Inside Story

The elusive X-factor

Two political insurgencies — in Batman and in South Australia — failed to live up to expectations this weekend. Peter Clarke talks to political scientist Rob Manwaring about why

Peter Clarke & Rob Manwaring 18 March 2018 74 words

Back to the future? Liberal leader Steven Marshall at the party’s election-night party. Tracey Nearmy/AAP Image


Two closely watched elections this weekend have produced unexpectedly straightforward results. Despite high hopes, the Greens suffered a negative swing against a strong Labor candidate in the inner Melbourne seat of Batman, and in South Australia a longstanding Labor government was unseated by the Liberals, with support for Nick Xenophon’s SA-BEST falling well below early expectations. On the morning after, Peter Clarke talks to political scientist Rob Manwaring about what happened and why.