by SEAN BURKE – THE Coalition expected a thumping in South Australia last weekend – and it deservedly received one according to Liberal Senator Alex Antic.
Provisional results from the March 21 State Election indicate the Coalition secured just two seats in the legislative council – out of 11 contested – and about three or four seats in the lower house out of a total 47.
- The message from voters has been clear and repeated.
- Liberal’s Left-leaning message tailored to inner-city seats.
- Coalition not resonating in the inner-city – and never going to.
“The Liberals had a dismal result that wasn’t a surprise – in fact it was as expected,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
“The Party will not succeed while it continues to offer up Teal-like policies and it will only resonate with voters when it returns to being the Party of Menzies.
TRUTH
“That sounds like an academic lecture but in truth what it means is setting out a vision of hope for people – in particular young families.”
Senator Antic said the message from voters was clear and repeated.
“Yesterday I went to four or five polling booths across the State and the number of times I was told ‘sorry I can’t vote Liberal this time’ or ‘I used to be a Liberal voter’ was alarming,” he said.
“If this isn’t a wake-up call for the Liberal Party then I don’t know what is – and, by the way, this is a national phenomenon as well.
“This is not just a South Australian phenomenon and, let me tell you, that if this issue is not picked up by the Liberal Party federally then the vote will tank further.”
He said voters were fed up with the Liberal’s shift to the Left.
“People are sick of our usual message. South Australia is very much the canary down the coal mine regarding One Nation and the people in Canberra need to listen to this.”
With provisional counting completed, incumbent SA Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas was returned to office with 38.3 per cent of the primary vote. One Nation placed second with 22 per cent and the Coalition third with 19.3 per cent. The Greens secured 10.4 per cent of primary votes.
Senator Antic said the Liberals required courage to address voter concerns over issues like immigration, energy and social division.
“Our Left-leaning messaging is tailored to inner-city seats. We are clearly not resonating in the inner-city and I don’t think we are going to any time soon,” he said.
“Over the past 15 to 20 years we have tried to replicate Teal seats. You don’t have to dig very far to realise that this is a failed strategy – and it won’t work.
“If you look back to 2019 when we won the ‘miracle’ election, it was very much a message pitched to outer suburban seats; the ute tax and all this sort of stuff.
“Three years later that message flipped on its ear and Liberals were backing net-zero – we went woker than whatever – and we failed dismally.”
Senator Antic said people would vote for a Liberal Party in all parts of the country if it’s true to its values and if it is brave.PC
Sir, there are two very serious issues threatening Australias security, and the coming disappearance of the once great Liberal Party. Who on earth was so bloody stupid to allow some 900,000 people of a compleelty unsuitable culture to arrive in Australia? They hate loathe and detest EVERYTHING about our culture people and democratic system…
Currently our once great Party will shorty be extinct; unless some members with the balls to do it; make MAJOR sweeping changes, to return to the once great Party.
Immediately either EXPEL the ghastly evil Factional Warlords who believe they have ultimate control over the party.
i left at end of 2011 after 46 years of normal active BRANCH involvement. Why? because of the unbelievable lobbyist, busy taking control of our party to use it as his personal playground.
Today we have a handful of evil morally bankrupt scumbags self titled as Factional Warlords. factional deranged bloody wankers; who are rapidly destroying the Party. I understand that many thousands of normal decent members and their wallets have departed the Party in droves.
Kelly Sloane has ZERO chance at the next election. It is vitally imperative for some decent members with the BALLS to do either an immediate purge and rid the Party of this garbage, be they Right. Left, or Center. Even clip their wings and feathers with strong NEW RULES TO PREVENT THIS BUILDING SCOURGE. I am now in my 80s with major health issues; so can but observe this debacle.
“Senator Antic said the Liberals required courage to address voter concerns over issues like immigration, energy and social division.”
Immigration is destroying this once-great country’s culture, its economy, and its environment. The situation with energy is an unmitigated disaster, underpinned as it has been by the fantasy of “net zero” (not to mention the way our weakness is now being so clearly exposed by the war in Iran). Social division has been stoked by the wilful importing of Godless people who despise the West, and who desire to subjugate and ultimately destroy their naive would-be benefactors. And Senator Antic thinks voters – the people for whom he works, and who PAY HIS SALARY – are “concerned”, and that Liberal members of parliaments need “courage” to simply do the job for which they are so handsomely remunerated?
When someone who is meant to be one of the Liberal’s few remaining decent conservatives is talking in such a wishy-washy and condescending manner, it’s easy to tell that the party is well and truly over…
The leaning-left types in the Liberal Party won’t forgive Senator Antic this ‘I told you so’ moment. And they’ve no doubt been waiting for the chance to give him the same treatment they gave Gerard Rennick.
He should start clearing his desk. One Nation or Libertarians will accept him gratefully.