However, after a marathon eight-week campaign, the result has brought yet more political chaos.
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Even if the coalition wins a narrow majority in the lower house, Turnbull would then have to shepherd legislation through an even more intransigent Senate.
Switching her focus in recent years from attacking Asian migrants to condemning Muslims, she campaigned on plans to limit halal certification, restrict overall immigration and hold a “royal commission into Islam”.
Small parties are also likely to do well in the Senate, with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation on track to win between two and four seats, marking the return of the right-wing anti-immigration activist to parliament after an nearly 20-year absence.
He said Turnbull’s decision to put every seat in the upper house Senate up for grabs in a so-called double dissolution election rather than have the usual half-Senate vote had “made a bad situation worse”.
The Australian dollar and shares dipped in early trade on Monday after no clear victor emerged, pointing to policy paralysis ahead and perhaps threatening the country’s triple A credit rating. Despite a strong swing against his coalition, Turnbull insisted he would still be able to form a majority government.
The country was facing the prospect of a dreaded hung parliament after Saturday’s elections, which failed to deliver an immediate victor.
But the government might have to wait until the end of next week to know for sure.
Bill Shorten has taken yet another swipe at Malcolm Turnbull, claiming the Prime Minister has “Brexited himself” by leading the Australian public into uncertainty as the result of the Federal Election remains unclear.
“Mr Turnbull clearly doesn’t know what he is doing”.
“He’s got a backbench in the revolt, he’s got a push to have Tony Abbott back in cabinet, this is a divided government led by a weak Prime Minister so I’ve got no doubt the easy option for him would be to pull the rip cord and look at having another election”, Mr Shorten said.
“I take full responsibility for the campaign”, he said, adding that “there are lessons to be learnt from this election. The bloke is not up to the job”. Another 10 seats were in doubt. The electoral commission said it may take up to a month. Two of those – Tasmania state independent Andrew Wilkie and Victoria state independent Cathy McGowan – said Monday they had yet to commit to either party.
Nick Xenophon, whose pro-immigrant Nick Xenophon Team party has two seats, said he had spoken with both leaders, summing up the exchanges as: “G’day, let’s keep in touch and see where the dust settles”.
Labor leader Bill Shorten.
“What we have to recognise is many Australians were troubled by it, believed it or at least had anxieties raised with it”. “But we won’t compromise our principles”.
The election was meant to end political turmoil that delivered Australia four prime ministers over the past three years.
Other cabinet ministers, including those who had backed Mr Turnbull and those who had backed Mr Abbott in the September leadership spill, said it was unlikely Mr Abbott would return to the cabinet.
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The Liberal Party, governing in a coalition with the National Party, says that postal and prepolling ballots that are yet to be counted will be crucial to its securing a 76-seat majority in the 150-seat House of Representatives.
