“There’s one Liberal with the political smarts and powerful presentation who could give cock-a-hoop Labor a real run for their money. It’s Jane Hume,” writes The Gadfly columnist ROBERT MACKLIN.

There was always a possibility that the amazing Ali France would defeat Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton. 

Despite a heart-rending private life with the death of her husband and eldest son from cancer and her own loss of a leg after being hit by a car in a parking lot, she ran three times for Dickson before the cards fell her way. 

She joins PM Anthony Albanese as a Labor hero after the wipeout of the Liberals for the next term of government, and probably the one after, such is their numerical protection. 

However, Dutton’s fate was always on those cards with his tiny margin of 1.7 per cent going into the contest.

The principal contender to replace him, shadow treasurer Angus Taylor would have been preparing the way well before the electoral cataclysm struck. So too, perhaps, Deputy Leader Susan Ley. 

Some choice. Oleaginous Angus or second-string Susan. Either or both would ensure that the Liberals will face a truly existential threat the next time around. Little wonder that they are even considering the smartly tailored Andrew Hastie with his SAS background and his war-mongering dread of the “yellow hordes”. Or even Dan Tehan, who can make a sentence feel like a paragraph.

However, there is one Liberal with the political smarts and powerful presentation who could give a cock-a-hoop Labor team a real run for their money. It’s Jane Hume, the shadow minister for finance, the public service and shadow special minister for state.

Unfortunately, she is a Victorian senator and that would require a colleague in a safe seat to fall on his sword to allow her to transfer to the House of Representatives. 

There is an excellent precedent for this in Senator John Gorton’s election as Liberal leader and prime minister following the death of Harold Holt. 

But whether the Libs have such a beneficent male MP in Victoria is quite another matter. Being out of government they can’t offer much of a reward for his voluntary departure. And Victorian Liberal members in the House of Reps are very thin on the ground.

So, oleaginous Angus it is.

The Nationals’ David Littleproud might also have a revived Barnaby Joyce. But by general consensus he’s run his race, and the party has done better than the Libs, so David can confidently put in another order for his favoured dark hair dye.

Last election, Anthony Albanese thrilled his voters on the night with his first valiant promise: to fulfil the First Nations’cry for not just a Voice but the entire Uluru Statement from the Heart. Instead, it went the way of the tough Anti-Corruption Commission, the restriction of gambling ads. And in came the $800 million AUKUS toss-away to Pete Hegseth by his Deputy Richard Marles.

Throughout his prime ministership Albo has treated the independents as impostors in a parliament made for parties. Which it ain’t. The government will need their support in the Senate for the big economic and foreign policy challenges of the second term; and while his acceptance speech covered a range of issues (including First Nations) there’s a danger he will see the election as an endorsement of his “don’t frighten the horses” administration.

Who then among his cabinet colleagues has the foresight to inspire the nation with Ken Henry’s brilliant tax system; to bring home ownership within the grasp of every Australian; to create a Defence version of APEC without Trump’s America; and to fulfil Paul Keating’s challenge to find our security in Asia, not from it. 

Fascinating times ahead.

robert@robertmacklin.com