Anthony Albanese will be Australia’s next prime minister after a chaotic night of election results delivered government to Labor — although without it yet being clear whether it will govern in minority or majority.
The night saw a swing against both parties that delivered a huge number of independents and saw the Liberal Party heartland turn savagely on Scott Morrison.
“I’ve been underestimated my whole life,” Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese told a throng of true believers as Labor celebrated a return to power after nine years in the wilderness.
Time and again, Albanese turned to his origin story, of a boy who grew up in public housing now set to become the most powerful man in the country: “I hope that my journey in life inspires Australians to reach for the stars. “No matter where you live or where you come from, in Australia the doors of opportunity are open to us all.
“And like every Labor government we’ll just widen that door a bit more.”
The Coalition faces a nationwide swing of 5%, but the bulk of it has gone not to the ALP — which has picked up only six seats net so far — but most prominently to an array of “teal” independents, six of whom will enter the House of Representatives after a night of slaughter for Liberal moderates: Josh Frydenberg, Tim Wilson, Jason Falinski, Dave Sharma, Trent Zimmerman and Celia Hammond in Perth all lost — comfortably — to teal independents, and to the Greens, who have picked up a nationwide 2% swing and a 2.7% swing in Queensland.
Labor was unable to capitalise on the strong swing against the government, picking up only half a dozen seats on the east coast and losing two to the Greens and also set to lose Longman. However, it picked up Boothby in South Australia and three seats in WA, with the possibility of a fourth — leaving it tantalisingly close to outright victory.
On a day described by putative opposition leader Peter Dutton as a “terrible day”, the collapse left Morrison with fewer than 70 seats and struggling to get far above 60. Just before 11pm, Morrison announced he was stepping down as Liberal leader, effectively conceding the election despite the lack of a formal concession to Labor.
Congratulations to all those who will sit in both houses at the commencement of the 31st Prime Minster’s first term. Let us now have some serious debate on the issues facing this country. May the two party system be dead and buried and a more enlightened and more inclusive parliament return us to those values that, I believe, the majority yearns for. Politics, as a result of certain sections of the media, has become a blood sport . I hope we confront them on a daily basis wherever and whenever they attempt to exercise their divisive power. Perhaps a Royal Commission?? Thanks to Crikey for all your excellent coverage and enlightening, on many occasions, my darkness
One moral of Australia’s federal general election of 2022 is that we should have no more parachutists. Another is that we should have no more God-bothering but self-serving prime ministers who keep rabbiting on about miracles.
I predict Lord Moloch will be parachuting Tucker Carlson in to rev up the mouth-breathers on After Dark. He can’t be happy that he lost the election and heads will roll. The Angry Garden Gnome and Frankenfurter will be looking over their shoulders!
The unfolding power dynamic in the LNP coalition will be interesting to observe. The Liberal Party is diminished while the Nationals have retained all their seats. I suspect the LNP coalition will be more Trump-like.
Presumably Spud will be LotO, by default, so will the so-called “moderate, decent etc etc” small L libs do a Menzies and split off to form a new party…tealish? Would they be puce or beige?
The most interesting dynamic will be emboldened gNats dominating the COALition with nyah, nyahs aplenty.
They will demand more Shadow ministerial posts for the extra $$ & perks, status to salve their new sense of irrelevance and impotence.
This happens whenever the Coalition loses. They are always more likely to lose in cities than regions and country. I think Peter Dutton will take his cue from Tony Abbott. Endless motions of no confidence in the government so the compliant media reports the “chaos and confusion” of a minority Labor government.
It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day…
and it’s glorious!
Six seats net does not include WA where as I have been saying for a long time was going to decimate Liberal which it did – four, maybe five seats plus a Teal in the heat of Liberal land.
I am so happy I wore my Warumpi Band t shirt today to voting, to Suncity ten pin with son, then to grocer, coles, bulk food. Then the acknowledgement of our people at the beginning of Albo’s speech was heart felt. What a beautiful outcome with a new found brand of conciliatory government. Happy dayz