'Post-poll pulse' – Hughes and Templeman dissect wins and losses from the weekend’s election
13:21 Share

On Sydney Now... Who can't handle the truth? The Straight Shooters. Every Tuesday afternoon on the program, we talk to Liberal Senator for New South Wales, Holly Hughes, and the Labor MP for Macquarie, Susan Temperman. And a special edition of our segment today because the ladies, post-election, finally have the time to join me in studio.

Holly, Susan, good afternoon. How good is it? Good afternoon. It's great to be here. So nice to be all together. It's been a challenging weekend, particularly for the Coalition. You could say that. It's been an exciting weekend, no doubt, for Labor. I'll start with you, Susan. We all saw the polls in the lead-up to Saturday, and yes, they were predicting a Labor victory, probably minority, but it was going to be a Labor victory. Genuinely, was there surprise in the ranks about the way Saturday night turned out?

I did not expect it to turn out exactly the way it did. I was much more cautious about our prospects. And look, that's partly because this was my sixth election and I've lost two elections. I had one election that I ultimately won, but it took 16 days to count the votes. So I really feel for the people who are going through that right now. So I am always...

always hopeful but never confident and even on the day I couldn't have picked this from the response of voters at the voting booths. Just before I get to you Holly, just on that 16 day count, do you think in 2025 there'd be a more efficient way of doing it? Well that was only 2019 so we're not talking the dark ages but

It is a methodical process. And one of the joys of our democracy is that every single ballot does get counted. And when it comes to distributing the preferences, there are scrutineers watching to make sure that no human error is being made. And I think we're better off with a methodical count that takes time than any other process you might think of. To ensure accuracy, on Saturday night, Holly...

I guess the polls weren't looking good for you in the lead up to that. Did you have any feeling that it was going to be as bad as it has been? Well, considering this is one of the worst election results the Liberal Party's ever had, I don't think anyone felt that it was going to be that bad. There was trepidation. I think when you saw every single national poll going into a certain direction, you

it's hard to sort of see it coming. I mean, I've been working on campaigns, every campaign since 2022. So you do tend to, with that experience, get a bit of a sense of where the mood was at. And if you were going to see a change of government or you were going to see a big pickup of seats,

you can normally feel the anger on a polling booth or you can feel the angst coming from the voters. We certainly got that impression at the last election, at the 22 or 23. They were waiting with baseball bats. But that wasn't the feeling on Saturday. So what happened?

Excellent question. I think the Liberal Party has a lot of soul searching to do as it goes forward and not just the parliamentary party. The organisation itself has to have a really good hard look at itself as it moves forward. With such a thumping win for Labor, Susan, you're going to have a lot more colleagues now. The backbench is going to be big. That is going to form some challenges for the leadership.

Is that potentially going to cause problems for our vote with different members lobbying for front bench positions and then the work that you do on a daily basis when you're fighting for your constituents? Does that actually make it harder when there's more of you? Well, you won't be surprised to know that we're a reasonably competitive bunch who lands in parliament.

And so, of course, there will be people putting their case about what role they should have. What I have found, and I'm now going into my fourth term in Parliament, is that there are such valuable roles you play, whether you are a backbencher or a frontbencher. There are committees to be chaired. There are inquiries to be held. And it is really important that

to be able to find the place where you know you make a difference. I think for the new people coming in, you know, a stack of new people, I'm so looking forward to welcoming them. There will be, they've got to learn how the place works.

For most of us, that first term is a bit of getting to know you. I loved my first term because it brought back to me... I'd spent three years as a political reporter in the Canberra Press Gallery, so I understood the processes. But there was still heaps to learn about how the parliament works, let alone what you do when you're back in your electorate. So it is, for the first termers...

no matter what side they're on, it's a big learning curve. But it is starting... I think those who've been around more than one term, yeah, have to think about what roles they're really interested in and how to learn and position themselves for that. Holly, you'll be leaving the Cent in the mid-year and you knew that would be the case with your position on the ticket. Yeah.

But you've been very vocal in the past 24 hours and hats off to you for doing that. Thank you. Because I think if there's going to be, and this applies for any side of politics, if you're going to improve, if you're going to change, you've got to be honest. Well, you've got to be prepared to have the tough conversations. And I think the reality going forward, and I will be leaving the parliament in a couple of months, it's really up

up to the parliamentary party going forward, how they represent Liberal Party views. I know as a senator what my values and my views have been. I still firmly believe in lower taxes. I think businesses need a much more simpler system

industrial relations regime. I think we need, you know, that there needs to be more done for families to support them and the choices that they would like to make. They're values that I held, they're values that I still believe in. And I don't know what I'm going to be doing in a couple of months, but there's certainly things that I'll be advocating for. For this term, most of it, I've had the privilege to be the Shadow Assistant Minister. And I

I actually still am for everyone who keeps calling me the former. Still am for a few weeks. But the Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and the NDIS. Now, when you look at those three areas, I really hope that Prime Minister Albanese puts good ministers in

that are able to work in a bipartisan way because mental health, suicide prevention and NDIS should not be political footballs. I'm the mother of a child with special needs. I know how hard it is for those families. So whatever I'm doing in the next couple of months,

You know, I still believe in lower taxes. I will still be trying to get industrial reform in a way that makes it easier and simpler to start and run a business and that particularly those affected by the mental health or the disability sector are getting the help that they need. But it really is a matter for those...

continuing or coming into the parliamentary party to see how they work forward and what values they embrace and sell. You've been critical of Angus Taylor. He was on my program on Thursday when the policy costings were finally released. And I said to him, why are you waiting until the second last day of the campaign? Because there was $14 billion of proposed savings there. And from what I understand, there was some really good stuff in there and we could have actually sold it. He told me it was convention to do it the second last time. And I said, throw convention out.

Did anyone in the party tell Jane Hume, Angus Taylor, before that point, hey, can you release these policies, please? Well...

just policies would have been good. And I think, you know, it's not just me who's made this commentary. I know I've been vocal and obviously the media loves it when someone who's in the parliamentary team's prepared to stand up and say that was terrible and actually say people in the economic team have a lot of responsibility to take here. But people like Peter Costello have now come out saying the same thing. There are other former MPs

and high-profile people across politics, commentary, journalism and all sorts of areas and saying that the Liberal Party had lost...

You know, their support because they didn't have policy. But behind the scenes in the lead up to this, during the campaign or even before the campaign, were people saying... Look, I don't know if anyone else was. I certainly wasn't privy to any of those conversations because certainly as far as I think some of my colleagues were concerned, I'm on the way out the door. So I wasn't someone that was required... So did they not listen to you? Well, I wasn't spoken to by most of them.

That's astonishing. Well, you know... You're still a member of the team. Well, the last party room meeting we had was not really a rev up. It was a everyone stop being mean to Angus, basically. You know, that was reported afterwards. And as I text to a friend of mine, you know, geez, I feel like I'm in year nine by the principle not being, you know, being told not to pick on the fat kid. It hardly was enthusiastic and uplifting. Have you spoken to Angus Taylor since the election? No.

I haven't spoken to Angus Taylor for quite a long time. Is he fit to be opposition leader? Not in my view.

Who should be opposition leader? I think very strongly it should be Susan Lee. Susan is an extraordinary woman. I think people in Australia really need to get to know her better. I mean, she's an old punk rocker. It's hilarious. I still love seeing all that old stuff that she used to do. But she flies her own plane. I love that she's a pilot and flies her own plane. She's grown up all around the world. But I think for the Liberal Party, if the Liberal Party and this new parliamentary party is going to say, we've listened in every seat we lost,

The majority of voters were women. They didn't come to us. The Liberal Party can now say, we've listened, we've noticed, and we've put a woman in as leader who is very, very effective rather than two middle-aged white blokes and say, you know, how can you sell that message? Susan, do you think a female should lead the opposition? Oh, I think that... I know it's not for you to say. I really think that's for the opposition to decide.

And I really feel for them because they've not got lots of choice there to work through. So it will be interesting to see what comes out of it. And I take on board the thoughts that Holly's expressed. She knows her people much better than I do. But, you know, we do need an effective opposition. I'm a big believer in that from, you know, getting things through parliament, having good debate. It's a key part of our democratic process. Yeah, so I wish them well.

Adam Bandt at the moment is looking like he is going to lose his seat to your candidate, Susan. Silver lining, Susan. Well, look, that would be a fantastic outcome for Labor, but there are a number of seats where we have candidates who are watching those counts in Josh Wilson in WA, Lisa Chester in Bendigo. Was there anyone within the party who thought you actually might knock off Adam Bandt?

Look, I'm not privy to the strategy, but you know our view. We will fight hard in every seat and choosing the right candidates who are local and connected and

And I think it's obvious we ran a good campaign and got our messages out. And if that's the outcome, I'll be very happy for that. Giselle Capteran is in front of Nicolette Buller. And they've called Tim Wilson in Goldstein. Right at the moment. And still, the AEC figures still look close in Goldstein. But given they've called it, Tim's claiming victory, is he? I think that, well, I haven't heard Tim claim it, but I've seen it reported that Tim will win Goldstein. And I think that's based off the fact that the number of

Postal votes that are now coming in and being counted have put him...

considerably in front that it would be almost impossible for Zoe Daniels to make up that ground. It's very difficult at the moment, though, because the AEC is updating its website in different ways. Yeah, it is complicated. Because if you look at Melbourne, they've now gone back to only having counted eight booths. So it's all sort of a bit of a movable feast. But certainly local media and from down there they've called, and Sky News has called Tim Wilson's won the seat. I'm almost out of time. Just on a lighter note. Hmm.

I'm copping some criticism from my colleagues here at 2GB today because I put some shoes on as I was leaving the door, right? And I had... I'm just lifting up my leg here. I'm lifting up my leg here, folks, so the ladies can see me on the other side of the desk, right? So I'm wearing a pair of very dark blue jeans and black polished shoes. Mm.

This morning when I got up, I put green socks on. But I was thinking I was going to be wearing boots that would cover up the socks. Probably a good idea. It was only once I got out of the car and I walked up the stairs here and I looked down at my feet and realised, hello, you can actually see the green socks for all to see. It's an interesting feature. Is it a fashion faux pas? It's not a win. LAUGHTER

And I think you'd look better in red socks, to be honest. I mean, let's face it. I mean, I'd give you blue, but I don't think any of us sitting in here would be giving you green socks. Well, Adam Bates... You know what I did? Can I just tell you, though? I gave my staff for Christmas one year as a funny present socks with photos with my face on them, and they are hilarious. And can I tell you, they wear them all the time. Oh, my goodness. It's so funny. If my staff are listening, can I just say, I promise I won't do that. LAUGHTER

They're fabulous. I'll try and see if I can get you a pair, Suze. Thanks, Holly. Thank you for coming on the program today, given it's been a pretty tumultuous couple of days for sure. Thank you. Absolute pleasure. Holly Hughes and Susan Temperman.