Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the first opportunity that I have had in this new parliament, I rise to make a few reflections on the election campaign and the election result of a few months ago, and to pay tribute to the many people in the Western Australian Liberal Party who did so much for our cause, though it was a very tough result.

My first political memory is the Dismissal in 1975. I can remember very clearly my father's excitement about the Dismissal. I also have a very vague memory from December of that year of standing at a polling booth with my dad, and of him handing out how-to-vote cards. Obviously, that was a great result for the Liberal Party of Australia—a great result for the nation, I would also contend. But it doesn't always go that way. But at polling booths across my home state of Western Australia, across Australia, you'll still find supporters of the Liberal and National Party out in force, handing out the how-to-vote cards, standing up for our principles, our values, and doing the right thing by Australian democracy.

The tenacity and commitment displayed by our volunteers, by our candidates and by all members of parliament is remarkable and deserves recognition. That is why I rise today to thank those volunteers and candidates, particularly the unsuccessful candidates, for their time and energy on the campaign trail. Most of our supporters are volunteers. They get little recognition or praise for the work they do, but they deserve recognition and they deserve praise.

We believe in government that limits its interference in the everyday lives of Australian families and individuals, that incentivises success, that encourages equal opportunity and that lets everyone reach their full potential. That is what Liberal governments strive to do. To all the Liberal volunteers who support that: I thank you for setting aside time to fight for those shared values. It was a tough result for those on this side of the chamber and for all our supporters across Australia.

I had the privilege of being involved in two campaigns in particular. One of those was the Swan campaign, where we had an amazing team of volunteers, particularly from the youth wing of our party. The Young Liberals stepped up extraordinarily and did an absolute power of work. I can genuinely say that, even though the result was not what we wanted, it was one of the most energetic and well run campaigns I have seen in my political life. To our candidate, Kristy McSweeney: thank you. Senator Matt O'Sullivan, who is in this place and is a good friend of mine, chaired an absolutely outstanding campaign effort—the doorknocking, the letterboxing, the sign waving, and just making sure that all volunteers were fed and looked after, that everyone knew what their task was and that they performed it to their highest ability. The result was in no way a reflection on the efforts of that amazing team of volunteers. Thank you to everyone: to the supporters of our party who weren't necessarily intimately involved in the campaign but who turned up on election day or at pre-poll to hand out how-to-vote cards; and, in particular, to the clean-up crew—and you know who you are. In those four days, when we knew what the result was, you were cleaning up after the election in icy winds, in the pouring rain, with some dodgy cheese-burgers—and those who were around know what I'm talking about! Thank you so much for your efforts.

There is an amazing legacy in Swan from Steve Irons's 14 years of leadership. He delivered for Swan as a local member should: infrastructure; road upgrades; local community projects—it is a remarkable legacy that Steve has left for Swan and that all Liberals can be proud of.

Now, the second campaign I just wish to reflect on briefly is a very different campaign. It was in the seat of Fremantle, which is obviously one in which we did not necessarily perform quite as well. But what we did do was to fly the Liberal flag very proudly. The Fremantle campaign was very active and alive, and I particularly wish to thank our candidate, Bill Koul. Bill took time out from his own business to run as a candidate to promote the Liberal cause. Obviously, Bill gets nothing in return for this. Bill provided somewhere for Liberal supporters to rally, but he also provided endless enthusiasm and optimism. He stood on pre-poll, handing out those how-to-vote cards, every day. And you'd never talk to Bill without hearing an optimistic word about the people he had met on pre-poll in Fremantle, about the amazing conversations he had had when he was out and about, door-knocking, and about the positive response he was getting from people right across the electorate.

As Bill said in his congratulatory message to the sitting member, Josh Wilson, democracy demands more than one candidate or one party to run. So, right across Australia, right across the nation, we should all thank those candidates who stand in seats where they know that they're very unlikely to even get close but where it is vitally important for democracy that we have individuals who are willing to put their hands up. And that's what the constituents of Fremantle received. Bill Koul put his hand up. He put in the long hours—on the hustings; door-knocking and letterboxing; standing in the rain at voting centres—and those unwavering efforts for the duration of the campaign certainly deserve my acknowledgement, and I certainly do acknowledge them. Again, to all the Fremantle campaign volunteers: it was an outstanding effort from the division. We put in the work that was needed in Fremantle. And we thank Bill sincerely for all his efforts.

So, though the result was not one we wanted, I will remind all Liberal and Nationals supporters out there that our primary vote was in fact more than the Labor Party's: 36 per cent to 32.5. Now, the Labor Party secured enough preference flows to get over the top, in terms of the two-party preferred vote, and that is what is required to form government—we understand that. But there were more people out there who chose our philosophy than chose the Labor Party philosophy, and that is something I would certainly encourage all members and supporters of the Liberal Party, the Liberal National Party and the Country Liberal Party to remember as we take the fight up to the government over the next three years.