Period up to 2016 election characterised by under-resourced research, lack of concrete policy behind ‘jobs and growth’ slogan, and no strategy to rebut key attack themes

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The Liberal party was flying blind for key periods after Tony Abbott assumed power right through to the 2016 federal election, because the research and data analytics functions were severely under-resourced, according to a critical review carried out for the party.



According to sources familiar with the 2016 election campaign wash-up undertaken by Andrew Robb, the review finds the Liberals were outgunned on the ground by Labor and progressive activist groups, and failed to develop a strategy to neutralise or rebut key attack themes, like the so-called “Mediscare” campaign.

It criticises the lack of concrete policy sitting behind the Coalition’s “jobs and growth” campaign slogan, and a lack of attention to defining political opponents, noting that a campaign for re-election needs to be formulated during the whole parliamentary term of government.

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The campaign review is understood to find that research, including research undertaken in marginal seats, was significantly undermined by a lack of campaign spending, and it says the Liberals need to boost their data analytics program.

Sources have told Guardian Australia the review notes that the party failed to commit resources to research after Abbott won in 2013, and no significant research was undertaken ahead of the deeply controversial 2014 budget – which proved the beginning of the end for Abbott as prime minister.

It’s understood there is emphasis in the review on the importance of the Liberal party creating new regional campaign capabilities to enhance the capability of localised messaging – and putting a greater emphasis on targeting prepoll voting.

The review also notes that the departure of highly experienced personnel, such as the Liberal party’s long-serving federal director Brian Loughnane, created a loss of corporate knowledge.

Liberal sources are not clear whether Robb will present the entire report to the party’s executive on Friday, or excerpts of it, or whether the review will be publicly released subsequently.

The bracing campaign assessment follows the resignation this week of the veteran campaigner Tony Nutt as federal director of the party.

It also comes as representatives of the Liberal party organisation, government staff and parliamentarians, including the veterans’ affairs minister, Dan Tehan, will meet on Thursday night with representatives of the controversial data-mining company Cambridge Analytica – one of the key backroom operatives of Donald Trump’s campaign for the White House.

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The company, which uses controversial “psychographic” methods to identify which particular messages are most persuasive to voters, and works as consultants for conservative political parties, is looking to set up shop in Australia.

The government surviving the 2016 election contest by such a slim margin – a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives – triggered a round of back-biting in the Liberal party organisation, and prompted MPs defending marginal seats to complain about the lack of support from Liberal campaign HQ.

MPs complained the central campaign message of jobs and growth, and the optimism about digital disruption from Malcolm Turnbull, disconcerted many conservative voters.

There were also complaints that information wasn’t shared sufficiently between the federal office and the state campaigns.