Anna Caldwell: Berejiklian Government could sleepwalk into electoral defeat after Wagga Wagga
THE NSW government will sleepwalk to electoral defeat in March if it fails to heed the lessons of Saturday’s bloodletting in the bush.
Opinion
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- Voters delivered a ‘strong message’ in Wagga Wagga
- Gladys Berejiklian lays blame for Wagga bloodbath
- Liberal voters turn on ‘bunch of billygoats’
THE NSW government will sleepwalk to electoral defeat in March if it fails to heed the lessons of Saturday’s bloodletting in the bush.
It has been too easy for this government to look fondly at its success in managing the economy and building big infrastructure items, believing Labor can’t compete.
Voters expect these things now as basics and they will not be enough alone to ride to a third term in government.
The message from the bush this weekend is that the government is failing to connect with everyday people and their struggles. Voters feel disconnected from the success of which the government crows.
This is a problem that will seep into other electorates if the government doesn’t get back to basics and connect with the every day concerns of mums and dads at the dinner table.
Berejiklian was right today to say she needs to rebuild trust.
Canberra of course plays a role in this problem and a role in the Wagga routing, but it does not explain everything.
The Liberals’ campaign in Wagga missed the mark, preselecting a candidate with little local profile and trying to buy bush voters with million dollar promises they weren’t interested in.
A conga line of ministerial visitors from out of town touting cash splashes came off as disingenuous — a presidential style campaign that did not translate in the bush.
Ms Berejiklian was at the heart of this campaign and her office strategists must shoulder part of the blame.
One government source, critical of the operation, said yesterday: “Sometimes people try to build a Rolls-Royce when you only need a Commodore. Stop focusing on project management and deliver good services.”
It’s true voters knew they could send the government a message without changing premier at the weekend, which is why by-election swings are traditionally so fierce. But Wagga went beyond fierce. It’s time for the government to do some soul searching if it wants to hold on in March.