Russell Broadbent loses Liberal Party preselection in Monash

Russell Broadbent has moved to the crossbench following a preselection defeat. But has the move opened the door for an independent run?

Russell Broadbent has ruled out an independent run after leaving the Liberal Party following a bruising preselection defeat.

The veteran Monash MP lost Liberal endorsement in a landslide to businesswoman Mary Aldred last weekend.

Mr Broadbent last week left the Liberal caucus and shifted to the crossbench, saying the preselection defeat meant it “revoked his licence” to represent the Liberal Party in the electorate of Monash.

While he did not specify at the time whether he’d run as an independent at the next election, a spokeswoman for the Monash MP ruled out the possibility.

“Mr Broadbent has no intention to run again for the seat of Monash,” a spokeswoman said.

The selection of a new Liberal candidate has opened up the potential for the National Party to run a contender for Monash at the next federal poll.

Deakin University politics expert Geoff Robinson said Ms Aldred as the Liberal candidate was most likely to retain the electorate, covers Leongatha, Wonthaggi, Moe and Warragul.

“It’s a far more urban seat than it used to be, so it would likely be retained by the Liberal Party. The further east you get in Gippsland, the more it becomes National Party territory,” Dr Robinson said.

Russell Broadbent during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Martin Ollman

At last year’s federal election, Mr Broadbent won 52.9 per cent of the two-party preferred vote to Labor candidate Jessica O’Donnell on 47.1 per cent, making the seat marginal.

Dr Robinson said few disendorsed MPs went on to win as independents – noting Corio MP Gavan O’Connor’s defeat in 2007 to Richard Marles.

“Gavan O’Connor was a long-term Labor MP in a peri-urban seat similar to Monash,” he said. “He’d served several decades in parliament like Broadbent and when he challenged Marles, he received about 10 per cent of the vote.”

Ms Aldred is the daughter of former federal Liberal MP Ken Aldred and is currently the head of government relations for Fujitsu’s Asia Pacific operations and serves on three Gippsland boards.