Key Points
- Mr Pocock defeated three-term Liberal Zed Seselja to become one of the ACT’s two senators.
- Meanwhile, the Australian Electoral Commission has deferred its declaration for the marginal NSW seat of Gilmore.
Former Wallaby David Pocock has become the first independent elected to the Senate from the ACT and said his success is evidence of the need to restore trust in politics.
Senator-elect Pocock defeated three-term Liberal Zed Seselja to become one of the ACT’s two senators along with Finance Minister Katy Gallagher.
Meanwhile, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has postponed the scheduled declaration of a winner in the seat of Gilmore.
Mr Pocock's campaign had prioritised calls for stronger action on climate change, the creation of a federal anti-corruption watchdog, and a referendum to create an .
Mr Pocock said voters expected politicians to work constructively towards delivering policies in the “best interests of all of us”.
“My sense talking to people across Canberra is there’s a frustration with the way that issues have been politicised,” he told reporters.
“There’s a real need to start to rebuild trust in politics and our institutions.
“We’re clearly facing some really big challenges as a country and that’s going to take leadership and vision and actually making decisions that will benefit all of us.”
Senator-elect Pocock defeated three-term Liberal Zed Seselja to become one of the ACT’s two senators along with Finance Minister Katy Gallagher. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
The Zimbabwe-born former rugby player also campaigned as a climate-action conservationist before his election.
He's called for Australia to reduce emissions by up to 60 per cent by 2030, going beyond Labor’s current commitment of 43 per cent by this deadline.
But he also said he was committed to being “pragmatic and constructive” on climate policy to move “beyond the insanity when it comes to targets and the lack of climate action.”
“We need the big policy settings to unlock, you know, billions of dollars of private investment to actually speed up the transition,” he said.
Mr Pocock has also backed the Albanese government’s commitment to enshrining an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the Constitution.
“The is just such a generous offer to all Australians to actually begin to move forward and address our past and to build a future together,” he said.
“It’s obviously a complex issue, it’s going to take a lot to ensure that it’s done the right way to get a good result at a referendum.”
The results mean the Liberals will not have an upper house member from the ACT for the first time since the introduction of senate representation for the nation's capital in 1975.
Mr Seselja, the former minister who was in a tight contest with Mr Pocock, was defeated after nine years in the Senate.
AEC defers Gilmore declaration
Labor candidate Fiona Phillips claimed victory in the marginal seat of Gilmore last month, but the AEC has not yet declared an official winner.
The AEC said it deferred Tuesday’s scheduled declaration in order to appropriately consider the recount request, which was reportedly made at the last minute by Liberal candidate Andrew Constance.
“As with all aspects of delivering the federal election and the count, we are guided by the principle of ‘right not rushed’,” an AEC spokesperson said.
“This holds true for the thorough consideration of requests such as these.”
The AEC also announced the results of the Senate race in the Northern Territory on Tuesday.
As predicted the two seats will go to Labor’s Malarndirri McCarthy and the Country Liberals Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
It is expected Labor will have 26 senators and will need the support of 12 Greens senators and Mr Pocock to pass legislation and motions in the 76-seat upper house from 1 July.
Mr Pocock said he had a responsibility to work towards securing a consensus to deliver positive outcomes.
“There are these big challenges, but I really believe we can turn them into opportunities for all of us,” he said.
