Labor and the Greens will see their ACT election win as a mandate for their arrogance, cronyism and contempt for Canberrans who don't fit in their vision for the city, the president of the Canberra Liberals has warned party members.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In an email to members on Monday night, John Cziesla also praised Alistair Coe and his team of Liberal candidates, many of whom he said had to contend with abuse and intimidation from unionists during the campaign.
It comes as Mr Coe prepares to front the media at 11.30am on Tuesday, his first public appearance since Saturday night.
Mr Czielsa said while the final votes were still be tallied, it was clear Saturday's loss was "not a good result".
The Liberals suffered a 3.1 per cent swing against them across the territory, with three MLAs losing their seats. If Peter Cain beats Labor's Gordon Ramsay in Ginninderra, the Liberals will have nine representatives in the next Legislative Assembly, two fewer than after 2016.
READ MORE:
Mr Czielsa said it was essential for the future of the branch that it "clearly and objectively" examined the reasons behind the loss, the Liberals' sixth straight ACT election defeat.
He said the result was not for a lack of hard work or commitment, paying tribute to campaign director Josh Manuatu and Mr Coe.
"I don't think we have ever had an Assembly parliamentary leader who has worked so tirelessly over the course of a campaign, nor one against whom so much vitriol was directed," he said of Mr Coe.
"Your willingness to stand up for those abandoned by this government is appreciated by far more of Canberra than you are given credit for."
Mr Czielsa urged members to quickly pick themselves up after the loss, warning that the Liberals' role in opposition would never be more important than in the next four years.
"There is little doubt that that Labor and the Greens will take this result as a blank cheque for their arrogance, cronyism and contempt for all those Canberrans who don't have a place in their vision for this city," he said.
In the email, Mr Czielsa said members shouldn't read too much into the public commentary about the Liberals' election loss, arguing what had been written had been done for the purpose of "pushing a particular political or personal agenda and in some cases is little short of malicious gossip parading as journalism".
"None of the commentary I have seen to date is actually based on an objective analysis of discussions with a representative sample of the people whose views on the matter count most - the voters," he said.
READ MORE:
- Greens see opportunity to have bigger say on government decisions
- 'It would be a devastating loss': Labor Attorney-General in fight to hold seat
- Zed hits back at Humphries' attack on Liberal campaign, conservatives' control
- 'I prefer the alliance model': Rattenbury could take senior role in cabinet
- 'Can't quite believe it': The new faces entering the ACT Legislative Assembly
- Making the case for change from opposition is hard
- Weak Liberal vote in Kambah influential in southern ACT's election results
- ACT Greens say election result was not just a vote for a Labor government
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
