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Alan Tudge (Lib-Aston) – Maiden Speech and Resignation Statement

Feb 09, 2023

This is the maiden speech by Alan Tudge, delivered in the House of Representatives on October 26, 2010.

Tudge was 39 when he was elected to the Victorian electorate of Aston in Melbourne’s outer east.

Watch Tudge’s maiden speech – final half only (16m):

Aston had been held for the Liberal Party by Chris Pearce since a by-election in 2001. Previously, the seat had been held since 1990 by Peter Nugent, whose death precipitated the by-election. The only ALP member for Aston was John Saunderson, who won the seat at its creation in 1984, was re-elected in 1987 and defeated by Nugent in 1990.

Aston included the suburbs of Vermont, Knox, Scoresby and Wantirna. By the time Tudge retired in 2023, the seat had been redistributed a number of times and had shifted eastward to take in Boronia and Ferntree Gully, areas formerly in La Trobe.

Prior to his election, Tudge worked as a management consultant. He was seconded to Noel Pearson’s Cape York Institute. From 2002, Tudge worked as an adviser to Howard government ministers Brendan Nelson and Alexander Downer, before setting up his own policy advisory firm.

Tudge became a minister in 2016 and served in a number of portfolios under prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison, until the government’s defeat in 2022. His first portfolio was as Minister for Human Services. His role in the RoboDebt scandal led to him giving testimony to the RoboDebt Royal Commission in the week before his retirement.

Tudge’s ministerial career ended as Minister for Education and Youth. He stood aside in December 2021, following allegations about his relationship with his former press secretary, although he retained the title until the government lost office.

At his final election on May 21, 2022, Aston recorded an 11.64% fall in the Liberal Party’s primary vote. A two-party-preferred swing of 7.32% saw Tudge retain the seat with 52.81% of the two-party vote.

This post was updated on February 9, 2023, following Tudge’s announcement of his retirement. A transcript of Tudge’s maiden speech appears below, as does video of his resignation statement.


Watch Tudge’s resignation statement and responses by Prime Minister Albanese and Opposition Leader Dutton (16m):

Filed Under: Maiden Speeches, Liberal Party, Valedictory Speeches Tagged With: ,

Seats That Swung To The Coalition In The 2016 Federal Election

Jul 14, 2016

As counting proceeds in the 2016 House of Representatives elections, it appears that only 16 seats resisted the nationwide swing to the ALP.

Fifteen seats held by the Liberal Party and 1 seat held by The Nationals recorded swings away from the ALP. Thirteen of these seats were already held by the Coalition.

The swings range from 0.09% in Cook to 3.04% in Deakin.

The Liberal Party won just one seat from the ALP, the Melbourne electorate of Chisholm, with a swing of 2.91%.

The national two-party-preferred swing against the Coalition currently stands at 3.16%. Every State and Territory swung to the ALP, ranging from 0.72% in the Australian Capital Territory to 8.90% in South Australia.

The Coalition won the State two-party-preferred contest in NSW (50.42%), Queensland (53.95%) and Western Australia (54.54%). [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2016 Federal Election, House of Reps, Liberal Party, The Nationals, Turnbull Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Is The Ground Shifting?

Aug 01, 2001

With the Federal election now only months away, speculation about the likely result is taking on a distinctly different tone from that which has prevailed for much of the year.

In the words of Laurie Oakes in the latest edition of The Bulletin, “you can feel the ground moving. Things are looking better for John Howard, shakier for Kim Beazley.”

The year began with opinion polls showing the coalition struggling federally and in all States. Since 1998, the ALP has won government in Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. It has been overwhelmingly re-elected in New South Wales and Queensland. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2001 Federal Election, A.L.P., GST, Howard, Opinion Tagged With: , , , ,

Aston By-Election (2001)

Jul 14, 2001

The Aston by-election was caused by the death of the Liberal member, Peter Nugent, on April 24, 2001.

AstonNugent first won the seat in 1990, holding it again in the elections of 1993, 1996 and 1998.

In 1998, Nugent’s two-party-preferred margin was 4.24%.

The by-election was by Chris Pearce for the Liberal Party with 50.58% of the two-party vote. There was a two-party swing of 3.66% against the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party primary vote declined by 7.76% to 40.73%. The ALP’s primary vote also fell by 1.55% to 36.96%. [Read more…]

Filed Under: By-Elections, Howard, Liberal Party Tagged With: , , ,
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