Liberal moderates face electoral wipeout

Dominic Giannini | May 21, 2022

Moderate Liberals have suffered major early swings in damaging signs for the faction while some of the party’s ministers face losing seats to independents.

In the Melbourne seat of Goldstein, independent Zoe Daniel claimed victory over Liberal incumbent Tim Wilson.

In North Sydney, moderate Liberal Trent Zimmerman is facing a 14 per cent swing against him.

In Sydney, Fiona Martin in Reid and Jason Falinski in Mackellar, plus Katie Allen in Mebourne’s Higgins have all had their seats called against them by the ABC, while Treasurer Josh Frydenberg also trails an independent.

Mr Frydenberg remains behind challenger Monique Ryan with a more than nine per cent swing against him and is projected to lose the seat by a three per cent margin, based on progressive tallies.

Housing Minister Michael Sukkar has also suffered an early five per cent swing against him in his Melbourne-based seat of Deakin and is projected to lose to Labor’s Matt Gregg by less than one per cent.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who suffered an early swing against him which has since tightened to 2.4 per cent, is tipped to retain his outer Brisbane seat of Dickson.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham says the seats the Liberals trail in outline a problem for the party, including in inner-city electorates like Kooyong, Higgins, Mackellar and Goldstein.

“It’s a clear problem that we are losing seats that are heartland seats, that have defined the Liberal Party for generations,” he told the ABC.

“If we lose those seats, it is not certain that we will, but there is clearly a big movement against us and there is clearly a big message in it. 

“We need to heed the message because forming government in the future without winning those sorts of seats is a next-to-impossible task.”

Senator Birmingham said comments such as those by Liberal candidate Katherine Deves about transgender athletes harmed moderate MPs in neighbouring electorates.

“They are being punished by association with candidates in adjacent seats,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Scott Morrison championed a strong economy and a stronger future in his final pitch to voters as he cast what could be his final ballot as prime minister.

Receiving a rockstar welcome at the local Lilli Pilli primary school in his electorate of Cook, Mr Morrison lauded the community that has installed him in parliament since 2007.

“I love this community. This community has given me so many opportunities, and our family so many opportunities, and I’m very grateful to my local electorate,” he told reporters and supporters. 

But not all locals were as welcoming in the Liberal heartland, criticising the prime minister for being parachuted into the electorate from the eastern suburbs in 2007.

“He can go back to Bronte, he pretends he’s from the shire but he’s not, he’s a parachute. We remember,” one local said. 

“The problem is we have so many beautiful beaches and parks here and he doesn’t (care) about the environment, otherwise he wouldn’t vote with who he votes with.”