Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. In July the government suffered a primary swing in Braddon of two per cent, and in Longman it was nine per cent. Then it deposed Malcolm Turnbull. But on the weekend the government suffered a 19 per cent swing in Wentworth. So, given the government's disastrous performance in Wentworth, why is Malcolm Turnbull gone but you're still here?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

People have suggested that Labor were running dead in the Wentworth by-election, but the real proof of that would have been if the Leader of the Opposition turned up in Wentworth. Then we would have really known that they were running dead in Wentworth, because that would have suppressed the vote even more. That would have absolutely tanked the vote. Now, it is true that around a third of the Liberal Party vote was lost in that Wentworth by-election. It is also true that a third of the Labor Party vote was lost in the Wentworth by-election and a third of the Greens vote was lost in that by-election.

As I said on the weekend, I'm very, very happy to stand up as Leader of the Liberal Party and cop it on the chin for the anger that was expressed by Liberal voters in particular about the events of two months ago—and we said that; we were honest about that with our supporters and followers on the weekend. And we have committed to them that we will ensure that, as we continue to come together, unified as a party we will go forward and fight this Labor leader, who wants to put more than $200 billion worth of taxes on Australians, who wants to see a resurgence in militant unionism in this country, who wants to put their electricity prices up with reckless policies. We will fight this leader of the Labor Party all the way, until the bell rings, and we will be successful.