AHA CEO UPDATE
Stephen Ferguson
six females in Qld alone). The Liberals hold only eight of 89 metro seats, and since the 2019 election the Liberals have lost 36 seats. Minor parties and independents have won a record 32.6% of the vote – more than the Coalition on only 32.7% and the ALP on 34.7%. The ALP got their votes where it mattered – across the board. The Nationals have held their seats. And I should point out Bendigo AHA Member Andrew Lethlean went very close to winning the seat of Bendigo for the Nationals. The Greens had a bad election - no doubt about that - and the Teals had a mixed bag. The Greens went from talking about holding the balance of power to losing their leader and most of their lower house seats. In Tasmania, the Liberals lost their two lower house seats, leaving the state with four ALP and one independent. In short, the ALP is able to govern in its own right, with a strong mandate, but is still susceptible to horse trading with the Greens or Coalition to pass legislation in the Senate.
Well, the 2025 election has come and gone and left us with a result very few political pundits – if any – were expecting. The ALP has a whopping 94 seats in the 150-seat parliament, with the Coalition reduced to just 43 seats. It’s important to note that in the Senate, the ALP only requires the votes of the Greens to pass legislation – it’s a much more progressive chamber for the ALP to do business than it was. I remember before the election, all the AHA Branch Presidents pitched in for a ‘winner take all’ bet on how many seats the ALP would win at the election. Those tips ranged from 74 seats with Peter Barclay the President of AHA ACT being the winner on 79 seats – still way off. So much for the supposed insider knowledge from those in the ‘political bubble.’ Although, I have to point out one industry insider I know with her finger on the pulse tipped 83 seats and backed Albo at $15.00 to form majority government. A new set of golf clubs now sits inside her garage. For the rest of us – and I include politicians themselves – the result is a seismic shock. The PM now heads the largest ALP caucus since Federation. The Coalition has been criticised for its lack of a policy platform and campaign. Some stark facts and realities lie ahead for the Liberals. The first being this is the largest Labor/Liberal differential ever. The second being the “woman problem”. The third being the growing city/county divide.
The AHA watch list includes:
• General IR reform - but I think most of this has been passed (or I hope) • Portability of long service leave • Gaming and liquor issues • Penalty rates • Debit card surcharges • Gambling The current state of the Coalition is not good for us or the broader community long-term. The old adage is “to have good government you need a good opposition.” There is little prospect of the decimated Opposition being able to hold the government to account on
In the House of Representatives, the Coalition has 35 males and nine females (in contrast the ALP elected
8
Tasmanian Hospitality Review June/July Edition
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online