NSW Treasurer Matt Kean was blindsided by a question about Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who has become increasingly unpopular in recent weeks.
When asked point blank whether he likes Scott Morrison by host, Leigh Sales, Mr Kean was suspiciously evasive.
“Do you like Scott Morrison?” asked Sales.
Choosing his words carefully, Mr Kean replied, “I think Scott Morrison is doing a very difficult job at the moment leading our country and I certainly think he‘s the best person to lead the Liberal Party and lead our nation.”
At which point Sales ended the interview.
Earlier Mr Kean conceded that NSW’s weekend by-elections have revealed a major threat to Liberal Party.
Despite winning former premier Gladys Berejiklian’s seat of Willoughby, Liberal candidate Tim James saw an 18 per cent swing to his independent opponent Larissa Penn.
“The rise of independents in inner city seats in Sydney and Melbourne is a major threat to the Liberal Party,” NSW Treasurer Matt Kean said.
Mr Kean identified key issues he said were pushing inner city voters away from the more traditionally conservative Liberal Party.
“I think that those communities care about (things) like climate change, they are concerned about the rights of trans and same-sex couples for example, and they want to have those rights protected,” he said.
However, according to Kean, those issxjmtzywues are being looked at by representatives such as Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman, who is considered a moderate within his party.
“We wouldn’t have a net zero commitment had it not been for the advocacy of people like Trent Zimmerman and other moderates,” he said.
He also said Mr Zimmerman and others like him “put their careers on the line” by voting against the government’s religious discrimination bill.
In 2019, independent Zali Steggall replaced Tony Abbott in his former seat of Warringah, campaigning largely on a climate change platform.
“We’ve already lost one of our heartland seats in Warringah to a high-profile independent,” Mr Kean said.
“What we saw on the weekend in Willoughby … is that an independent campaign which wasn’t well financed and wasn’t well organised almost won the seat.”
“This is a huge risk that we face in our heartland seats around Sydney and Melbourne.”
Mr Kean also placed some of the blame on frustration over lockdowns dragging on longer than expected as Omicron surged late last year.
“We’ve have been through hell and back for the past two years. People were frustrated,” Mr Kean said.
“They hoped for a summer of relaxation and reunions with family and loved ones. They didn‘t get that, so it’s understandable they take out those frustrations at the ballot-box.”
