'Massive mountain to climb': Duniam's departing advice for Liberals

Outgoing Liberal Senator Jonathon Duniam has issued a stark warning to his party, stating they have "a massive mountain to climb" to regain public trust and win the next federal election. Duniam, who is leaving politics after a 25-year career, including a decade as a senator, cited his young family as the primary reason for his departure.

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a massive mountain to climb

Duniam is candid about the challenges facing the Liberal party, which he believes stem from a 15-year decline. "We lost the trust of thousands, hundreds of thousands of voters in each jurisdiction across the country because over the course of 15-plus years, we've just not demonstrated we stand for what it is we say we believe in," he told Stateline's Guy Stayner.

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For a man who has three children who have known nothing else other than my career in politics, which is incredibly time-consuming, I had to reverse my priorities, and that meant putting more time into them.

To overcome this, Duniam stressed the need for "out of the box" policy offerings that resonate with the Australian public. He believes the party must clearly articulate its solutions and demonstrate how its plans would benefit the country better than the current government's. While he supports Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, Duniam suggested that a "revolving door of leaders" is not the solution.

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I've done my bit.

He emphasized that the party's survival hinges on its ability to define its values, communicate them effectively, and bring voters along. With current polling suggesting the Liberals could be overtaken by Pauline Hanson's One Nation, Duniam acknowledged the existential threat and the need for a clear path forward, rather than simply shifting further to the right.

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I think that if you hang around too long then perhaps there is a risk that you could lose touch with the real world.