Received

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has reaffirmed the government's commitment to easing the cost of living in the wake of the Liberal National Party's victory in the Fadden by-election.

High-profile former Gold Coast City councillor Cameron Caldwell won the federal seat for the LNP on Saturday against a field of 12 candidates including Labor's Letitia Del Fabbro.

"We are on the right path as a party," Mr Caldwell said.

"We have a great leader and we will return to government."

The swing to the LNP on a two-party preferred basis was 2.4 per cent, making it an even safer coalition seat, according to Australian Electoral Commission data.

Mr Marles said the win was a "lethargic" result for Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

"We really have been focused on the cost of living since the moment that we came to government," he told Sky News on Sunday.

"The idea that Peter Dutton as a Queenslander, who is leading the Liberal Party, would take any comfort out of this result at all, frankly, is ridiculous."

Mr Marles denied Labor had a problem with Queensland voters, describing the state as a place of "significant opportunity".

But Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley dismissed the government's comments on their loss.

"It is a strong result," she said.

"I've listened to the Labor Party turn this into politics ... when they as the government should be enacting policies and caring a lot more for the people they've left behind.

"I was on the ground at many polling booths and you get that sense of cost of living crunch anxiety about the future."

Ms Ley denied there had been questions surrounding Mr Dutton's leadership of the coalition.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the LNP underperformed against the historical average, with a typical four per cent swing against the government in by-elections.

Mr Caldwell will replace former Turnbull and Morrison government minister Stuart Robert, who resigned from federal parliament in April this year.

The incoming MP fought off a tough campaign by Labor, which had highlighted Mr Robert's involvement in the robodebt scandal that engulfed the previous coalition federal government.

Robodebt is the unlawful debt recovery program that saddled almost 500,000 welfare recipients with hundreds of millions of dollars in false Centrelink debts between 2015 and 2019.

But Mr Caldwell said the main issue for voters in the Fadden by-election was the rising cost of living.

"We are a party that must return to government in order to restore the faith that Australians have in government keeping their promises," he said in his victory speech alongside his wife Lauren on Saturday night.

Mr Dutton said Mr Caldwell would be an exceptional member of parliament.

"He's worked tirelessly for this community for over a dozen years, he's accomplished in law in small business, he's worked hard for his local community, and he will continue that work as the federal member for Fadden," he said.

In her concession speech, Ms Del Fabbro said it was still a "bloody good result" for Labor.

"As you know, we knew this would be an uphill battle, so I guess it has always been an important message to the LNP to not take the Gold Coast for granted," she said in her concession speech.

Labor has won Fadden only once, in 1983 at the election of the Hawke government.

© AAP 2023

The federal opposition has rejected the government's attempts to rain on its by-election win and positioned its victory as a voter pushback on rising living costs under Labor.

High-profile former Gold Coast City councillor Cameron Caldwell convincingly won the seat of Fadden for the Liberal National Party on Saturday against 12 other candidates including Labor's Letitia Del Fabbro.

"We are on the right path as a party," said Mr Caldwell, whose campaign focused on the cost of living.

"We have a great leader and we will return to government."

The swing to the LNP on a two-party preferred basis was 2.5 per cent, making it an even safer coalition seat, according to Australian Electoral Commission data.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles was first out of the blocks on Sunday, branding the win as "pretty lethargic" and not good news for coalition leader Peter Dutton.

"We really have been focused on the cost of living since the moment that we came to government," he told Sky News.

"The idea that Peter Dutton as a Queenslander, who is leading the Liberal Party, would take any comfort out of this result at all, frankly, is ridiculous."

Mr Marles denied Labor had a problem with Queensland voters, describing the state as a place of "significant opportunity".

Treasurer Jim Chalmers also weighed in, saying the coalition had missed the "historical average" swing of four per cent against a sitting government in a by-election, given the northern Gold Coast seat was heartland LNP territory.

"The LNP underperformed against the historical average," Dr Chalmers said, adding that the LNP had spent ten times what Labor spent on the seat.

Deputy Leader Sussan Ley poo-pooed this, saying it was a strong result for Mr Caldwell and the Queensland LNP.

"We'll see what the swing is finally, and we'll see what the postal (votes) and pre-polls bring - and I expect that they will break our way," she added.

"What we have seen is a strong endorsement of the candidate Cameron Caldwell and of the Liberal National Party in Queensland."

Ms Ley said cost of living issues certainly counted in the run-up to the by-election.

"It was a strong message to Anthony Albanese that the policies he's bringing forward are actually leaving ordinary Australians behind," she said.

"I was on the ground at many polling booths and you get that sense of cost of living crunch anxiety about the future."

Mr Caldwell will replace former Turnbull and Morrison government minister Stuart Robert, who resigned from federal parliament in April this year.

The incoming MP fought off a tough campaign by Labor, which had highlighted Mr Robert's involvement in the robodebt scandal that engulfed the previous coalition federal government.

Robodebt is the unlawful debt recovery program that saddled almost 500,000 welfare recipients with hundreds of millions of dollars in false Centrelink debts between 2015 and 2019.

In her concession speech, Ms Del Fabbro said it was still a "bloody good result" for Labor.

"As you know, we knew this would be an uphill battle, so I guess it has always been an important message to the LNP to not take the Gold Coast for granted," she said.

Labor has won Fadden only once, in 1983 at the election of the Hawke government.

© AAP 2023

Marketa Vondrousova has hailed her shock Wimbledon win as an "impossible" triumph after she became the first unseeded player ever to win the women's title and left the shattered Ons Jabeur in tears..

The left-hander from the Czech Republic, ranked only 42nd in the world, outplayed sixth seed Jabeur, of Tunisia, 6-4 6-4 in Saturday's surprisingly one-sided final under the Centre Court roof.

Vondrousova lifted her first grand slam title just a year since she visited Wimbledon as a tourist with her racquet wrist in plaster after a second bout of surgery which she feared might threaten her career.

"When I was coming back, I didn't know what's going to happen, if I can play at that level again," said the 24-year-old.

"On grass, I didn't play well before the injury. I think it was the most impossible grand slam for me to win, so I didn't even think of it. When we came, I was just like, 'Try to win a couple of matches.' Now this happened. It's crazy!"

She's the lowest-ranked women's winner in history and her victory was watched from the Royal Box by Billie Jean King, the last unseeded women's singles finalist 60 years earlier.

Few had expected the Czech to tame trailblazing Jabeur, still on her mission to become the first north African and Arab woman grand slam winner in history, but there was nothing but misery for the under-performing favourite.

After her third grand slam final defeat, including last year's final, the ever-popular Jabeur ended up breaking down in tears in the post-match on-court interview, saying: "This is the most painful loss of my career."

But for the 24-year-old Vondrousova, who'd lost the 2019 French Open final to Ash Barty as a teenager before her wrist troubles began, there was joy in following the illustrious path of previous Czech winners like another Royal Box spectator, Martina Navratilova.

She had trailed in each set but took the last four games of the first, then the final three games of the second as Jabeur appeared for long periods hugely dispirited by her inability to get to grips with the Czech's tricky game which gave her no rhythm.

In the previous rounds, Jabeur had had to feel the firepower of last year's champion Elena Rybakina and Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka, and she tamed both of them.

But Vondrousova, who has a variety of power strokeplay, drop shots and looping forehands, mixed up her slower pace beautifully as she controlled most of the rallies in the 80-minute contest.

Jabeur seemed particularly nervy as she could only serve up a mistake-ridden display, with 31 unforced errors to Vondrousova's 13 as the Czech claimed 16 of the last 18 points in the first set when the Tunisian really lost her way.

It looked as if she had regrouped when she recovered from another tame early break to lead 3-1 as the hugely pro-Jabeur crowd got behind her, but it proved illusory as Vondrousova roared to the line, an acrobatic volley sealing her triumph before she collected the trophy from Kate, Princess of Wales.

"I think I'm going to have some beer, it's been an exhausting two weeks," said Vondrousova, whose magical weekend will continue with her first wedding anniversary on Sunday with husband Stepan, who'd flown in from Prague.

Vondrousova, whose racquet-arm is heavily illustrated, also said she'd celebrate with a beer and a visit to another tattoo studio on Sunday, after her coach Jan Hernych had agreed to her challenge - evidently with some reluctance - to get one himself if she won.

© AAP 2023