ANNE Webster’s success in holding the seat of Mallee in Saturday’s federal election is tempered by the political reality of the Coalition losing power, but she says she will work with the new Labor government to get the best for the electorate and is ready to step up to the opposition front bench if called upon.
While the Nationals MP’s victory was widely expected, speculation that she would suffer a large swing against turned out to be unfounded and she in fact increased her margin with a positive swing of more than 4 per cent (with 75 per cent of votes counted) in a poll that savaged the government. Such a strong electoral performance would potentially make her a candidate for a rebuilt shadow ministry.
“I am interested in stepping up,” Dr Webster said by the Murray River on Sunday, as she reflected on the election’s mixed results, but she said she would only want a frontbench role if she could use it to give Mallee better representation.
“My focus (if promoted) is on how is this going to benefit Mallee,” she said, adding a joke that frontbenchers “don’t even have a desk … it’s not that great” in the chamber.
“The responsibility is huge, but I’m certainly prepared to carry that for my community because I want our community to be front and centre.”
Dr Webster said her first task in opposition was to do what she could to protect Mallee funding and projects that had already been committed to by the outgoing government.
“My focus is to see that those grants are fulfilled. Of course, we don’t have the power to ensure that, so it’s going to be meeting with the Labor ministers concerned and seeing how we … might be able to come to some agreement,” she said.
“It’s pretty devastating, actually, to be in this position where we’ve got to go back to the drawing board and, one more time, lobby hard.”
Dr Webster said she had “yet to see Labor really invest in the regions” but she would lobby for every dollar she could.
“I have relationships with people on the other side of the aisle from when they were in opposition. My hope is to build on those relationships and to see the best interests of Mallee fulfilled,” she said.
Dr Webster, who was congratulated by Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce in a telephone call on Sunday morning, said she was proud of her own party’s solid performance in a poll that left the Liberal side of the Coalition in electoral tatters and its leadership uncertain.
“I have to say that I am literally very surprised at the result. I had hoped of course that the Coalition would sneak in one more time,” she said.
“They do tell me that your best day in opposition is still worse than your worst day in government, so it’s not a very bright outlook. However, we’ll certainly make the most of it.”
The Coalition now faces a rebuilding period in a changed political landscape, but Dr Webster said she did not think the election result necessarily indicated a permanent change in the thinking of voters.
“I think people have reacted to the outcome of COVID and the pandemic, the way it was managed,” she said.
“People do not understand the difference between state and federal (responsibilities), they don’t understand the constitution and I think education about our system is something that is absolutely needed so that people do understand how this works.
“I would hope that we can move forward as a nation.”
