“Labor have quietly been moving into the centre-right space of economic and fiscal management, along with foreign affairs, once seen as key policy offerings of the Liberals,” warns political columnist ANDREW HUGHES.

The Liberals of 2025, both in the ACT and federally, show the challenges faced by broad-based parties who try to rebuild the brand.

The brand rebuild, though, is harder for the Liberals coming from the right, than Labor coming from the left. 

Why? Issues, such as climate change, health and education, are ones that have always been identified as being better handled by Labor than the Coalition. 

Labor have quietly been moving into the centre-right space of economic and fiscal management, along with foreign affairs, once seen as other key policy offerings of the Liberals. 

This change into the sensible right has happened at local and federal levels, and when it comes to metrics on who is better handling the economy, Labor are neck-and-neck with the Coalition at most levels of government. 

This repositioning by Labor has taken time, sacrifice, and overcoming internal resistance. For some in Labor, the repositioning has equalled walking away from the “true believers” Labor platform and, instead, embracing the corporate world through events such as the Labor Business Exchange where tickets recently went for up to $12,000 each. 

The Labor of 2025 has agreed to opening new coal mines, embraces corporatisation of government organisations, and is now known to be bigger threats to the CSIRO than recent Coalition governments. 

This repositioning of the Labor brand as the dominant and only choice in the centre right was left largely unchallenged by the Liberal Party who became more obsessed with each other as internal divisions only deepened after each leadership change and drama, never healed. 

So now it is Labor who is seen as Liberal lite, whereas the Liberals are seen as the Nats from the city. 

If you think about it, Teals is more of an apt name for Labor than it may be for those who identify as that. Perhaps this is a good reason why many teals don’t want to be called that and instead want to be seen as only independents. 

The upshot of all of this, federally and locally, is that the Liberals chase the conservative slice of the electoral pie. In the ACT, that is now roughly 25 per cent federal vote, perhaps around 35 per cent locally if the most recent election results are a guide in 2025. This story is closely repeated around the nation. 

The Liberals are then torn internally into trying to take back ground lost to Labor in the centre right, or chasing the low-hanging fruit in the right and far right. The far-right parties know this, especially One Nation. 

A headline act, such as a Barnaby Joyce, would give One Nation scope to expand beyond the “Three I’s” (Islam, immigration and identity) and push the Coalition hard on issues such as climate and energy. Their primary vote, already at Newspoll record highs, would likely go even higher and see the Nationals threatened in some rural seats. 

Barnaby Joyce knew all this, and played both Coalition parties well enough to get the wins he needed without making any sacrifices. Clever politics. But in doing so he revealed just how aware the Coalition senior leaders are to what is going on in this space. 

Yet that space is limited to 25-30 per cent. It will never win you government but it can prevent you getting it. It is absolutely insane that this is all happening for a vote share that small, and unlikely to grow anytime soon with the growing influence of Gen Y, Z and the Alphas on electoral outcomes. 

Even here in the ACT, the fight for the right makes no sense. No one else wants it. Only nine seats out of 25 in the ACT belong to the conservative side of politics. And that number is decreasing. 

There are those in the Coalition who believe that a Voice-style campaign can win over voters on key issues where Labor are seen as either weak or as poor managers. That is a lot of optimism when they can’t even put together leadership teams that have the full support of the party itself. 

The strategy of changing climate discussions into energy and pricing ones may win new believers, but it may also cost more existing ones. Not so clever, then. 

Locally, there is no more hope of a majority. To be in government, the Libs are going to have to become Labor lite: make sacrifices, keep internal divisions internal and be patient. 

Can they? Not as of today. They will need to form an alliance to get government. Considering the way both sides hate each other, someone has to go AND something has to give. There is no more one-or-the-other anymore. Hard conversations have to be had. 

They need to be seen as a (better) version of Labor lite. Moving into the right is a net zero play. They have to get back to the future. Anyone got a spare DeLorean?

Dr Andrew Hughes lectures at the ANU Research School of Management, where he specialises in political marketing.