STATE-based Victorian Liberals have accused the Abbott government of derailing the Napthine administration’s bid to retain office, amid bitter recriminations about the federal budget’s effect.
But MPs loyal to Tony Abbott have defended his government’s budget and performance, claiming that the political wounds suffered in Victoria were self-inflicted.
Former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett said there was no doubt federal factors had contributed to the historic loss, which rendered the Coalition the first one-term government in almost 60 years.
While Mr Kennett said there were many factors at play, the impact of federal policy decisions and the Canberra-based debate had hurt the Victorian government.
“It was an issue, a contributing issue, particularly in the last few weeks,’’ Mr Kennett said.
But the demise of former premier Ted Baillieu and the deep instability in the government had undermined its cause. “Ted’s early retirement, then all the instability (were factors),’’ Mr Kennett said.
Outgoing attorney-general Robert Clark said federal factors clearly had been an election issue.
“Clearly, as (outgoing Treasurer) Michael O’Brien said last night, the Abbott government’s budget has been a distraction for the Victorian Coalition in terms of us conveying our messages,’’ Mr Clark said.
“It’s taken attention, it’s made it difficult for us to get across to Victorians about the benefits, in particular our most recent budget.”
Outgoing Community Services Minister Mary Wooldridge blamed federal factors for many Coalition problems.
“I think the federal issues have been very important,’’ she told the ABC.
“And you wouldn’t have 80 per cent of the Labor Party’s negative advertising featuring Tony Abbott as well as Denis Napthine if the Labor Party didn’t think the federal issues swing votes.”
But the Prime Minister’s parliamentary secretary Josh Frydenberg told The Australian it was wrong to blame the federal government.
“We won’t cop that. The polls have been stubbornly against the Coalition for three years; the result was determined by state factors,’’ he said. “The union movement was galvanised very effectively.’’
Rising Liberal star Dan Tehan refused to buy into the recriminations but said Labor had presented a more united front. “Politics is a team game and, disappointingly from a Coalition point of view, the ALP put in a better team performance,” he said.
“The truth is, we were outplayed by the Labor team and that will change.”
Federal Trade Minister Andrew Robb said federal factors had played little part and the result was due to the Napthine government’s performance. “Again, as a former campaign director, my sense always is that the result at the end is a function of how people have observed consciously or unconsciously the actions of both parties, through the four years in the case of a state,’’ he told the ABC.
A senior Liberal familiar with the campaign said the problems with the Napthine government were structural and well understood internally and had been identified more than a year ago.
source: theaustralian.com.au
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