THE seat of Flinders was declared by the Australian Electoral Commission on Wednesday (28 May), officially cementing Liberal Zoe McKenzie for her second term. The final declared result had McKenzie attracting 60,090 of the two-candidate preferred votes, 5257 votes ahead of independent Ben Smith on 54,833 votes.
McKenzie rejoins a depleted Liberal/Nationals coalition that will hold as few as 41 seats in the House of Representatives, compared to 58 after the 2022 election. Gone also is the Liberal’s leader, Peter Dutton, opening the way for new Liberal leader Sussan Ley; the first woman to lead the federal Liberal Party. The electoral shake-up has necessitated a new shadow ministry with McKenzie being named Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Early Learning.
“I am honoured to have been asked to serve in the capacity of Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Early Learning and Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health,” said McKenzie. “I have a deep passion for these areas of public policy, having served the Australian and Victorian governments with leadership of early childhood, school, vocational, higher education and research policy which I have pursued in service to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training, and as secretary of the Coalition’s Small and Family Business, Education, Employment and Training Policy Committee.
“I have worked in addressing challenges to mental health through my engagement in social media and technology policy, and most particularly, through my work on the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society. “Both areas are important to my electorate of Flinders, where the Coalition has a proud history of investment in mental health, including in the formation of Jimmy’s Place in Rosebud, and funding for wellness hubs at both Rosebud Secondary College and Western Port Secondary College, as well as establishing Headspace in both Rosebud and Hastings, and the establishment of the Kindred Clubhouse in Hastings.
“At the last election, the Coalition committed to restoring the number of Medicare-subsidised mental health sessions from 10 to 20 on a permanent basis, as well as investing $400m to deliver a world-leading focus on youth mental health.”
McKenzie will return to Canberra for the commencement of the 48th parliament on July 22, more than eleven weeks after the 3 May election.
First published in the Mornington News – 3 June 2025
