Keith Wolahan Calls for Focus on Urban Voters After Liberal Losses in Victoria

Ousted Melbourne-based Liberal MP Keith Wolahan has urged his party to prioritize urban Australians following a significant electoral defeat both in Victoria and across Australia. While he stopped short of formally conceding defeat, Wolahan expressed pride in serving the Melbourne seat of Menzies for three years, calling it the “honour of his life.”

The Liberal Party’s presence in Melbourne has been drastically diminished, with only a few seats remaining in the region. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s efforts to win votes from outer suburban voters in Victoria appear to have fallen short, as the party faces a wipeout in the state.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s landslide victory on Saturday night has resulted in Labor gaining ground nationwide, including in Victoria where the Liberals had high hopes of making gains. Wolahan emphasized the need for the party to rethink its approach, stating, “We need to acknowledge the cities that we live in, not the cities that we used to live in or think we live in. Because there’s a lack of metropolitan members in the party room, I think we need the rural and regional members who I have great respect for to put themselves in the shoes of Australians who live in urban areas.”

He called for a “serious and comprehensive” electoral review to better understand the recent losses and adapt strategies accordingly.

Another notable upset occurred in Melbourne’s eastern electorate of Deakin, where MP Michael Sukkar lost his seat to Labor’s Matt Gregg with a swing of over 4 percent. Meanwhile, in Kooyong, the inner-east stronghold, independent Monique Ryan appears to have retained her seat after a tough campaign against Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer, who has not yet conceded, citing ongoing postal vote counts.

Dr Ryan highlighted the importance of the crossbench in holding the government accountable, especially amid a significantly weakened opposition. “We see an essentially eviscerated opposition, so I think it’s more important than ever that the crossbench act to hold the government to account on the issues our communities care about,” she said.

The Liberals’ remaining successes include MPs retaining seats such as La Trobe and likely Casey, along with Nationals wins in regional seats like Gippsland, Mallee, and Nicholls. Wannon MP Dan Tehan also managed to hold onto his large western Victorian electorate, marking one of the few bright spots for the Coalition in the aftermath of the election.