Super Saturday by-elections: Bill Shorten ‘has met every test set for him’

Bill Shorten hailed as ‘meeting every test set for him’, as Labor wins four federal by-elections in a single night.

Labor leader Bill Shorten with Susan Lamb in Longman on Super Saturday.

Bill Shorten has declared Labor scored “four from four” in federal by-elections and is now on track to take government next year.

Labor’s Justine Keay, Susan Lamb and Josh Wilson - who resigned from parliament over their dual citizenship - will return to Canberra to represent Braddon, Longman and Fremantle.

Former Kevin Rudd staffer Patrick Gorman is set to become the MP for Perth, and the Centre Alliance’s Rebekha Sharkie has regained the South Australian seat of Mayo.

Mr Shorten said voters in the five seats had clearly said they were sick of the “Punch and Judy show” which Australian politics had become and wanted better from their leaders.

“Tonight is another signpost into the destination that matters for Australians - a Labor government after the next general election,” he said. “We understand unlike our critics and opponents it is never about us - it is always about you, the people of Australia.”

Bill Shorten and Susan Lamb claim victory in the seat of Longman.

The Liberal Party declined to concede in Braddon, but candidate Brett Whiteley described a possible victory as “climbing Mount Everest without oxygen”.

“Right now the summit is going to be hard to make from here but we are close, but maybe not close enough.”

With a general election due by May next year, Turnbull government attention is likely to turn to rebuilding in Queensland where the Liberal National Party’s vote has dived.

In the Queensland litmus test seat of Longman, Ms Lamb had a 55 to 45 per cent two-party projected lead over the LNP’s Trevor Ruthenberg.

Mr Ruthenberg’s 26.2 per cent of the primary vote represented a 10 per cent swing against the government.

“Queensland is shaping up to be the battleground state of the next federal election,” Labor frontbencher Ed Husic told ABC TV.

“This is bad news for Malcolm Turnbull.” Liberal frontbencher Christopher Pyne said the issue of Mr Ruthenberg misreporting a military medal had been devastating for the campaign and there was no national message in the by-elections.

Mr Ruthenberg appeared to acknowledge the medal issue when, in his concession speech, he paid tribute to veterans.

Labor volunteers react at the Caboolture RSL as @AntonyGreenABC calls Longman for @SusanLambALP #SuperSaturday pic.twitter.com/9giU7Wb3Lz

— Rosie Lewis (@rosieslewis) July 28, 2018

“I would never knowingly or deliberately do anything to offend them,” he said. Mr Turnbull earlier told reporters Labor should be “miles ahead” because historically by-elections swing against the government by a factor of about five per cent and no government had won a seat from an opposition since 1920. Mr Pyne told Sky News: “I didn’t think we were going to win either of the by- elections (Longman or Braddon).” In Braddon, Ms Keay was on 52 per cent of the two party projected vote, having won 37 per cent of the primary vote on the back of a 3.7 per cent swing against Labor but a strong flow of preferences from independent candidate Craig Garland. Labor comfortably won Perth and Fremantle, where the Liberals are not standing candidates.

In Mayo, Ms Sharkie was on 58 per cent of the two-party vote, winning 45 per cent of the primary vote.

If 🎩 can’t win Braddon or Longman, he can’t win a general election. There are serious questions to be asked about his leadership #ChangeTheRules

— Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus) July 28, 2018

I think it’s all over red rover for 🎩 and Brett Whitely in Braddon #Supersaturday

— Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus) July 28, 2018

.@cpyne: Labor should be happy with the way things are going. You would expect Labor to win these seats.

MORE: https://t.co/ZIEbOAMs58 #supersaturday pic.twitter.com/n14qiRi1nk

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) July 28, 2018

The Liberals’ Georgina Downer vowed to contest the next general election. Labor frontbencher Tony Burke goaded the prime minister on Twitter.

“Come on PM. Call an election. You know you were thinking about it yesterday. Wasn’t this a contest about leadership?” Despite Labor campaigning strongly against a big business tax cut, Mr Pyne said the government would be sticking by the policy.

“We will pass these tax cuts in the spring session come hell or high water,” he said.

Queensland Labor senator Anthony Chisholm said Bill Shorten had met every test set for him as party faithful begin celebrating tonight’s results.

Senator Chisholm anticipated Ms Lamb would get about 40 per cent of One Nation preferences despite the minor party preferencing the Liberal National Party above Labor.

“Bill has been performing really strongly as Opposition Leader,” Senator Chisholm told The Australian.

“Every time there’s a test set for Bill he meets it. He did it in Batman, he’s done it today despite being under pressure and we broadly know we’re on the right track.

“What the Labor Party’s representing, what Bill is talking about is what the Australian people

are wanting from an alternative government.”

- with AAP