The Liberal Party remains adrift in its search for an electorally viable identity in the wake of its federal election defeat. The party that could once sustain a “doctors’ wives” vote is now courting anti-vaxxers in the lead-up to Victoria’s state election on 28 November.
The campaign ad launched last weekend and asks “remember when we protested against world-record lockdowns?”, uses footage of the anti-vaccine protests, and calls Dan Andrews “a prick”. It’s voiced by an obviously professional voiceover artist who throws in a handful of cringeworthy attempts to sound aggressively working-class while maintaining perfect grammar.
The Liberal Party appears to be shooting itself in the foot with such tactics. Liberal MPs were wiped out in their formerly stronghold state of Western Australia in the federal election after campaigning against WA’s COVID measures. Victoria swung further toward Labor in the same election.
Yet at a deeper level, these misfires are symptomatic of an ongoing struggle for the party. At present, the Liberals are home to pragmatists like Matt Kean and Simon Birmingham but also alt-right mouthpieces like South Australian Senator Alex Antic, who recently called renewable energy “a green carpet-bagging scam” on Sky News.
In the real world, the cost of living is obviously at the front of Victorian voters’ minds. Labor-aligned polling, said to have been carried out in the “outer burbs”, found just 25% of voters said they were “comfortably managing expenses”.
Both major parties have made headline announcements of significant cuts to the cost of train fares. Opposition leader Matthew Guy has also promised to save Victorians $100 per year on their water bills.
Meanwhile the Greens are campaigning on a plan to phase out poker machines. The first step is a 65% tax and a mandatory pre-commitment for all machines.
Either major party would need 45 seats to clinch victory. Andrews’ Labor currently holds 46 seats with a margin of 7% or greater. Two-party preferred polling has Labor leading the Liberals 54:46
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