Qld MP Llew O’Brien blasts LNP’s 2025 federal election campaign

Returning conservative MP Llew O’Brien has blasted the Coalition’s 2025 election campaign as one its worst-ever, revealing he is split with his party on one major issue.

Returning Wide Bay LNP MP Llew O’Brien has blasted his party’s election campaign as a “giant f--k up” after it delivered the party’s worst result in 70 years.

The Wide Bay’s returning LNP MP Llew O’Brien has blasted his party’s election campaign as a “giant f*** up” after it delivered its worst result in 70 years.

He’s also warned that despite his multi-term experience and comfortable win – he will not accept any shadow positions as long as the Coalition remains committed to the net zero carbon emissions target.

Mr O’Brien was re-elected to the Queensland seat he has held since 2016 with 58.8 per cent support of the two-party vote after receiving a swing of about 2.75 per cent against him.

This was on par with the national swing against the LNP which was about 2.5.

It was enough to not only return Labor to government but put it on track to win at least 85 seats, a sizeable jump on the 77 it held when the election was called.

The result also left the Coalition in need of a new leader after Peter Dutton lost his own seat of Dickson to Labor’s Ali France.

Returning Wide Bay LNP MP Llew O’Brien has blasted his party’s election campaign as a “giant f —k up” after it delivered the party’s worst result in 70 years.

It was expected to be the worst performance by the LNP in history.

On Tuesday Mr O’Brien was “honoured” to be re-elected by Wide Bay voters.

He was less than thrilled with the party’s national campaign, delivering a scathing indictment of it as “a giant f*** up” and a plan which voters “rejected soundly”.

While some reports have suggested Donald Trump may have affected the result, particularly in light Canada’s April election in which the conservative party lost despite once holding a 27-percentage point lead on their opponents in opinion polls, Mr O’Brien said this was pointing the finger in the wrong place.

The result not only shrunk the LNP’s party room, it left them in need of a new leader after Peter Dutton lost his own seat of Dickson to Labor’s Ali France. Picture: Adam Head / NewsWire

He said Mr Trump’s presidency brought “uncertainty” to global politics, but it was not a viable scapegoat for what unfolded.

“I absolutely believe we lost this campaign … due to our campaign strategy and platform,” he said.

Mr O’Brien also said he could feel the public’s unhappiness which led to the swing against the LNP throughout the campaign.

“People are doing it tough, they’re upset,” Mr O’Brien said.

“They’re paying some of the highest electricity prices in the world.”

Mr O’Brien (pictured here with wife Sharon) said he was “honoured” to be re-elected to the Wide Bay seat for a third time but he did not agree with his party’s net zero policy, and would not accept any shadow ministry positions while it remained on the table.

He said a big part of the party’s failure at the polls was its commitment to net zero carbon emissions, a policy which was contributing significantly to higher electricity prices and the cost-of-living crisis.

He said as long as this policy remained on the party’s table, he would refuse to take up any shadow positions on offer.

“I no longer sit with the party on that issue,” Mr O’Brien said.

“It’s a massive policy that is reshaping the country that will have negative effects for generations to come.

“I don’t have any issue with David Littleproud as a leader, but I have a big issue with net zero – I truly believe net zero is bad for Australia.

“It benefits us in no way whatsoever.”