‘Message for Libs’

Political analyst Kevin Bonham said yesterday he believed Mr Abbott’s position was now ‘‘terminal’’.

‘‘The Liberals would be well advised to replace him as Prime Minister quickly because if he is still there in March he may cause a similar outcome in New South Wales,’’ he said.

‘‘Federal factors have a great influence on many state elections, especially when the federal and state parties of government are the same and the federal party is unpopular.’’

Lyons Liberal MHR Eric Hutchinson declined to comment when asked if Tony Abbott still had his full support.

Bass Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic and Braddon Liberal MHR Brett Whiteley did not respond to requests for comment yesterday.

Mr Bonham said there was a message for the Tasmanian Liberals after Saturday’s election results in Queensland.

‘‘No margin of victory prevents a party from losing the next time around if they are seen as having betrayed the trust of voters,’’ he said.

‘‘Voters want steady, moderate government and to know what to expect, not harsh crackdowns, drastic austerity measures, asset sell-offs and ideological culture wars.’’

Premier Will Hodgman said his government would ‘‘sit and reflect’’ on the outcome of the Queensland election.

‘‘You’d have to be on another planet not to notice a result like that,’’ he said.

‘‘It is a reminder that the people have the ultimate say about the performance of government.

‘‘I do want our government to be judged on results, we’re starting to see positive signs, there’s a long way to go.’’