Ousted MP Andrew Nikolic blames cashed up scare campaign for his loss in fiery Facebook rant

OUSTED MP Andrew Nikolic is feeling sorry for himself after a shock loss. He’s explained why in a fiery Facebook rant.

OUSTED MP Andrew Nikolic has offered an explanation for his surprise ejection from parliament, and surprisingly, it has nothing to do with him.

The Liberal MP, who on Saturday night lost his Tasmanian seat of Bass after only one term, has taken to Facebook to dole out blame for his ejection.

Citing an ABC article, the disgruntled outgoing politician pointed the finger at a concert of assassins from advocacy group GetUp!, members of the union movement, and Labor supporters.

“This ABC article reveals the extraordinary lengths GetUp!, the unions, and Labor went to in running a dishonest, nasty personal campaign in Bass, built around the core lie of Medicare privatisation,” he wrote Monday morning.

“GetUp’s Paul Oosting (formally of the Greens Party and Wilderness Society), says their exit polling reveals 11 per cent of people were influenced by their false how to vote cards — about the size of the swing in Bass.”

Mr Oosting has asked us to clarify he has never been a member of the Greens, as Mr Nikolic alleges.

The article claims GetUp! had spent $100,000 and $500,000 and imported 90 activists into Bass to assist with the campaign for Mr Nikolic’s ejection, which clearly incensed the ejected MP, judging from his use of caps lock.

The Liberal Party director in Tasmania, Sam McQuestin, had earlier criticised GetUp! for “pedalling lies” and intimidating vulnerable people” in the electorate.

“GetUp! ran a disgracefully dishonest and negative campaign against Andrew Nikolic in Bass based on the Medicare lie that the Labor Party had put out in the campaign,” he told ABC.

Mr Nikolic said himself in his post: “It’s sad to think that this sort of dishonest campaigning works in our country.”

GetUp! staff and volunteers handed out these how-to-vote cards in Bass on election day.

As Mr Nikolic wrote, Mr Oosting said exit polling showed around 11 per cent of people who took their how to vote cards were influenced by their directions.

The swing against Mr Nikolic was of a similar percentage, 10.6 per cent to the Labor candidate.

Bass was one of marginal three seats that fell to Labor.

The surprise swing ousted Liberal incumbents Brett Whiteley in Braddon and Eric Hutchinson in Lyons. The state’s fourth seat, Denison, was hung on to by Independent MP Andrew Wilkie.

ALP candidate Justine Keay who was elected to the northwest electorate of Braddon, has rejected suggestions Labor won on a scare campaign.

Originally published as Ousted MP Andrew Nikolic blames cashed up scare campaign for his loss in fiery Facebook rant