Key Points
- The resignation of Stuart Robert earlier this year triggered a by-election in the safe Liberal party seat.
- The Labor party hoped that Stuart Robert's involvement in the robodebt scandal would work in the ALP's favour.
- However, the Liberal candidate has secured victory, with a small swing towards the party.
Former Gold Coast City councillor Cameron Caldwell is heading to Canberra after winning the federal seat of Fadden for the Liberal National Party (LNP).
Caldwell will replace former Turnbull and Morrison government minister Stuart Robert who resigned from federal parliament earlier this year.
There was a 2.4 per cent swing towards the Coalition in the seat of Fadden following the vote.
Here's what you need to know.
Liberals cite cost of living pressures for win
Caldwell fought off a tough campaign by the Labor party which had highlighted Robert's involvement in the robodebt scandal that engulfed the previous Coalition federal government.
Robodebt is the name given to an unlawful debt recovery program that saddled almost half a million welfare recipients with hundreds of millions of dollars in false Centrelink debts between 2015 and 2019.
A royal commission investigation into the scheme released earlier this month laid the blame at the feet of senior public servants and Coalition ministers including Robert, Scott Morrison, Alan Tudge and Christian Porter.
But Caldwell said the main issue for voters in the by-election was the rising cost of living.
"We are a party that must return to government in order to restore the faith that Australians have in government keeping their promises," he said in his victory speech alongside his wife, Lauren.
How did the Labor government react to the Fadden result?
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the win was a "lethargic" result for Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
"The idea that Peter Dutton as a Queenslander, who is leading the Liberal Party, would take any comfort out of this result at all, frankly, is ridiculous."
"To have a by-election against a sitting government where you only get a 2 per cent swing in an area that is your heartland is a very, very lethargic result."
He also reaffirmed the government's commitment to easing the cost of living.
"We really have been focused on the cost of living since the moment that we came to government," he told Sky News on Sunday.
Mr Marles denied Labor had a problem with Queensland voters, describing the state as a place of "significant opportunity".
How did the Coalition react to its win in Fadden?
Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley dismissed the government's comments on their loss.
"It is a strong result," she said.
"I've listened to the Labor Party turn this into politics ... when they as the government should be enacting policies and caring a lot more for the people they've left behind.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Caldwell would be an exceptional member of the federal parliament.
"He's worked tirelessly for this community for over a dozen years, he's accomplished in law in small business, he's worked hard for his local community, and he will continue that work as the federal member for Fadden," he said.
Did the LNP gain a swing in Fadden?
The swing to the LNP on a two-party preferred basis was 2.4 per cent, making it an even safer Coalition seat, according to Australian Electoral Commission data.
Former Labor strategist and now pollster Kos Samaras said the swing to the Liberals was a result of the United Australia Party vote heading back to the LNP.
Labor's candidate Letitia Del Fabbro said on Saturday any swing to Labor would be a blow to the coalition in one of its safest seats.
Del Fabbro, who was contesting the seat for the second time, was credited with whittling down Robert's margin from 11.2 per cent to 10.6 per cent at the 2019 federal election.
In her concession speech on Saturday night, Del Fabbro said it was still a "bloody good result" for Labor.
"A little while ago I called Cameron Caldwell to congratulate him on being elected as a new member," she said on Saturday night.
"As you know, we knew this would be an uphill battle, so I guess it has always been an important message to the LNP to not take the Gold Coast for granted."
Labor has won Fadden once - in 1983 upon the election of the Hawke government.
