Wallace reveals thoughts on election loss and the road ahead

Q&A Interview with Andrew Wallace, Federal MP for Fisher 

Re-elected Fisher MP Andrew Wallace: “… our great Coalition, which has won nearly two-thirds of Federal Elections since 1946, is at its best when we stay true to our core values”.

• Is it difficult for you to remain positive given the electoral damage inflicted at the May 21 election?

While it wasn’t the national result we worked so hard for, we secured a great result locally in Fisher. It’s a privilege to have been given a third term to help Sunshine Coast families and their businesses get ahead by building better roads and rail, boosting mental health outcomes, backing small businesses and manufacturers, and protecting the unique character of our local community.  

 • How does the swing against you sit within the wider context of the swing against the Coalition? How do you explain the backlash against the Coalition on Saturday?

The swing in Fisher was consistent with national figures, however there are a number of votes still to count. Noticeably, the largest swing was not to Labor, but to the United Australia Party and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation. This is also consistent with the national trend, in which conservative minor parties claimed the vast majority of swinging votes outside of major cities. As of 24 May 2022, the Coalition secured nearly 370,000 more votes than Labor (who saw a swing against them) and over 303,000 more than in 2019. This shows that this wasn’t just a single national election, but 151 local elections, reflecting the vast array of views and concerns within our local communities. It clearly wasn’t a vote for Labor, but by-and-large, a vote to be heard by many on the centre-right. 

Is the message that the Coalition needs to do more to appeal to conservatives or does it need to appeal more to progressives?   

Over the next few months, we’ll engage in a process of reflection and evaluation, and I don’t want to pre-empt that process. What I will say is that our great Coalition, which has won nearly two-thirds of Federal Elections since 1946, is at its best when we stay true to our core values. We believe in freedom as the building block of a fair society; family as the foundation of resilient communities; strong economic management; the dignity of individuals; smaller government which facilitates peoples’ potential, protects private property and rewards effort; and ensuring we leave Australia better off, for those to come. We’re a broad-church, but we’re a centre-right broad-church and these are values shared by everyday Australians.

• How will the result effect your ability to achieve outcomes for Fisher?

I’ll continue doing what I’ve always done: fighting for the issues that affect us in Fisher. I expect it will be harder and while I’ve never served in opposition, I’m undaunted by the task ahead. When it comes to road and rail infrastructure, I’ll continue to push Labor to get on-board with Sunshine Coast Rail, and I’ll fight against Council’s light-rail project. When it comes to mental health, I’ll continue to fight for our fair share of services, including a much-needed Veterans Wellbeing Centre, which a re-elected Liberal National Government pledged. And I’ll back local businesses, including those in emerging sectors like space, defence, health sciences, and high-tech manufacturing, to ensure they’re not left high-and-dry by this new Federal Government, as we saw under previous iterations of Labor.  

• Who would you like to see become Opposition Leader? (Ed: this question was asked before Monday’s announcement that Peter Dutton and Sussan Ley would lead the party)

I expect that by early next week, Peter Dutton will be our Opposition Leader. Peter is incredibly hard-working and has served in economic, defence and security portfolios. Peter is often portrayed by the media to be hard and unrelenting. And whilst he has been, when required, I know him to be warm and inviting, with a very dry sense of humour.