Coalition had lost touch, says Liberal chief
Updated
The federal director of the Liberal Party, Brian Loughnane, says a range of factors were responsible for the Coalition's defeat in the federal election.
Addressing the National Press Club in Canberra today, Mr Loughnane said it is very difficult for any government to win a fifth term.
"The task facing the Coalition was always going to be challenging," he said.
He says research conducted by the Liberal Party pointed to a range of factors that led the electorate to conclude that the a change in government was a worth a go.
He says one of the main groups to come to this conclusion were parents in outer suburban and regional areas.
"The government came to be seen as internally focused and not responsive to their priorities," he said.
He says with many families struggling with tight budgets, they expected the government to share their concerns about price rises in petrol and food and higher interest rates.
Leadership talk
Mr Loughnane says the ongoing discussion on the future leadership of the party was also distracting and made voters believe the government had lost touch with the community.
A range of other issues also played a part.
"WorkChoices was a factor in our defeat," Mr Loughnane said.
He says WorkChoices united and activated the labour movement and the campaign against WorkChoices created anxiety in the electorate.
He says unions spent $30 million on their own campaign and this gave the Labor Party flexibility in deploying resources.
He says he feels this third force in the campaign is an unhealthy development and that the ACTU should have to set out how the money was spent.
Topics: liberals, federal-election-2007, elections, federal-government, political-parties, australia, act, canberra-2600
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