly shut and will probably be some days earlier than the result’s confirmed.
I once more thank the voters of Goldstein for his or her help in addition to the numerous volunteers who labored tirelessly on my marketing campaign.
This electoral race is private for her opponent, Tim Wilson, who was quoted by The Age on Saturday evening as saying he believed he would recover from the road on postal votes which have been being returned in his favour at a fee of two to at least one.
He mentioned:
Daniel is welcome to say no matter she desires – it’s the voters that may determine the consequence.
It’ll be tight. The entire nation went in a single path. We went within the different path. I’m fairly pleased with that. Succour if I fail, however I genuinely assume I’ll get there.
Independents ‘can’t be ignored’ in coming parliament, Gee says
Gee says the robust swing the independents obtained confirmed “people have had a gutful of the spin”.
In the long run there was simply a lot main get together promoting from the Nationals. It was simply an avalanche. And I feel in a price of dwelling disaster, individuals have been seeing these huge quantities of cash being spent on TV, on signage, every thing. And I feel lots of people in the long run thought that is simply obscene.
They usually have been simply seeing the identical outdated soundbites coming in. And it wasn’t actual and real group connection on the finish of the day. And so I feel that made the distinction. I feel we ran a really grassroots marketing campaign. We ran it on the scent of an oily rag.
And I feel that individuals might see in communities round our area that we have been genuinely making an attempt to supply various insurance policies and truly assist individuals and make life higher for the those that we symbolize.
Gee mentioned he didn’t consider the Labor majority would dilute the facility of the crossbench and that, in reality, he anticipated a “very dynamic crossbench”.
I feel the truth that the independents have been returned with such decisive outcomes, I feel provides weight to the voices that we carry to the parliament, as a result of we’ve proven that we will stand as much as the mightiest of machines and that we will defeat them, and that we’ll not be ignored and we will’t be ignored.
Former Nationals MP predicts get together may have management problem quickly
Andrew Gee says the failure by the Coalition to supply any actual particulars of its nuclear plan, significantly in communities like Lithgow the place it needed to construct them, contributed to their defeat because it left individuals guessing whether or not it was “fact or fiction”.
For instance, the Coalition didn’t inform the individuals of Lithgow that they have been really planning to retailer the nuclear waste in Lithgow. They completely ignored that.
After which once I really received that info out of it, they began saying, ‘oh, well, you can store it in Coke cans,’ and all this type of stuff like little, little canisters, like Coke cans. It was all very unusual. There was by no means any element throughout it, and folks have been simply in the long run, considering, is that this an actual coverage or is it not an actual coverage?
Just like the Libs, the Nationwide get together will probably be anticipated to have a management problem.
Make no mistake. The spin will probably be all, ‘yes, the National party had a good campaign and everything’s hunky dory, And aren’t the Liberals hopeless?’
However the actuality is the problem will probably be on if the numbers are there. Mark my phrases. I’ve seen this film many instances earlier than.