“It is clear that Mr Turnbull and his coalition will form a government”, Shorten told a news conference in Melbourne. With vote counting continuing into an eighth day, it is expected to win at least two of the five seats that remain in doubt, giving Turnbull the support needed to form a majority government.
Advertisement
But Turnbull now has to contend with a reduced majority, pro-union Labor’s higher number of seats and an increased number of independents and minor parties representatives in the Senate, so attempts to pass the bills could once again struggle.
Turnbull’s ruling Liberal/National coalition is now expected to secure 74 seats, and potentially two more, in the 150-seat House of Representatives, according to national broadcaster ABC’s projections. Three independent lawmakers have already pledged their support to the coalition if such a situation arises.
The coalition went into the election with 90 seats in the House to Labor’s 55. That means even if Turnbull gets contentious legislation passed by the House, he would still have to try and strike deals with the opposition or a disparate group of Senate independents and minor parties to get it signed into law. The result could prolong a period of political instability in Australia, just as ratings agencies warn the nation’s AAA credit rating faces a potential downgrade unless the country’s budget deficit is reined in. The agency said Australia needs “more forceful fiscal policy decisions” to reign in debt and believes such tough measures could be postponed by the new Parliament.
He said his party was willing to work to find “common ground” with the Government and that Australians deserved “nothing less”.
Labor has won 66, and with five independents elected, the opposition does not have sufficient seats to govern in Canberra, according to the projections. “I hope they run a good government”.
“We also have a mandate to stand up for Medicare, to make sure schools are properly funded and to make sure we prioritise Australian jobs”, he said. “Therefore I want to thank the Australian people”, he said. That is one area in which he and Turnbull are aligned; the prime minister has long advocated for a move to electronic voting.
Advertisement
“We need to ensure that all the vital government services are provided, and at the same time, we have to ensure we bring our budget back into balance”, said Turnbull. “It shouldn’t be taking eight days to find out who has won”.
