Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ousted Liberal MP Andrew Nikolic has taken to social media to accuse left-wing lobby group GetUp! of running a "dishonest, nasty, personal campaign" that cost him his seat.
Mr Nikolic was one of the Coalition's earliest casualties on Saturday, suffering a 10.6 per cent swing against him as he lost the the marginal northern Tasmanian seat of Bass to Labor's Ross Hart.
It followed an at-times bitter campaign in which Mr Nikolic – a member of the conservative right and strong supporter of Tony Abbott – was the target of community groups that accused him of refusing to speak with those who held opposing views.
GetUp! targeted Mr Nikolic with a campaign worth about $300,000 that paid for TV and billboard advertising, phone calls, door-knocking and how-to-vote cards.
The lobby group had 10 paid staff and 80 volunteers at polling booths in Bass on election day.
Mr Nikolic hit out at the group on his Facebook page on Monday. Posting an ABC article about the campaign against him, he said it showed the extraordinary steps taken by GetUp!, unions and Labor to push a dishonest line "built around the core lie of Medicare privatisation".
"THIS IS WHAT DISHONESTY LOOKS LIKE - GETUP SPENT $500,000 AND IMPORTED 90 ACTIVISTS INTO BASS," he wrote.
"It's sad to think that this sort of dishonest campaigning approach works in our country!"
The angry post from Mr Nikolic, who has maintained his Facebook page but deleted his Twitter account after losing his seat, followed Liberal state director Sam McQuestin accusing GetUp! of pedalling lies and frightening vulnerable pensioners with phone messages about changes to Medicare.
GetUp! national director Paul Oosting confirmed the scale of the Bass campaign – the biggest of six across the country targeting members of the government's hard-right. He denied it was dishonest.
He said hundreds of volunteers had spread "clear facts" about cuts to health, education and renewable energy supported by Mr Nikolic. A funding crisis at Launceston General Hospital was a significant local issue during the eight-week campaign.
"It is the first time we've ever done a campaign that hasn't just targeted our members," Mr Oosting said. "We're really proud of this campaign and we're blown away by the response."
Mr Oosting said the campaign was backed by "tens of thousands of people" who donated on average $18 each.
Mr Oosting said exit polls suggested the hard-right had cost the Coalition the election, and called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to pivot to the centre.
Mr Nikolic's loss enhances Bass's reputation as one of the country's most volatile seats. A sitting member has not been returned since 2001.
