Angus Taylor says Liberal Party must focus on core values after federal election loss – ABC News

Outgoing minister Angus Taylor has called on the Liberal Party to return to its core valuesafter its heavy defeat in the federal election.

The election loss has cost Mr Taylor the energy and emissions reduction portfolio, which he has held since 2018.

But hewill remain in parliament after retaining the NSW seat of Hume, according to the latest ABC projections.

"It is critical now for the Liberal party to regroup and refocus on our core values,"Mr Taylor said.

"We must recognise who we represent and that in a time of great economic challenge, core liberal values have much to offer."

"More than ever, we need to focus on careful management of the economy and taxpayer money [and]leave behind heavy-handed interventions that hamper our hardworking businesses and workers and our economic recovery."

Mr Taylor won the seat of Hume for the fourth time despite a challenge from Labor and independent candidates.

Before the election Hume was considered one of the safest Liberal seats in the country, held with a margin of 13 per cent.

With 78 per cent of the vote counted, that margin is estimated to have slipped to 7.6 per cent.

The former frontbencher suffered a 10 per cent first-preference swing against him in his expansive electorate, which covers an area from the suburbs of south-west Sydney to the NSW Southern Tablelands.

Mr Taylor said there wouldbe a lot of focus on the shift to "left-wing independents" but said parts of the country had shifted to conservative parties.

"We also need to recognise the fragmentation of the primary votes of the major parties across the nation," he said.

"Labor has gained government legitimately with a 32 per centprimary vote which is unprecedented, while we saw strong support for smaller conservative parties in the suburbs and the bush."

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Among his challengers was first-time independent Penny Ackery, a Goulburn resident campaigning for a federal Independent Commission Against Corruption and increasing emissions reduction targets.

"I am really not sure exactly what he means by this, we saw this in a rural area where he lost his margin which was very large," Ms Ackery said.

"Iknow there are places where the Liberals have completely lost out."

The man behind funding for the successfulTeal independents, Simon Holmes aCourt, was at Ms Ackery's campaign launch in Goulburn last year.

The retired schoolteacher declined his offer to back her campaign through the Climate 200 fund.

"Accepting funding when it was a matter of integrity that I was really campaigning on, we felt that was not going to go down well, we decided against that," she said.

"We have no regrets about that."

Ms Ackery said ultimately it was difficult to compare the success of the inner-city independents with those challenging for rural seats.

"The actual demographics are different," she said.

"We have very rural areas down here as well as the outer suburbs of Sydney, so it is a very different electorate in regards to the issues we are dealing with.

"But they are all Australians, they are all having difficulties and they have concerns about things like integrityand about making sure we have a renewable economy into the future, it doesn't matter where you live, these things matter."

Mr Taylor said despite his role change he wouldremain focused on delivering the local projects included in the federal budget.

"It is now my job to make sure the government delivers on what we need the new airport and local jobs, the Picton bypass, a Goulburn Medicare-funded MRI and a host of other road and communications projects, in addition to delivering on cost of living commitments."

"These are all budgeted, and I will make sure you all know if the new government decides to change direction."

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Posted23 May 202223 May 2022Mon 23 May 2022 at 9:23am, updated23 May 202223 May 2022Mon 23 May 2022 at 10:50pm

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Angus Taylor says Liberal Party must focus on core values after federal election loss - ABC News