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Tony Abbott will be Australian prime minister after decisive election victory Tony Abbott will be Australian prime minister after decisive election victory
(about 1 hour later)
Tony Abbott will be Australia’s 28th prime minister after a decisive victory became clear almost as soon as ballot counting began, with voters casting a brutal verdict on a divisive Labor era that lasted just six years. Tony Abbott will be Australia’s 28th prime minister after a decisive swing to his Liberal National party Coalition, with voters casting a brutal verdict on a divisive Labor era that lasted just six years.
Early counting indicated a swing of at least 4-6% to Abbott’s Liberal National party Coalition, with much bigger swings in some areas. The nationwide swing of just over 3% against the ALP with more than half the vote counted, disguised huge variations around the nation, with 10% swings in the island state of Tasmania, and a 4.5% swing in Victoria.
But much smaller swings were being recorded in the Labor leader, Kevin Rudd’s home state of Queensland, where Labor’s vote held up much better than anticipated and mining billionaire Clive Palmer attracted 11% of the primary vote with a well-financed campaign for his Palmer United party, with preferences apparently flowing back to Labor.
Labor appears likely to lose between 10 and 20 seats, a sizeable defeat but not quite the wipeout that most strategists, and nationwide opinion polls, had predicted.
The election also threw up some wild card results, Palmer himself appearing to be in with a chance of winning the Queensland coastal seat of Fairfax and Coalition frontbencher Sophie Mirabella fighting to hold her Victorian rural seat of Indi, where she was being challenged by a strong rural independent, Cathy McGowan. Stumbling Liberal candidate Jaymes Diaz failed to win the New South Wales seat of Greenway, despite swings towards the Coalition in the seats surrounding.
The opposition Treasury spokesman, Joe Hockey, emerged at around 8.30pm, saying it was not his place to claim victory, but Labor’s 34% of the primary vote was “the worst result in its history” and predicting the Coalition would prove to be “a formidable government”.
Possible future Labor leader Bill Shorten said it was “a difficult evening but I feared it could have been worse”, saying he thought Rudd had done “a good job in helping Labor candidates to be returned”.
And Labor Treasury spokesman Chris Bowen, who won his seat despite fears it might fall, said it was a better result for Labor than “might have been expected six months ago” and provided a good base for Labor to rebuild.
Abbott has been a relentlessly negative opposition leader who won the job with a pledge not to recognise Labor’s 2007 mandate to implement its emissions trading scheme, but who now promises a conflict-weary electorate calm, stable “grown-up” government and demands the upper house recognise his electoral mandate to immediately repeal the carbon tax.Abbott has been a relentlessly negative opposition leader who won the job with a pledge not to recognise Labor’s 2007 mandate to implement its emissions trading scheme, but who now promises a conflict-weary electorate calm, stable “grown-up” government and demands the upper house recognise his electoral mandate to immediately repeal the carbon tax.
The swing to the Coalition appears to have ripped through Labor’s heartland, despite the last-minute ousting of Julia Gillard in favour of Kevin Rudd on the calculation that Rudd’s higher popularity ratings would “save the party’s furniture”. Labor ousted Julia Gillard in favour of Rudd at the last minute on the calculation that Rudd’s higher popularity ratings would “save the party’s furniture”, and as the count progressed it seemed this would be the case in Queensland. However a slew of Labor MPs appeared set to lose their seats in other states, with at least five losses in NSW, including the assistant treasurer, David Bradbury, three losses in each of Tasmania and Victoria and one loss in South Australia.
In many traditional Labor areas the swings appear to be much bigger than the national average, and even before vote counting began senior Labor figures were publicly conceding that all hope was lost. Their predictions were confirmed as vote counting started. The anti-Labor swing is particularly strong in Tasmania, where Labor holds four seats. The Labor MPs losing on Saturday night join a long list of Labor luminaries who are not re-contesting their positions this election, including Chris Evans, Nicola Roxon, Robert McClelland, Martin Ferguson, Greg Combet, Stephen Smith, Craig Emerson, Simon Crean.
A slew of Labor brightest MPs appear set to lose their seats, including the assistant treasurer, David Bradbury, with the treasurer, Chris Bowen, also battling and former treasurer Wayne Swan on a knife-edge in his Brisbane seat of Lilley.
Elsewhere in Brisbane, Rudd’s “star” recruit, former Queensland premier Peter Beattie, was unlikely to win the marginal Liberal seat of Forde.
The Labor MPs losing on Saturday night join a long list of Labor luminaries who are not re-contesting their positions this election, including Chris Evans, Nicola Roxon, Robert McClelland, Martin Ferguson, Greg Combet, Stephen Smith, Craig Emerson, Simon Crean – effectively wiping out a whole generation of Labor.
Left to rebuild will be the likely new leader, the Victorian Bill Shorten, and the current deputy prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and a dramatically reduced caucus.
An increasingly desperate Labor party again changed leaders in June, ousting Gillard for Rudd just six weeks before he called the election, but the early “sugar hit” in the opinion polls was short-lived.
Labor ran a largely negative campaign based on the allegation that Abbott would introduce European-style “austerity” spending cuts. But Abbott switched to a more statesmanlike demeanour during the five-week campaign, eschewing Labor’s predicted drastic cuts despite having constantly claimed that Australia was facing a “budget emergency”.Labor ran a largely negative campaign based on the allegation that Abbott would introduce European-style “austerity” spending cuts. But Abbott switched to a more statesmanlike demeanour during the five-week campaign, eschewing Labor’s predicted drastic cuts despite having constantly claimed that Australia was facing a “budget emergency”.
Another huge challenge will be the upper house, where the Coalition appears unlikely to win control in its own right, and is likely to have to rely on a collection of centrist and centre right independents once the newly elected senators take their seats next July. A huge challenge for Abbott will be the upper house, where the Coalition appears unlikely to win control in its own right, and is likely to have to rely on a collection of centrist and centre right independents once the newly elected senators take their seats next July.
Abbott, a Rhodes scholar, seminarian, cement plant manager, journalist and political adviser, has spent four years as opposition leader, and forced Labor into minority government at the last election in 2010.Abbott, a Rhodes scholar, seminarian, cement plant manager, journalist and political adviser, has spent four years as opposition leader, and forced Labor into minority government at the last election in 2010.
His time as opposition leader has been marked by his campaign against Labor’s carbon pricing scheme, Labor’s gradual acceptance of the Coalition view that Australia needs harsh policies to stop asylum seekers arriving by boat and a political contest about whether Labor’s $42bn in stimulus spending in response to the 2008 financial crisis “saved” Australia’s economy or contributed to what Abbott has claimed is a “budget emergency”.His time as opposition leader has been marked by his campaign against Labor’s carbon pricing scheme, Labor’s gradual acceptance of the Coalition view that Australia needs harsh policies to stop asylum seekers arriving by boat and a political contest about whether Labor’s $42bn in stimulus spending in response to the 2008 financial crisis “saved” Australia’s economy or contributed to what Abbott has claimed is a “budget emergency”.
As victory appeared increasingly assured, Abbott also allowed himself to ponder out loud the burdens of the high office which for weeks he has appeared certain to finally attain.As victory appeared increasingly assured, Abbott also allowed himself to ponder out loud the burdens of the high office which for weeks he has appeared certain to finally attain.
"If you look at people like John Howard, if you look at people like Bob Hawke, they certainly grew throughout their public life as opposition leader, as prime minister. Whatever faults and mistakes the pair of them might have made, by the time they were in the prime of their life as prime minister they were different, almost ennobled figures from those they had been quite a few years earlier. That's what high office does. It's a burden but it also does act to bring the best out of the better people who have got those jobs.""If you look at people like John Howard, if you look at people like Bob Hawke, they certainly grew throughout their public life as opposition leader, as prime minister. Whatever faults and mistakes the pair of them might have made, by the time they were in the prime of their life as prime minister they were different, almost ennobled figures from those they had been quite a few years earlier. That's what high office does. It's a burden but it also does act to bring the best out of the better people who have got those jobs."
His biggest election promise was a more generous paid parental leave scheme, offering mothers up to $75,000 for six months leave at an annual cost of $5.5bn – a policy deeply unpopular with his own party and the business community, but which Abbott cites as evidence that he and his party “get” the lives and needs of modern women, despite Gillard’s now-famous speech labelling him a misogynist.His biggest election promise was a more generous paid parental leave scheme, offering mothers up to $75,000 for six months leave at an annual cost of $5.5bn – a policy deeply unpopular with his own party and the business community, but which Abbott cites as evidence that he and his party “get” the lives and needs of modern women, despite Gillard’s now-famous speech labelling him a misogynist.
Abbott is also promising $11bn for city roads in a pitch to suburban commuters angry about traffic jams. Abbott says he aims “to be an infrastructure prime minister who puts bulldozers on the ground and cranes into our skies”.Abbott is also promising $11bn for city roads in a pitch to suburban commuters angry about traffic jams. Abbott says he aims “to be an infrastructure prime minister who puts bulldozers on the ground and cranes into our skies”.
He will cut company tax by 1.5%, except for the 3,000 largest businesses who will continue to pay the existing 30% tax rate, but with the final 1.5% now termed a “temporary levy” to help to pay for the expensive parental leave plan.He will cut company tax by 1.5%, except for the 3,000 largest businesses who will continue to pay the existing 30% tax rate, but with the final 1.5% now termed a “temporary levy” to help to pay for the expensive parental leave plan.
Labor has failed to win many plaudits for Australia’s relatively strong economy, which has recorded 22 years of uninterrupted economic growth, with low unemployment and relatively low interest rates. Both major parties accept that voters feel under cost of living pressure, despite studies showing the average Australian household is in fact $5,302 better off in real terms than it was in 2008.Labor has failed to win many plaudits for Australia’s relatively strong economy, which has recorded 22 years of uninterrupted economic growth, with low unemployment and relatively low interest rates. Both major parties accept that voters feel under cost of living pressure, despite studies showing the average Australian household is in fact $5,302 better off in real terms than it was in 2008.
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