Labor wins Aston as Mary Doyle secures majority of votes
The once safe Liberal seat of Aston has been won by Labor, landing a shocking blow to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
Federal Election
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The Labor Party has seized Aston in a shock by-election upset, with Mary Doyle taking the seat from retiring Liberal MP Alan Tudge in what has been described as a political “earthquake”.
The once-safe Liberal seat turned red on Saturday night, marking the first time in more than 100 years that a sitting government has taken a seat from the opposition, and the first time ever a woman has held Aston.
Ms Doyle gained a massive 7.3 per cent swing for the party in the Federal election in May last year but retiring MP Alan Tudge retained the seat on a 2.8 per cent margin.
As of 9pm Saturday, Labor had secured a two-party 6.2 per cent margin against Liberal candidate Roshena Campbell, with counting to continue late into the night.
The previously safe outer east suburban seat was vacated when Mr Tudge retired in February, triggering Saturday’s by-election and giving Ms Doyle a second run at the job.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the Tasmanian 120-year anniversary dinner he had spoken to Ms Doyle and congratulated her on the historic win.
He will return to Melbourne on Sunday morning.
Ms Campbell called Ms Doyle to concede the election before fronting Liberal party members and volunteers at the campaign function.
“Tonight was not our night,” she told the crowd. “But our democracy needs a strong opposition … and the time will come, I think soon, where this country needs a strong Liberal government.”
She went on to thank Liberal leader Peter Dutton for his support and leadership during “a very difficult time for our party”, and her “political hero”, John Howard, for his support as well.
The loss leaves the Liberal Party with just two seats in the entire metropolitan area of Melbourne.
Meanwhile, Ms Doyle entered the Labor campaign function to chants of “Mary” and cheers.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles spoke first, saying Ms Doyle, along with the rest of the government, was committed to securing a Voice to Parliament.
“There are precious few moments where you get to be in the presence of history,” he said, referencing the party’s record-breaking victory. “So soak it up.”
“Tonight’s result speaks to Mary Doyle’s values. Her decency, her hard work. This is so deserved.”
He went on to say the result was also a “huge endorsement” of the Prime Minister – a sentiment Ms Doyle enthusiastically agreed with.
In a near-giddy state, the new MP said she was grateful for the support of her volunteers and the Labor Party, especially in the face of an unlikely victory.
Looking back on her campaign launch, she said: “I think even our most optimistic true believers new that I was the underdog this campaign.”
“What we were trying to do hadn’t been done for 100 years. And Aston has been Liberal since Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U was top of the charts way back in 1990.
“We were the underdogs but boy, have we shown that we have a big bite.”`
Ms Doyle, a former union official and breast cancer survivor, made defending Medicare a centrepiece of her campaign.
The mum of two children also championed Labor’s cheaper childcare and fee free TAFE policies during the election.
The battle over Aston was described by both Labor and Liberal insiders as a tough fight, but the Liberal Party were always expected to hold on.
Speaking to the party room earlier in the week, the Prime Minister said anything less than a five per cent swing would be considered a failure for Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
Former Labor Minister Stephen Conroy described the win as “an earthquake” to Sky News on Saturday night.
Liberal Senator Jane Hume said she was sad to see Ms Campbell lose out on the seat, but denied the result would trigger a move on Mr Dutton as leader.
“There’s no agitation in the party room,” she said. “He holds a united team.”
Mr Dutton deflected suggestions the loss was any reflection on his own leadership, instead suggesting Mr Tudge held a strong personal vote, which was lost upon his retirement.
“Alan Tudge was a popular local member, despite some of the difficulties that have been well covered in the media. As he moved around, it was obvious that was the case on the ground,” he told the ABC.
“I judge the result at the general election, had he not contested, we would not have held the seat. I think he held a personal vote that obviously fell away.”
The Opposition Leader did however concede the party would need to reflect on the result and consider its position in Victoria.
“Roshena Campbell has been an incredible candidate,” he said. “I’m so proud of her, of what she has done, the sacrifice she has made, but it’s a tough market for us in Victoria, no question about that and we have a lot of rebuilding to do.”
He vowed to turn the party into an “election winning machine” before the next Federal Election.
Originally published as Labor wins Aston as Mary Doyle secures majority of votes
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