13 March 2025

Labor's David Smith can't rest on his margin as electoral climate heats up

| Ian Bushnell
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woman with cheering supporters

Independent Jessie Price and her supporters. Labor is taking her challenge seriously. Photo: Voices for Bean.

Is the orange tide about to swamp Labor’s David Smith in Bean?

The numbers say not likely, but David Pocock defied the odds in 2022 to banish Zed Seselja and deny the Liberals any representation in the Parliament.

Granted, Pocock was an exceptional candidate, and his rugby background didn’t hurt, but it was also the beginning of the volatility that now characterises the electoral landscape.

His former staffer, Thomas Emerson, is now an independent in the Legislative Assembly after contesting a seat studded with party leaders.

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Last federal election, David Smith retained Bean with a primary vote of 41 per cent and personal swing of 3.59 per cent and a two-party preferred swing of 5.43 per cent for a sizable margin of 12.9 per cent.

That’s a fair buffer.

But community independent Jessie Price, a former journalist and midwife, is unfazed, as are her enthusiastic orange-clad supporters who can be seen waving placards at motorists on the busy morning commute.

She has received some funding from Climate 200, which bankrolled the Pocock push and is expected to hand over a bit more for the soon-to-start official campaign.

Last week, Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes a Court told the National Press Club that Climate 200 polling gave Price a good chance of toppling Smith.

That may be due to the poll questions and be self-serving, but it will give the Price campaign a fillip.

David Smith, second from left, in the Labor lineup for the light rail Stage 2A sod turning. Photo: Ian Bushnell.

Smith is considered vulnerable because of a perceived lack of visibility in the electorate, a general antipathy towards incumbency, especially with higher interest rates and the rising cost of living, and the Albanese Government’s cautious climate policies.

Price, presenting a fresh face and oodles of energy, is hoping to win over disenchanted Labor voters and Liberals who back the energy transition but won’t countenance moving to the left.

Cost of living, housing, health care, climate change, plus more infrastructure on the south side of Canberra are her priorities.

She considers a minority government would be a great result because it would give the likes of her more bargaining power from the crossbench – and better results for Bean.

Labor is ramping up the risk factor of this approach. Last week Chief Minister Andrew Barr laced his otherwise mundane State of the Territory speech with warnings about what a Dutton government would mean to the ACT’s economy and infrastructure program.

Having Anthony Albanese in the Lodge has made life a whole lot easier for the ACT in working with the Commonwealth to jointly fund projects, and Labor’s policy settings have strengthened Canberra’s economy.

The message was clear – a Coalition government would put all this at risk. And he didn’t even mention Dutton’s proposed public service cuts, leaving that to Finance Minister and ACT Senator Katy Gallagher.

READ ALSO Pocock urges government to adopt committee’s recommendations for helping the poor

While Barr didn’t refer to independents, the implication was that a Price victory would be one less Labor seat and that could be crucial to who sits on the government benches. But it could also help the Liberal candidate, army veteran David Lamerton, pull off a boilover.

That’s Smith’s warning to voters too.

However, in an electoral environment where grievance is rewarded, incumbency is ignored, and energy can melt numbers, it may not be enough.

Smith has been in every infrastructure photo-op recently, but he will need to do some old-fashioned flesh pressing and doorknocking to let people know he isn’t taking their votes for granted. We may even see him on the side of the road with a placard.

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Smith, Smith who, oh was he parachuted in as well.

Smith appears every 3.9 years and asks for everyone’s vote. He does absolutely zero in between elections because it’s such a safe seat. It’s time to see him out the door

What amuses me is that Smith shares the same conservative Catholic beliefs as Zed Seselja (being a former disciple of ultra-conservative Catholic and Opus Dei member, Joe de Bruyn) but has copped none of the stick that Zed received from Labor supporters. I’m no fan of either, but there seems to be some hypocrisy here. Smith is basically another Zed, only he keeps invisible and toes the party line.

It’s fair point that they share similar beliefs largely not in step with the electorate. But I disagree that lack of “stick” from the electorate is hypocrisy.

I think the issue was Zed was very visible in pushing his views on the electorate regardless of what the electorate wanted, where as Smith as several people have pointed has been completely invisible (I actually thought he was a much younger bloke until I saw the picture above).

You’re right though they both vote the party line; and neither of the have championed Canberra or anything to with fixing the large structural issues this country faces.

Indeed one of Australia’s all too few value added exports and a major employer in the ACT is education. So where was Smith on the stupidity of capping foreign students? Sure put policy in place to ensure an Australian degree doesn’t become a default pathway to citizenship, add a levy to fund Aussie students if that’s a genuine problem but why stop people coming here for four years and spending tonne of money? It beggars belief.

I am so done with the major parties and the invisible Mr. Smith can go, and one less out of touch ultra-conservative Catholic in the parliament is good news as far as I’m concerned.

@Jayce
Yes, except, Smith voted in favour of the Restoring Territory Rights Bill in 2022 – allowing ACT LA to legislate on VAD.

It’s worth noting that voting for this bill, was not along party lines but a free (“conscience”), yet despite his religious leanings, Smith honoured the wishes of a majority of voters in his electorate. That’s why Seselja is no longer a Senator for ACT – he let his religious views override his “representation” (or lack thereof) of his constituency.

Nevertheless, like Seano, I am done with major parties, and so I will not be at all sad, to see Smith’s demise to this independent, if it happens, at the next election.

Zed was very active and actually did things for Canberra. Not sure where Smith is.

When you are active you become a target. Activism is the strength of the Labor party. They’ll get you to hate someone and then make you think it was grass roots.

Zed did basically nothing more than labor in pushing views. However his views were religious where labors were woke progressive. Its easier to bash religious views when they are the minority. Thats how they got away with taking over the hospital, at a time when they were over of budget and the CHS has terrible culture.

Any government is always better after they haven’t been in power.
If you want a good Lib gov. vote for them.
If you want a good lab gov that isn’t invisible, don’t let them take your vote for granted.

At least pocock shows you which way he voted.

Smith should have been an advocate for Canberra in the NBN, we’re targeting 60% access for fibre, where the rest of Aus is 90%. We’re not a hard place to install it, but because inner north is that 60% they don’t care about the rest of us.

“Yes, except, Smith voted in favour of the Restoring Territory Rights Bill in 2022 – allowing ACT LA to legislate on VAD.”

Thanks JustSaying, that’s quite something in his favour considering personal beliefs so kudos to him for that.

“Zed was very active and actually did things for Canberra.”…lol no.

ROBERT INGLE1:00 pm 17 Mar 25

David Smith? He has collected probably $700000 in wages to represent me in the last 3 years and his representation has been dismal. I don’t care who wins the seat. Nobody could be as lazy as him. The people of BEAN, I know he has Labor after his name, please don’t blindly vote for him.

Gregg Heldon12:25 pm 17 Mar 25

Smith is very invisible. I’ve never seen him out and about. We get a newsletter from him once every six months, in our letterbox, in Greenway.
That’s it.
He claims he does a lot in his newsletter, but so do most pollies.

So Gregg what do you actually want him to do?

He did make a guest appearance at Phillip pool recently

David Smith ??????

Talk about keeping a low profile – I’ve never heard of him

What has Smith done for Canberra? Genuine question.

Bloke has been entirely invisible.

The major parties and the vested interests that control them do not want to fix the major issues facing this country either because they’re too hard, or they don’t care or it benefits them not to.

The only way to get the majors to stop taking us for granted is to vote for sensible (ie. not Clive) independents.

Roll on a minority government.

“Sensible independents”, that’s funny !

Yeah that the rusted ons and culture warriors don’t like sensible independents is another reason to vote for them.

Capital Retro7:46 am 17 Mar 25

At least one house in Tuggeranong already displaying electoral signs for both Pocock and Price.
Sort of says it all.

That you’ve got nothing other than whinging? Yes it does.

Capital Retro9:16 am 17 Mar 25

Did you sleep in this morning, Seano?
I expected your predictable response at least 30 minutes earlier.

@Capital Retro
I guess you can infer that the residents of that house with vote for Price and Pocock, CR.

Other than the fact that they propose to vote differently to you, do you have anything relevant to contribute?

Your obsession with me is sad, your inability form a cogent argument on any issue let alone why people shouldn’t vote for sensible independents is sadder.

Capital Retro11:35 am 17 Mar 25

You should try stand-up comedy, Seano.

You should try reasoned argument based on data & evidence, Capital.

Capital Retro2:40 pm 17 Mar 25

Yeah, would you like me to say I made that up about the signs so I sign a confession and the state then sends me to a gulag?
And while the candidates may be “sensible” they are certainly NOT independents.

“Yeah, would you like me to say I made that up about the signs so I sign a confession and the state then sends me to a gulag?”

I’ve read this 3 times and have no idea what you’re talking about. I suspect a tinfoil hat is required to interpret this statement.

‘And while the candidates may be “sensible” they are certainly NOT independents.’

They actually are independent, your parroting of this tired coalition talking point only only highlights that the only non-independent in this conversation is you Capital.

@Capital Retro
Really, CR, how long are you going to sit on your perch, and squawk about candidates, who are not members of any major political parties, being “NOT independents”?
Note: Pocock ran under the David Pocock Party, to enable ‘above the line’ voting at the last election, but that’s a technical matter, and does not impact his independence from any other party in the Parliament.

This vacuous stance from you, may play well with others of your ilk, but to those who are seriously considering voting for such candidates, it’s just tiresome hyperbole.

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