Senior federal coalition members have conceded time was against the party in its loss at the New South Wales (NSW) election.
NSW Liberals were swept from power at Saturday’s poll after more than a decade in office, with Labor leader Chris Minns to become the state’s next premier.
Federal Liberal frontbencher Paul Fletcher, who hails from NSW, denied the party had failed to learn lessons from its defeat at last year’s federal election, instead insisting history was not on their side.
“After three terms and 12 years, inevitably, it becomes harder to win a fourth term. It’s the nature of Australian democracy that the electorate starts to look for alternatives,” he told ABC Radio on Monday.
“It’s not surprising that people look for a change; that’s been a pattern in Australian politics for decades.”
The Liberals suffered a more than four percent swing across the state on Saturday, with Labor looking set to govern in their own right as counting continues in several close seats.
While critics have called on the Liberals to move further to the right following the election loss, Fletcher said such a move would not be needed.
“The imperative for the major parties, including certainly the Liberal Party, to be responsive to the concerns of mainstream Australians is absolutely fundamental,” he said.
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce said the coalition should not split in NSW following the election loss.
“I don’t think splitting the coalition achieves a lot, but that’s a decision that my colleagues in NSW have to make,” he told Seven’s Sunrise program.
“Now with Labor Party all across Australia, they’ve got no one else to blame; they’ve got to look after the cost of living.”
Saturday’s election result has seen Labor governments in every state and territory on the mainland, with Tasmania the only state Liberal government remaining.
Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie said the result at the polls was not surprising.
“(The Liberals’) performance over the last three or four years has not been good both at state and federal,” she told Nine’s Today program.
“You have to also remember what have they done, 12 years in NSW? I think people are ready for a change.”
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland welcomed the victory by Minns.
“This was a focus on listening to people and responding to some basic needs,” she told Seven’s Sunrise program.
“It is about delivering the services and infrastructure people expect, and I think this is particularly so in those outer metropolitan growth areas of our cities.”
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