Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Sunday declared victory for his conservative coalition in the closely fought general election after opposition Labor conceded defeat, ending the week-long state of political paralysis in the country.
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Asked whether he thought his party would win a majority, Turnbull replied simply: “We’ve won the election”.
“We have gone through this election with fiercely fought arguments, issues of policy, issues of principle and we have done so peacefully and it’s something we should celebrate”.
The two seats the coalition hopes to pick up are among five in the balance, with the electoral commission still completing the painstaking task of counting postal votes and others cast outside people’s normal electorates.
“I have spoken to Turnbull early this afternoon to congratulate him and Lucy, and to wish them the very best”, Shorten said.
The coalition, which went into the election with 90 seats in the lower house to Labor’s 55, now only has the slimmest of leads.
In the national two-party county, Liberal/National had 50.13 percent (5,354,596) compared with 49.87 percent (5,326,4930) for Labor.
Mr. Turnbull, leader of the Liberal party, had called a rare election of both houses of Parliament because independents and minor parties kept on blocking his legislative programme.
“I hope for the nation’s sake that the Coalition does a good job.”
Malcolm Turnbull has his majority, but he is beset on all sides.
“Shorten criticised the plebiscite, labelling it a “$160m opinion poll which the hard right of the Liberal party said they’re not going to be bound by anyway”.
One of the seats the Coalition is on track to win is still close as are four in the Labor camp.
Labor has offered to be co-operative in parliament but shadow treasurer Chris Bowen insists the opposition won’t be selling out its values.
“We’ve strengthened our position and it’s gone as predicted, ” Mr Georganas said.
He added, “I don’t envy the job Mr Turnbull has got ahead of him trying to corral all of the various diverse forces in his party”.
“Whoever said that if they did really say it they should put their name to things like that because it sounds very courageous and chest beating when you say it anonymously but I’d love a person who says things like that to actually put their name to it because without their name, it’s just cowardice obviously”, Mr Pyne told the ABC in response.
The Prime Minister said it was too early to speculate whether the Government would be able to pass the legislation which he used to trigger the double dissolution election – bills to crack down on union corruption and reinstate the construction industry watchdog.
‘I am proud that Labor is back and that Labor is united.
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Even with the promise of a few more of their own being promoted to the new ministry, Abbott’s supporters are gearing up for a battle with Turnbull over the way the national vote will be held on same sex marriage.
