What went right for Labor?
In two words:
Ged Kearney.
A progressive, confident woman (in winning she became the first female Batman MP and boosted the number of women in the federal caucus to 48 per cent) in the most left-leaning seat in the country.
She is an experienced political animal with runs on the board and plenty of former Labor voters have appeared to have returned with Ms Kearney.
What does it mean?
This result does not affect Malcolm Turnbull's grip on power but it is a major boost for Mr Shorten.
A loss here would have given his internal enemies cannon fodder but instead his star candidate has delivered him breathing room.
It also shows that Labor can have different conversations with different constituencies — although at a general election the tightrope Mr Shorten has had to walk over issues like Adani will be much more difficult.
The significance of the victory shows that with the right — that is, left-leaning — candidate, Labor can hold off the Greens in the inner-city where it has been under threat for years, and will continue to be.”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-18/batman-byelection-a-savage-loss-for-greens/9560912
