PM thanks supporters, promises unity in second term
Andrew Brown |
Anthony Albanese has promised to lead a united government in his second stint as prime minister, following Labor’s decisive election win.
Speaking for the first time since his landslide victory, Mr Albanese thanked supporters in his home electorate of Grayndler in Sydney’s inner-west.
“The Australian people voted for unity rather than division,” he told reporters on Sunday.
“We will be a disciplined, orderly government in our second term, just like we have been in our first.
“We’ve been given a great honour of serving the Australian people, and we don’t take it for granted, and we’ll work hard each and every day.”
With 71 per cent of the vote counted, Labor has won 85 seats with the coalition going backwards to sit on 37 seats, while 18 seats remain in doubt.
Labor has increased its majority through substantial swings across all states, picking up marginal seats and formerly coalition strongholds.
Among the significant wins for Labor was Peter Dutton’s electorate of Dickson, as he became the first opposition leader to lose his seat at an election.
Labor’s Ali France won the seat in her third time contesting the electorate, booting Mr Dutton out of parliament after a 24-year career.
Mr Albanese expressed sympathy for Mr Dutton following the election outcome.
“I feel for Peter Dutton. He was generous in his comments. I wish him and (wife) Kirilly and his family all the best,” he said.
“It’s a tough business, politics, there’s no doubt about that, and it would have been a tough night for Peter.”
The outgoing Liberal leader said he would take full responsibility for the election loss as the coalition looks to rebuild.
“We didn’t do well enough during this campaign, that much is obvious,” Mr Dutton told party supporters in Brisbane on Saturday.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Mr Albanese will go down in history as a Labor hero following the result.
“This was beyond even our most optimistic expectations,” he told ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.
“It was a history-making night, it was one for the ages.”
The coalition crashed to its lowest-ever primary vote and could record a historic low number of seats, resulting in party soul-searching as the Liberals begin the process of electing a new leader.
Liberal Keith Wolahan, who is on track to lose his Victorian seat of Menzies after one term, said the party needed to rebuild.
“It was clear our party has an issue in urban Australia, which is where most people live … so we need to turn our mind to that like we have never done before,” he said.
“We need to really dig deep and think about who we are and who we fight for and who makes up Australia.”
Nationals leader David Littleproud said Labor had run the stronger campaign, which made it hard to prosecute the case for a coalition government.
“They ran a campaign where, effectively, they destroyed the character of Peter Dutton, that he became effectively unelectable, not only his own seat, but across the country,” he told Sky News.
Independents also enjoyed strong results, with “teal” candidates poised to expand their foothold with Nicole Boele ahead in the formerly Liberal-held Sydney seat of Bradfield.
But Saturday’s election saw the Greens go backwards, recording a slight fall in primary votes and the likely loss of at least two of its Brisbane seats.
Party leader Adam Bandt also suffered a significant swing against him in his seat of Melbourne, although he was slightly ahead of his Labor challenger in the count.
The prime minister said he had received many calls and texts from world leaders following the election win, with the first coming from Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, who rang even before the result was officially declared.
with Reuters
AAP
