Coker reflects on election win

LIBBY Coker attributes her re-election and Labor’s win at the May 21 poll to two things – the electorate’s mood for change and their dislike of Scott Morrison.

Ms Coker increased her margin in her defeat of Liberal candidate for Corangamite Stephanie Asher as Labor ended nine years of Coalition rule and installed Anthony Albanese as the new Prime Minister.

Speaking in her electorate office in Armstrong Creek less than a week after the poll, Ms Coker said she was “pretty excited about the future”.

“It’s been a tough battle and it is just amazing to have achieved government and to have achieved the margin, the swing in the electorate.

“What it shows is that people do want change and they they showed that at the ballot box.

“I now have just the amazing opportunity to deliver for the community on policies of the federal government whether it’s child care, aged care – fixing that crisis – looking at the cost of living and what we can do to help families in the region, working to implement our climate change policy – which was really front and centre for many people – and starting to make things back here in Australia and in our region, there’s so much opportunity.”

Ms Coker said there was no definitive turning point for either her or Labor during the campaign, but she sensed a “growing need” from the community to change the Prime Minister.

“I think during the doorknocks and street stalls, there was a growing attitude of the need for change. I think Morrison was not very popular; he’s not popular in our region.

“That that was just a growing feel as I moved around the electorate, people were responding to that as I knocked on doors. I think it was a definite trend, a definite feel. The mood was more our way and people were losing faith in Scott Morrison to do the job.

“I think I didn’t play games with the electorate. I tried to be honest, I tried to run a campaign that wasn’t personal and focus on the policy.

“I think you need to have your finger very firmly on the pulse of the community – what they what, what they believe their local MP should deliver, and it is about accessibility as well; you’ve got to be responsive.”

Ms Coker’s priority now is delivering the election commitments she made as well as those made by Labor.

Unlike what she called the “bittersweet” circumstances of 2019, where she won her seat but Labor did not win the election, Ms Coker is in the party of government, but she said it would take some time for her pledges to be rolled out in Corangamite.

“The Infrastructure Minister is not even sworn in yet, so once that occurs, I will be sitting down and working through the timetable, and it will be not just with the minister but with the federal government.

“It’ll be looking at budget timetables, of course, and then you have to work with the state as well, and with local governments.

“So there’s a few ducks to get in a row before we get to that point, but I’m not going to be letting the dust settle. I’ll be stepping up.

“The community as well is very important, you’ve got to work with the community because, again, you’ve got to deliver on what’s going to work best for them.

“So I’m going to step up into this into this new role very quickly and be doing my best to deliver as soon as I can.”