ALP given clear message to shape up after weekend election battles

The ALP knew it was going to suffer some body blows in the SA and Tasmanian elections last weekend. But the surprise lies on where the blows landed.

While the Labor Government in SA clings to power in its own right, Premier Mike Rann has sent a clear message: get rid of your old blokes and bring in new people with fresh vision.

Large swings were recorded against Rann and his senior ministers in their own safe seats winning only 24 of 47 seats in Parliament.

Younger backbenchers fared better than their longer serving colleagues with two even recording swings towards them after campaigning strongly on local issues. Rann has already sniffed the wind, saying the election was a combination of a correction after the 2006 landslide and a “kick in the pants” and pledging to cut spending on political advertising.

In Tasmania, Labor suffered a 12% swing against it, with 7% to the Liberals and 5% to the Greens.

The Liberal leader, Will Hodgman claimed a mandate to become Premier but will be forced to form a minority government with the hostile Labor and Greens.

The Greens vote, at 21%, is the highest for that party in any state or territory election. It is the response of a deliberate campaign by leader Nick McKim to avoid the typical doomsday scenarios that the Greens have pedalled and replacing that with a focus on a more mainstream pitch on health and education mixed with visions of a positive future.

The Gunns controversy also played into the Greens hands with many Tasmanians rejecting the main two parties for being too close to the hardwood sawmill.

There will be many messages that the ALP will take from the weekend musical chairs. But one that has implications for entrepreneurs is around resources and growth.

In both elections two key environmental themes dominated the political landscape. In SA, polls showed that water was the major concern of voters. In Tasmania, knocking down native forest and managing hardwood resources continues to dominate debate.

Get set for more debate at a national level around land use, natural resources and economic growth.