Liberal Party assesses wipeout in Victoria as Labor celebrates increased majorityBy Andi YuBy Sian JohnsonTopic:National Elections2h ago2 hours agoSun 4 May 2025 at 12:18amThe Liberal Party's Keith Wolahan, who has lost his seat of Menzies in Melbourne, says his party "has an issue with people in urban Australia". (ABC News)In short:The Liberal Party has suffered devastating losses in Victoria, showing that its strategy to win over suburban Victorians has failed.Key Liberal seats such as Menzies and Deakin have gone to Labor amid significant swings.What's next?A number of seats remain too close to call, including Goldstein in Melbourne's inner south and Wills in the inner north.abc.net.au/news/victoria-post-federal-election-liberal-labor/105249792Link copiedShareShare articleOusted one-term Liberal MP from Melbourne's east, Keith Wolahan, has called on his party to focus on urban Australians after a resounding electoral loss in Victoria and across the nation.Election essentials:Federal election updates and live resultsHow Labor carved a path to a landslide victoryWhat was the result in your seat? Look up the map of your regionMr Wolahan, who held one of the party's few metropolitan Melbourne seats, has lost his seat to Labor's Gabriel Ng."It was clear our party has an issue with people in urban Australia, which is where most people live," he told the ABC's Insiders program on Sunday. "We need to turn our mind to that like we never have before."Mr Wolahan said holding the seat for three years was the honour of his life but he stopped short of officially conceding defeat.The Liberal Party has been reduced to a handful of seats across the Melbourne region, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's goal to attract votes from outer suburban Victorian voters having failed.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's landslide election victory on Saturday night has delivered Labor swings across the country, not least in Victoria, where the Liberal Party had high electoral hopes."We need to acknowledge the cities that we live in, not the cities that we used to live in, or think we live in," Mr Wolahan said. "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 and I admire them and they have done an amazing job — to put themselves in the shoes of Australians who live in an urban area."We can't just go off perception, we have to go off the perspective of someone else"Mr Wolahan said he hoped the Liberal Party's electoral review would be "serious" and "comprehensive".Another key upset for the Liberals has occurred in the eastern Melbourne electorate of Deakin, where MP Michael Sukkar has lost his seat to a more than 4 per cent swing to Labor's Matt Gregg.The Liberals are also facing disappointment in the seat of Aston in Melbourne's east.The formerly safe Liberal seat turned red in a surprise win for Labor's Mary Doyle at a 2023 by-election, and it appears she has once again triumphed, with Liberal hopeful Manny Cicchiello trailing behind.In Kooyong in the city's inner east, teal independent Dr Monique Ryan has retained her seat off Liberal hopeful Amelia Hamer with a clear win."We've been able to, in three years, I think, put together a body of work which has shown the community of Kooyong that it's worth having independent representation," she told her supporters on Saturday night.Liberal MP for the seat of Wannon in the state's west, Dan Tehan, said on Saturday evening his party would have to have a "root and branch look at everything that's occurred".Premier ties federal Labor's success to state issuesVictorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the election results were an emphatic win for the broader Labor movement and the nation.She said voters had recognised Labor's focus on working families, road and rail infrastructure and construction projects."The results yesterday, they're not despite what's going on here in Victoria, they're because of what's going on here in Victoria — that focus on building, on homes, on Airport Rail, Suburban Rail Loop, that focus on families in their hospital and education care, and the focus on providing meaningful cost of living support."Victorians know that that's what we stand for, Victorians know that's what federal Labor stands for and they also know that in Anthony Albanese and in my government, we will fight for them every single day."Read more about the federal election:It took just over two hours to call time on Dutton's two decades in federal politicsHave Your Say: What was the issue, policy or event that decided your vote?Federal election map: See a quick snapshot of how the parties are performingWant even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 federal election coverageCatch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on ABC iview and ABC ListenBut the seat of Bendigo — the premier's hometown — is piquing interest as its result bucks the broader trend in Labor’s favour.There are an estimated 1290 votes between sitting MP Lisa Chester, who had held the seat at a margin of 11.9 per cent, and Nationals candidate Andrew Lethlean.Victorian seats in doubtThe seat of Wills, in Melbourne's north, remains tight with Labor's Peter Khalil in the lead.The Greens were hopeful of picking up the seat with the help of the profile of former Victorian party leader Samantha Ratnam.Sema, a Wills voter, told the ABC on Sunday morning the election result was "a really strong statement from the country".She said the result was a response to "Trump-style politics happening elsewhere"."I don't think anyone expected the landslide," Sema said."I think people maybe thought a minority government. So I'm incredibly proud".The neighbouring seat of Melbourne remains too close to call due to a 5 per cent swing towards Labor.Melbourne MP and national Greens leader Adam Bandt is slightly ahead of Labor's Sarah Witty with about two-thirds of votes counted.In Goldstein in Melbourne's inner south, incumbent teal independent MP Zoe Daniel celebrated success on Saturday night but Liberal rival Tim Wilson has not yet conceded defeat."The Liberal Party threw everything at us … and we are standing here to celebrate," she told her supporters to rapturous applause.The ABC vote count indicates a win for Ms Daniel is likely, however, there are more than 20,000 votes yet to be counted.Goldstein independent MP Zoe Daniel claimed victory on Saturday night, however her Liberal rival Tim Wilson has not yet conceded defeat. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)In the seat of Flinders on the Mornington Peninsula, the AEC abandoned its Liberal-Labor preference count to look at preferences between Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie and independent Ben Smith, which remain on a knife edge.There are 15 vote-counting centres in Victoria, with counting set to resume on Sunday morning.LoadingLoading...Having trouble seeing this form? Try this link.Posted 2h ago2 hours agoSun 4 May 2025 at 12:18am, updated 2m ago2 minutes agoSun 4 May 2025 at 2:19amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesLabor victory a 'win for the ages'Topic:ElectionsPhoto shows Smiling Albanese with a coffee at a table with trees behindLiberals begin dissection after ruinous lossTopic:Federal GovernmentPhoto shows Liberal Party launch in SydneyYour 4-minute guide to the federal election resultsTopic:ExplainerPhoto shows Anthony Albanese holds up his hands to calm the crowd.Labor gains seats across Queensland, picks up extra Senate seatTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows A woman in a felt hat smirks. What was the result in your seat? Look up the map of your regionTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows An illustration of the map of Australia with multicoloured lines behind itPopular nowAlbanese gets warm welcome in electorate as Coalition confronts worst-ever resultLIVEPhoto shows Smiling Albanese with a coffee at a table with trees behindNo clear favourite as Liberals weigh Dutton successorTopic:Liberal Party of AustraliaPhoto shows A composite image of Andrew Hastie, Sussan Ley, Angus Taylor and Dan TehanWhat was the result in your seat? Look up the map of your regionTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows An illustration of the map of Australia with multicoloured lines behind itRelated topicsALPAustralian Federal ElectionsBox HillBulleenMelbourneNational ElectionsTop StoriesLabor victory a 'win for the ages'Topic:ElectionsPhoto shows Smiling Albanese with a coffee at a table with trees behindLiberals begin dissection after ruinous lossTopic:Federal GovernmentYour 4-minute guide to the federal election resultsTopic:ExplainerLabor gains seats across Queensland, picks up extra Senate seatTopic:ElectionsWhat was the result in your seat? Look up the map of your regionTopic:ElectionsJust InBroncos insist there are 'no demons' playing Penrith despite poor recent recordLIVE20m ago20 minutes agoSun 4 May 2025 at 2:01amWhy some hotels in China don't accept foreign tourists Topic:Travel and Tourism51m ago51 minutes agoSun 4 May 2025 at 1:30amJustice hangs in the balance a year after Perth brothers killed in MexicoTopic:Law, Crime and Justice54m ago54 minutes agoSun 4 May 2025 at 1:27amVietnam War photographer reflects on fall of SaigonTopic:Unrest, Conflict and War1h ago1 hours agoSun 4 May 2025 at 12:51amMore Just InBack to top