How activist group GetUp! have ousted ‘right-wing’ MPs

Following the 2010 Federal Election, GetUp! declared its 370,000 members helped shift the country’s issue agenda — fast-forward six years, the group sharpened its focus to take out “right-wing” candidates. But how successful was the activist group?

• GetUp! reveal its top election targets

Following the 2010 Federal Election, GetUp! declared its 370,000 members helped shift the country’s issue agenda, enrolled 100,000 new voters and ran the largest independent election in Australia’s history.

Fast-forward six years and GetUp! had shifted its attention from not just issues of the day but had sharpened its focus to right-wing candidates it believed had failed the Australian people on key issues.

In a letter to members post the Federal election Paul Oosting told members Get Up! had managed to shift debate from a $48 billion corporate tax cut and made the economic fight of the election about health, education clean energy and the environment.

Here are four of the high-profile GetUp! targets from that 2016 election campaign:

Andrew Nikolic Liberal member for Bass at this election night gathering in Launceston after conceding defeat. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Andrew Nikolic — Bass — Tasmania

The former senior Australian Army officer was one of three Liberal MPs, self-dubbed the Three Amigos, who gained a House of Representative seat in Tasmania at the 2013 Federal Election but were turfed out at the 2016 election.

Mr Nikolic, a staunch conservative close to Tasmania’s most powerful Liberal Eric Abetz, was a high profile target of GetUp! suffered a 10.6 per cent swing against him.

On his Facebook page following the election Mr Nikolic said “This is what dishonesty looks like — GETUP SPENT $500,000 AND IMPORTED 90 ACTIVISTS INTO BASS,” he wrote on his Facebook page following the election.

“It’s sad to think that this sort of dishonest campaigning approach works in our country!”

FEDERAL ELECTION PODCAST — PYNE AND ELLIS

Jamie Briggs — Mayo — South Australia

Liberal’s Jamie Briggs. Picture: Keryn Stevens

The former member of the Malcolm Turnbull Ministry lost the seat of Mayo to Nick Xenophon team candidate, and his former staffer Rebekha Sharkie.

GetUp! said they targeted Mr Briggs because “he did nothing but hold our clean industry back” at a time when polling showed 91 per cent of people in Mayo wanted to see more investment in renewable energy.

The swing against Mr Briggs was 17.6 per cent with GetUp! claiming an anti-Briggs advertisements, created by the lobby group, was seen 170,705 times on Facebook.

Louise Marks — Macquarie — New South Wales

Liberal’s Louise Markus.

The Liberal had served in the federal parliament since 2004 when GetUp! targeted her at the 2016 federal election.

GetUp! accused Ms Markus of being an MP who was “notoriously absent on issues like marriage equality and renewable energy.”

GetUp! volunteers had an estimated 9000 “conversations” with voters in Macquarie that were used to gather intel helpful to guide the campaign against her.

Peter Dutton — Dickson — Queensland

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. Picture: AAP Image/Glenn Hunt

Efforts by GetUp! to topple Peter Dutton were not enough at the 2016 Federal Election but the group did still take credit for a 5.1 per cent swing against him — more than double the state average.

The group sent letters to 53,033 people in Dickson, ran more than 30 advertisements, seen by 765,000 people on social media.

Following the election GetUp! national director Paul Oosting was delighted with the results. “We are ­really happy with the outcome on Dutton …. We would hope that the party and Dutton would take from this that Dutton’s ­remarks on refugees are outrageous …. Next time he might lose his seat.”