Asher returns to council after federal election loss

GEELONG mayor Stephanie Asher returned to the council this week after an unsuccessful tilt at federal politics for the seat of Corangamite with the Liberals.

Granted a five-month leave of absence from the council, Ms Asher thanked deputy mayor Trent Sullivan for acting in her place.

With a pre-election margin of one per cent, the Coalition had high hopes of picking up Corangamite from Labor incumbent Libby Coker, evidenced by former prime minster Scott Morrison’s five visits in six months to the electorate, but Ms Asher incurred a large swing against her of 7.7 per cent.

Asked during the campaign whether Mr Morrison’s presence was a help to her campaign, Ms Asher said she was “very, very, very grateful to have the Prime Minister here showing his support”.

The once-marginal seat now looks to be firmly held by Ms Coker, in part due to a boundary redistribution that drew in parts of Geelong and Armstrong Creek, a record vote for the Greens and a large swing against the Liberal Party across much of the state.

In a post-election statement, Ms Asher lamented the uglier side of the national poll but said she had been “determined to run a positive campaign”.

“With so many mistruths coming forth during a campaign, I can fully understand why people are reluctant to stand for Parliament,” she said.

“The sledging, lies and personal attacks are offensive and something that I would like to see changed in the way our political system works … it needs people to call it out.

“I sincerely hope that people do their homework, check the facts and be sure about the truth before they buy into such nastiness.”

Having once stood as an independent for the seat of Corio in 2013 and similarly being elected as Geelong mayor without party affiliation, Ms Asher acknowledged during the campaign that she’d changed her views about major party membership, having criticised them previously.

Congratulating Ms Coker and the Labor Party on their election wins, Ms Asher said she looked “forward to continuing a productive relationship with government representatives at both state and federal level to advance the cause of our region”.

Ms Asher returns to her previous role with the City of Greater Geelong with her party in opposition at both a state and federal level for the first time in more than a decade.