This was published 6 months ago
Birthday gift: Albanese asks for election victory in Dunkley
By Annika Smethurst
Liberal candidate Nathan Conroy has been forced to fend off questions about Peter Dutton’s byelection day absence, with the opposition leader spending the day in his home state of Queensland as his party fights to win the Dunkley byelection.
Addressing the media from a polling booth in Langwarrin at lunchtime, Conroy and Liberal senator Jane Hume were drowned out by Labor and pro-Palestinian protesters, as they attempted to highlight the cost-of-living crisis being felt by voters.
Labor’s Jodie Belyea and Conroy will battle it out for the federal seat of Dunkley in suburban Melbourne, which was triggered by the death of Labor MP Peta Murphy, who died of cancer in late 2023.
While the result won’t change the government, it will be used as a broader litmus test ahead of the next federal election, which is little more than a year away.
Across the electorate, which centres around Frankston, state and federal Liberal MPs – including Senator James Paterson, Jason Wood and Cindy McLeish – were spotted handing out how-to-vote cards, but Liberal sources told The Age that they were not expecting Dutton to make an appearance at polling booths today.
Conroy attempted to defend the absence – against the shouts of protesters – saying he was “extremely proud” of Dutton’s leadership, and said the opposition leader had visited the seat five times during the campaign.
Liberal candidate Nathan Conroy and wife Steffie casting their votes in the Dunkley byelection in Langwarrin on Saturday.Credit: Penny Stephens
“We have run a strong positive campaign,” he said. “We don’t shout, we don’t roar … what we do have is a strong positive campaign.”
Earlier in the day Anthony Albanese arrived at a polling booth in Frankston with just one birthday wish: a Labor victory in Dunkley.
The prime minister, who is celebrating his 61st birthday, was joined by his fiancee Jodie Haydon as they mingled with voters at Derinya Primary School in Frankston on Saturday morning. Arriving shortly after 9am, Albanese thanked well-wishers who wished him a happy birthday and congratulated the couple on their recent engagement.
Albanese, who will spend Saturday night in Sydney, said Dunkley voters deserve “a strong advocate”, and urged them to honour Murphy’s legacy to make sure they got a local representative, not just “another bloke with all the other blokes”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Labor candidate for Dunkley Jodie Belyea at Derinya Primary School in Frankston South on Saturday.Credit: Penny Stephens
“What I want for my birthday is obvious today, which is a win for Jodie Belyea, and I do that because this community deserves a strong advocate … and Jodie Belyea will be that strong advocate,” he said.
“We wish the byelection wasn’t happening. Peta Murphy was a remarkable person … it was a privilege to get to know Peta over a long period of time.”
With political strategists predicting a tight contest due to a history of anti-government swings in byelections, Albanese attempted to temper expectations, claiming Labor had been outspent during the campaign and history suggested his government would lose some ground.
“There’s an average swing against governments in byelections since the Hawke government of 7.1 per cent; the margin here is 6.3 [per cent]. That’s just the maths,” he said.
“They [the Liberal party] have thrown hundreds of thousands of dollars funded by billionaires at this campaign. We’ve seen people in this electorate get swamped on Facebook and on all the advertising that’s taken place, with misinformation, with fear. I don’t want Australia to go down that polarised road that we see in the United States.
“Let’s call it out for what it is.”
The prime minister also denied that any potential swing against the government would be a reflection of his party’s decision to alter the stage 3 tax cuts – a reform that passed parliament last week.
Addressing the media outside the school her son attended, Belyea promised to “deliver for Dunkley”.
“I love Frankston, I’m a mum with a mortgage and my son went to this great school,” she said.
“I will deliver and bat for the battlers and represent them if I’m elected tonight.”
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