Aston byelection as it happened: Labor secures historic upset, ‘worst byelection result in 100 years’ for Liberals

“It’s clear to me, based on the comments of candidates and people on the ground, that it simply wasn’t an issue ... In essence, it was about cost of living. It was a federal byelection with some local issues in it,” he said.

“None of the issues surrounding the Victorian parliamentary [Liberal Party] were being raised with people on pre-poll or yesterday.

“I know the last two weeks were tough, but there was a purpose – it was to say to the Victorian people that I will fight for these principles, I will fight for these values.”

After losing his seat of Hawthorn in the 2018 state election, Pesutto said he was keenly aware that the Liberal Party “needs to reform if it’s to be a winning force again”.

“If we are to restore our standing with the Victorian people and the Australian people, we have to take actions that demonstrate to the people that we are committed to being that inclusive, welcoming and engaging party,” he said.

“I feel for Roshena Campbell, she’s a good candidate and I hope that we can see her in the parliament one day, and I’ll do everything I can to support her in that effort.”

Turnbull fired back via Twitter, arguing the party has had successes in Victoria since the 1990s, including when Julia Banks won the seat of Chisholm in 2016, the only member of the Coalition at that election to win a seat from the then-Labor opposition.

The former prime minister said Victoria is a “small-l liberal” state and the Liberal Party “has moved further and further to the right”.

Banks has also chimed in via Twitter to congratulate Mary Doyle, likening photos of Doyle and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese celebrating in Bayswater this morning to pictures of her and Turnbull after she took the seat of Chisholm in 2016.

The former member for Chisholm said that “sadly the right-wing surge” from Dutton and former prime minister Scott Morrison, as well as Victorian Liberals, marked the end of the party.

Andrews described the opposition leader’s comments as “extraordinary”, rejecting the suggestion that suburban families are “up in arms” about transgender rights.

The Victorian premier said if you’re not willing to accept that life is not easy for transgender people, “then don’t pretend that you’ve got anything to offer other than your own insipid, nasty little version of bigotry”.

“(The) Liberal Party are a nasty, bigoted outfit, and people have worked it out. And that might be why they keep losing,” Andrews said at a press conference.

“To the extent that ordinary Victorians are concerned about issues of transgender Victorians, they’re concerned about extending a hand of friendship ... recognising the fact it’s not easy to be a trans Victorian.

“I think the people of Aston might also have remembered exactly what went on last year in the state election where the Liberal Party cuddled up and entered into a political partnership with racists, with extremists, people who have no place in mainstream politics.”

I think people have in Victoria, at least in Aston, have passed judgment on [Dutton’s] leadership and what he offers. [The Liberals have] a nasty brand of politics that is all about themselves.

For so long as the Liberal Party put forward a political offering that’s all about them, and not about hard-working Victorian families, then I think they will seldom be the choice of hard-working Victorian families.

Labor’s victory in Aston, a seat held by the Liberals since 1990, was the first time in a century that a sitting government has won a seat from the opposition in a byelection.

Andrews also congratulated Labor’s Mary Doyle, the newly elected member for Aston.

“[Doyle’s] a great local voice and she’s going to be a great champion for her neighbours ... she will work hard and that’s what every community is absolutely entitled to.”

Hume said cost-of-living pressures remained the number one issue with voters yesterday, but other factors meant it didn’t cut through at the byelection.

Liberals repeatedly chastised Labor for running a “dirty” movement on the ground, but also said voters blamed them for having to go to the polls for the third time in a number of months.

The Aston byelection was driven by the resignation of former Morrison government minister Alan Tudge in February.

“You will never put it down to one thing; otherwise, we would have fixed it,” Hume said.

“There was a confluence of events and timing. Even with a great candidate, we couldn’t overcome that confluence.”

AAP, with Ashleigh McMillan

Dutton said he was proud the Liberal Party had not gone through a “period of self-destruction” in opposition under his leadership, as had occurred in the past.

He said the party needed to better sell its achievements, including on climate change and environmental issues.

“I think in recent years, the Liberal Party has allowed itself to be defined by our opponents and I think it’s time for us to take that back,” he said.“Stand up for what we believe in, whether it’s trendy or not.”