Federal election 2022: Treasurer Josh Frydenberg facing ‘fight of his political life’
A former top tennis player joined Josh Frydenberg at Kooyong to launch what the Treasurer called the fight of his political life.
Federal Election
Don't miss out on the headlines from Federal Election. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Former tennis ace Sam Groth has saved one of his biggest serves yet for political hopeful Monique Ryan, as he officially launched Josh Frydenberg’s Kooyong campaign.
Mr Groth, who is the Victorian Liberals candidate for Nepean on the Mornington Peninsula, said there needed to be a shift in narrative around the electorate.
“There’s been a lot of talk about the so-called independents in Kooyong, but for me I want to talk about the more than one thousand real Liberals here today,” he said.
“In my opinion, one real Liberal is worth more than a truckload of those so-called independents.”
The crowd of blue shirts packed into the Hawthorn’s Leonda By The Yarra on Sunday before hitting the streets to door knock houses across the electorate.
The campaign launch comes after Mr Frydenberg acknowledged to the Herald Sun that he was facing “the fight of my political life” to hold his seat, as he fronts up against independent candidate Monique Ryan.
Introducing Mr Frydenberg to the stage, Senator Sarah Henderson said it was crucial that he remained in parliament.
“This is going to be a fight like no other,” she said.
“We need to keep Josh.
“Every single vote counts. No stone can be left unturned.
“But this is a fight that Josh Frydenberg and the Liberal Party can win.”
Dr Ryan, who is shaping up to be Mr Frydenberg’s toughest competition, has been a regular point of discussion throughout the event.
“I’m not up against a true independent. I’m up against a political party. You can barely find a Greens or a Labor sign across our electorate,” he said.
“Why? Because they’re running dead. And they’re now in bed with the so called independents.
“Ladies and gentlemen, a vote for a so-called independent here in Kooyong is a vote for a hung parliament, and a vote for Anthony Albanese.
“I need your help, every day between now and Election Day, to convey that message to our fellow members of the community.”
Mr Groth also began his opening speech by saying: “In my opinion, one real Liberal is worth more than a truckload of those so-called Independents.”
Poking fun at the revelation that Ted Baillieu’s son couldn’t support the Liberal party, Mr Frydenberg said Dr Ryan’s mother in law had approached him on the street to offer him her vote of support.
He claimed she told him that he knew what he was doing, adding “you’re a nice person”.
It comes after Mr Frydenberg admitted he is facing “the fight of my political life” to hold his seat “and warned voters they face the “horror movie” of an Albanese minority government propped up by teal independents who are performing a “fraud” and “con job” on the nation.
In a full and frank interview, the Treasurer said he was in danger of being undone by an independent coasting on “the vibe of the thing” and warning his formerly blue ribbon electorate can’t vote against him and keep him.
He also warned the Liberal Party is being outspent in the teal seats all of which will be very close.
The Treasurer spoke as a new billboard campaign was rolled out across the seat with slogans such as “Keep Josh to keep the economy strong”, highlighting the government’s achievements under Mr Frydenberg’s time as Treasurer.
Mr Frydenberg said Liberals around Australia were facing a “new party machine” whose creator, Simon Holmes a Court, was “a very strange cat” who he suspects has “got pretty uncomfortable relationships with a lot of people”.
Mr Frydenberg is battling to hold his seat against the Simon Holmes a Court-backed Dr Monique Ryan.
“I have fought hard for the people of Kooyong, for the people of Victoria and Australia,” Mr Frydenberg said.
He said the Morrison government had provided Victoria with $53.9 billion in direct Covid-19 economic support since the start of the pandemic – $8,110 per capita, the highest of any state or territory.
Liberal Party sources say privately they believe the Treasurer is behind in the poll battle.
“The dynamic at this election, in a number of inner city seats, is very different to anything we’ve seen before, an extremely well-funded, well-organised political organisation claiming to be so called independents,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“It’s a fraud. It’s a con job. These so called independents are in many cases, former members of the Labor Party as they are in Kooyong.”
Mr Frydenberg said the community needed to understand that consequence of a vote for one for an independent was “an increased likelihood of a hung parliament and the chaos and the confusion that comes with it.”
Put bluntly, he said “a vote for the independents is a vote for Albanese.”
Mr Frydenberg is not hiding how much trouble he is in, admitting “this is the fight of my political life” but said voters need to understand “they can’t keep me and vote against me”.
Liberal campaign sources believe the initial surge to the teal independents had in some cases been contingent on their belief that a majority Labor government was the most likely outcome.
“But it would be a minority Labor government in partnership with these independents, who don’t represent Labor seats and we’ve seen this horror movie before,” Mr Frydenberg said,
“We saw with Labor and the Greens and Oakeshott and Windsor, and it didn’t turn out too well.
“Australia has too many big decisions to make on both economic and national on the national security front. And this will hold Australia back. This will lead to the politics of the lowest common denominator. It will lead to chaos and confusion. It is not what Australia needs at this time.”
‘HE’S PULLING THE STRINGS, HE’S THE PUPPET MASTER’
Dr Ryan has been heavily supported by Climate 200’s Simon Holmes a Court who at one time was a donor to Mr Frydenberg’s Kooyong 200 Club until the pair fell out over climate change before the last election.
Mr Frydenberg is in no doubt Mr Holmes a Court is his real opponent.
“He’s pulling the strings, he’s the puppet master,” he said.
“He’s a very strange cat. I suspect he’s got pretty uncomfortable relationships with a lot of people. I found him a very strange person.”
Asked to elaborate, Mr Frydenberg answers: “Well he doesn’t have the courage to put his name on the ballot paper, he’s trying to work through others.”
Mr Frydenberg said the Liberal Party’s support has been slipping in wealthy parts of Australia such as Kooyong and Wentworth in Sydney for a number of reasons.
“Firstly, the salience of climate change, OK? With each election it’s increased in importance among voters. The second point is, there is a new machine, there’s a new well-funded machine behind the so called independents.
“ It’s completely different to Clive Palmer’s operation. Completely. You only have to look at the difference in the materials that we’ve got that go out from Palmer versus, you know, these Teale independence. And the seats in which they’re campaigning in a different too.”
He said the machine was “enormously well-organised and well-funded, and acting in concert as a political party” with this tacit support of the Labor Party and the Greens.
“You’re seeing more money being spent in those seats of Wentworth or the seats of North Sydney, than a being spent by the Liberal Party, more money being spent by those by the so called independents than by the Liberal Party,” he said.
Mr Frydenberg estimates that although his opponents have said they will spend a million dollars in Kooyong “my sense is they’re spending more than double that.”
He said the idea there was any question about who the teal independents would support was absurd.
“Does anyone honestly think they will side with anyone but Labor. They’re promoting a Labor agenda.
‘They’re only running with the support of the Labor Party. And they are united in their opposition to the Coalition.
‘So you don’t need to be Einstein to join the dots. A vote for so called independent is a vote for the Labor Party and the likelihood of a hung parliament with all the chaos and the confusion that will come with it.’
Got a story tip? Email us at federalelection@news.com.au
Know some goss or seen something in your electorate? Contact us at election.confidential@news.com.au
Join the conversation
Big Greens move ramps up pressure on Labor
The Greens are pledging to be a thorn in Labor’s in a bid to push a new key part of their agenda.
Read more
Parliament House’s tattered Aussie flag replaced after call for action
Less than 24 hours after it was revealed the giant flag flying above Parliament House had fallen into disrepair, it has been replaced.
Read more