Hume says Australians ‘aggrieved’ and seeking change after SA vote

Jane Hume, the Liberal party’s deputy leader, said the South Australian election sent a clear message: the public are “looking for a change” and are “rightly aggrieved”. She noted One Nation had turned some of its polling into seats and warned the Coalition will need a stronger policy platform to win back voters.

Hume said the electorate wants solutions on high energy bills, “sensible settings” on immigration and an improvement in living standards and way of life, calling those demands neither unacceptable nor unreasonable. She also praised Ashton Hurn for fighting valiantly after what she described as a “scandal-ridden previous Coalition opposition in South Australia”.

Other voices reflected the fallout. Federal Liberal senator Leah Blyth described the result as “very grim” but better than expected, urging discipline, unity and a focus on federal policies, while One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce said the outcome corroborated polling and signalled a peel-off of blue-collar votes, with his party targeting both Coalition and Labor.

Australia, South Australia

jane hume, liberal party, south australia, one nation, coalition, ashton hurn, leah blyth, barnaby joyce, energy bills, immigration policy