The Liberal Party has released Peter Reith’s review of the 2010 federal election campaign.
The report by the former Howard government minister is 33 pages long and contains 34 recommendations to the Liberal Party’s Federal Executive.
One recommendation is that “the concept of preselections by plebiscite be introduced for House of Representatives seats prior to the next federal election in all States”. Another asks “that the party positively consider, subject to practicality, conducting two trial primaries for the forthcoming Federal election”.
On the conduct of the election campaign, Reith says “Tasmania was a classic case where more should have been done and particularly on policy”. He also questions why the party won the Victorian State election in November but “did less well” in the federal election. The ALP won two extra seats (La Trobe and McEwen) in Victoria. Reith cites the party’s poor result in South Australia as evidence of the need for “policy relevance”, especially on water management.
In NSW, the report examines the timing of preselection in Lindsay and the choice of candidate in Robertson, where Reith says the former member Jim Lloyd should have been encouraged to stand. Reith says “factionalism has weakened branches and membership throughout NSW and weakened our campaigning capability”.
