The declaration ended days of uncertainty about the new government’s identity, after a tight race between the two major parties left neither of them with the 76 or more seats required for a parliamentary majority following polls on July 2.
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A Maori studying in Australia says the confirmation of Malcolm Turnbull as Australia’s prime minister could have some up side for New Zealanders living across the Tasman.
But it is not yet known if the coalition will win enough seats in the House of Representatives to form a majority government or whether the country will have a hung parliament. If that happens, the coalition will need to forge an alliance with independent and minor party lawmakers to form a minority government.
But the Australian leader has won the support of three independent MPs on budget matters and on votes of no confidence, paving the way for him to form a minority government if necessary.
Even if Turnbull manages to hang onto his job, he has a slew of problems to contend with. His party, which went into the election with a comfortable majority of 90 seats, was badly damaged in the ballot.
Then there’s the issue of the fragmented Senate.
“It’s vital that this parliament works it is vital that we work together and as far as we can try to find ways upon which we can all agree”.
The chaos follows one of the closest elections in Australian history, which failed to deliver an immediate victor.
“I think whoever said that, if they did really say it, they should put their names 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”.
Shorten said that his party would work with the coalition to find common ground, saying he understood Australia’s need for a functioning Parliament.
Labor could win 68 seats and the Liberal-held Queensland electorate Herbert is going down to the wire.
He also said it was time Australia considered ditching its pencil-and-paper ballots for a speedier electronic system.
Mr Shorten said he had also written to Mr Turnbull to call for a bipartisan investigation into electronic voting because of how long it has taken the Australian Electoral Commission to determine the result.
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Turnbull became the nation’s fourth prime minister since 2013 when he rolled Liberal leader Tony Abbott in a party vote last September.
