PM’s unmet expectations grate, but no threat to leadership

Liberal MPs have sounded the alarm on Malcolm Turnbull’s ability to run an effective campaign.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull answers media questions in Sydney yesterday.

Liberal MPs have sounded the alarm on Malcolm Turnbull’s ability to run an effective campaign, but concede his leadership will not be threatened by the government’s poor showing in the Super Saturday by-elections.

Some MPs are angry at the Prime Minister because they say he elevated expectations ahead of the contest and unwisely framed the by-election showdown as a test of leadership, with the results working to Bill Shorten’s advantage.

“One of the problems is that Malcolm cannot help but to provide benchmarks that he can never meet,” one Coalition MP said. “First, it was the 30 Newspolls. Then, in the lead-up to the by-elections, he said this is a test of leadership and policies instead of saying the simple fact is that history is against us. He raised the ­expectations to a level where I think people were expecting us to win Braddon and Longman. Yet again he set himself up for a spectacular failure. You would wonder why he hasn’t learnt.”

Another Coalition MP told The Australian it was a “very disappointing result” and claimed the LNP organisation was in chaos. “It (the outcome) wasn’t consistent with the mood of those involved,” the MP said. “There was great hope, actually. To see the punch in the nose was phenomenal. There’s a really serious message in it.”

Some MPs argued the disappointment of the by-election ­results could be compounded if the government failed to properly land the national energy guarantee. They also pointed to the likelihood of an internal debate over the review of religious freedoms by former Liberal attorney-general Philip Ruddock as having the ­potential to reopen profound divisions in the partyroom.

However, many MPs also ­defended Mr Turnbull for his campaigning efforts. Queensland Liberal senator Ian Macdonald told The Australian: “I really don’t think it has any impact on Malcolm’s leadership. He campaigned well. The disturbing thing for me is the extent of Pauline Hanson’s vote.”

LNP MP Ken O’Dowd, who holds Flynn with a majority of 1.1 per cent, said it was up to the campaign directors to “work with the government and get the right message”.