More than a week since Australians visited polling booths across the country, Mr Shorten has conceded defeat in the federal election, ringing Mr Turnbull to congratulate him on victory.
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Earlier Mr Shorten said although counting was still underway, it was clear the Prime Minister would form either a minority or majority government.
Winning the election was just as much a starter’s gun as it was a finish line but it was fair enough of Mr Turnbull to take some satisfaction in victory after enduring the scare of his life.
On current trends those two seats look likely to go to the Coalition, ensuring the Turnbull Government’s outright majority. If that happens, Turnbull’s coalition will forge an alliance with independent and minor party lawmakers to form a minority government.
The coalition has won 74 seats in parliament.
Turnbull had dissolved both houses of the parliament in May and called for snap elections, confident that his ruling coalition would clinch an outright win. “To me it was a very powerful reminder of something I’ve said before which is that politics is not about us the politicians”.
Turbull welcomed Shorten’s offer to find “common ground”, saying he hoped the two sides could work together.
“I have spoken to Turnbull early this afternoon to congratulate him and Lucy, and to wish them the very best”, Shorten said.
But while there will be no change for now, Turnbull is in a weakened position after the poll, having lost his comfortable majority in the House of Representatives and the internal blame games are already taking place.
Inside his party he faces a restless right wing that disapproves of his small-l liberal leanings.
Turnbull said he had been deeply touched by the fact that when Shorten rang he’d had his granddaughter on his hip. With Australia’s AAA credit rating under a cloud, Mr Turnbull will need to corral populist senators into passing budget cuts. Four different leaders have served since 2013 as parties removed sitting prime ministers. The prime minister can’t afford to put a foot wrong now.
With about 80% of the vote counted, the ABC has called 66 seats for Labour.
The silver-haired grandfather immediately pledged to provide economic leadership, while being a more consultative leader, restoring traditional cabinet government and ending policy-on-the-run.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which supported the coalition’s tax reduction for businesses, has released a statement on the importance of the tax measure while applauding the coalition on its re-election.
It’s all clearly been a tiring experience for the opposition leader.
Mr Shorten spoke to media in Melbourne where he conceded and made the call for electronic voting to be introduced.
Fresh impetus to make budget repairs has come in the form of a warning by Standard and Poor’s to place Australia’s coveted AAA-rating on negative watch from stable.
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Doubts have been raised over the passage of government’s Australian Building and Construction Commission bill, which aims to re-establish a watchdog that monitors union activity in Australia’s building industry. He had used the Senate’s blocking of the bills to trigger a double-dissolution election, but could now face an even more hostile upper house.
