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A voter casts their ballot at the Town Hall in Sydney.

Australia's Liberal Party retains power in shock election win over Labor rivals

Just under 17 million people cast their vote across the country.

LAST UPDATE | 18 May 2019

AUSTRALIA’S RULING CONSERVATIVE coalition defied expectations to retain power in national elections, prompting Prime Minister Scott Morrison to declare: “I have always believed in miracles!”

“How good is Australia?” a jubilant Morrison shouted, after coming into office nine months ago in a party coup against his moderate predecessor, Malcolm Turnbull.

While it remained unclear if Morrison’s Liberal party and their rural-based National party partners would win enough seats to form a majority government, the leader of the main opposition Labor party conceded defeat shortly before midnight.

“It is obvious that Labor will not be able to form the next government,” party leader Bill Shorten told stunned supporters in Melbourne.

“In the national interest, a short while ago I called Scott Morrison to congratulate him,” Shorten said, adding that he would also stand down as leader in the wake of the defeat.

The result was a monumental upset and a failure by pollsters, who had for months predicted a comfortable victory for Labor after six years in the opposition.

Some bookies had paid out early expecting a coalition defeat and all but the most ardent partisans had thrown in the towel. 

The results appeared to show a fractured electorate with minor populist and right-wing parties playing a role in tipping the balance in favour of the conservatives in key districts in the northeast of the country.

‘Snatched a win’

Many of the laurels for victory will go to Morrison, who just weeks ago looked set for an electoral drubbing.

He closed the gap with a negative campaign and backing from the country’s biggest media organisation – owned by Rupert Murdoch – by targeting older, wealthier voters concerned over Labor plans to cut tax loopholes in order to fund spending on education, healthcare and climate initiatives.

“Labor campaigned hard on a big target strategy with a series of key tax concessions, that ultimately seem not to have resonated with voters,” said Rob Manwaring, a political lecturer at Flinders University in Adelaide.

“Despite the wider fragmentation of the right in Australia, they have snatched a seeming win,” he told AFP, calling the coalition victory “extraordinary and surprising”.

Climate change may also have played a part, and it was suggested before the election that the result could have been the first in the world to have been as a result of environmental issues.

Australia is one of the most vulnerable of all developed nations to climate change, and a season of record floods, wildfires and droughts brought the issue from the political fringes to the centre of the campaign.

In northern Sydney, former prime minister Tony Abbott – who once described climate change as “crap” – lost a seat he has held for a quarter century to independent challenger Zali Steggall, a lawyer and Olympic medallist in Alpine skiing.

While admitting his own defeat, mainly over the climate issue, Abbott claimed there had been a “realignment” in Australian politics with Liberals winning more of the working class vote, adding: “I’m not going to let one bad day spoil 25 years”.

- © AFP 2019

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    Mute Sean Murphy
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    May 18th 2019, 8:24 PM

    How many times are we going to run the headline that election results shocked the media and pollsters. Instead of just admitting that the media and political establishment are completely out of touch with the public.

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    Mute jamesdecay
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    May 18th 2019, 8:54 PM

    @Sean Murphy: or in this case, the election was bought by a media mogul…

    73
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    Mute This Guy
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    May 18th 2019, 11:09 PM

    @jamesdecay: Not the first time he’s done it. Won’t be the last time.

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    Mute Paul O Connor
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    May 19th 2019, 8:08 AM

    @Sean Murphy:
    It wasn’t even a shock. The polls were 51/49 the day before the election. People over there just don’t like Bill Shorten. If almost anyone else was Labour leader they probably would have won.

    7
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    Mute Pl O'neill
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    May 18th 2019, 4:21 PM

    The Left Fail Again . They really are getting beatings all over the world .

    165
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    Mute FlopFlipU
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    May 18th 2019, 9:41 AM

    They will have to cut out the old barbecue thing and throw the stakes on a solar panel

    80
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    Mute Michael Kavanagh
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    May 18th 2019, 9:47 AM

    @FlopFlipU:
    The stakes from the rabbit proof fence?

    28
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    Mute Donwon999
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    May 18th 2019, 9:47 AM

    @FlopFlipU: And I thought it was due to all the methane released from the drunk Irish back packers making a show of themselves in Bondi Junction?

    61
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    Mute Colum Cusack
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    May 18th 2019, 10:52 AM

    Governments can’t change the climate. Taxes won’t change the temp of the planet.

    83
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    Mute Ian McNally
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    May 18th 2019, 10:58 AM

    @Colum Cusack: indeed we should continue doing nothing because its working so well

    136
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    Mute john doe
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    May 18th 2019, 11:15 AM

    @Colum Cusack: ok:
    reducing co2 in the atmosphere will slow climate change
    Burning less fossil fuels will reduce co2 in the atmosphere
    Taxing fossil fuel higher will result in less fossil fuel being burned.

    It is not and should not be the only solution but is definitely part of the solution.

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    Mute GO GREEN
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    May 18th 2019, 1:39 PM

    @Colum Cusack: Govts and fossil fuel industry have already changed the climate, by pumping vast amounts of co2 into the atmosphere and warming the planet to a critical level, the impact of which is already being felt and will be devastating in years not decades as Arctic almost gone and Antarctica disintegrating.

    22
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    Mute Colin Keogh
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    May 18th 2019, 8:24 PM

    @john doe: fossil fuels are a necessity just because diesel goes up I’m still gonna buy it to heat my house and move my car. The electric cars are fueled by fossil created electricity

    21
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    Mute Shane McGettrick
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    May 19th 2019, 12:39 AM

    @Colin Keogh: all diesel cars burn diesel, but not all electricity is generated by burning fossil fuel. Anyway, some CO2 release is unavoidable, but isn’t discouraging profligate burning of fossil fuel a good thing?

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    Mute Karllye kripton
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    May 18th 2019, 10:20 PM

    Leaning right or right wing parties are winning ground all across the world ,

    48
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    Mute Darius Guppy
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    May 18th 2019, 8:33 PM

    Interesting reporting, here says Liberals win, other international outlets say conservatives win. You would think some media have an agenda.

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    Mute Neville Bartos
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    May 18th 2019, 8:35 PM

    @Darius Guppy: in Australia the Liberal party (the Libs) are the conservative party. The Labour party represent the left.

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    Mute Shane McGettrick
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    May 19th 2019, 12:40 AM

    @Neville Bartos: confusing, but true.

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    Mute iComment
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    May 18th 2019, 11:48 AM

    Australia produces 1.5% of global CO2….Last year global CO2 rose by 2.3% to 37 billions tons….Not sure Australia will make much difference….Even if they all went back to pre industrial lifestyle….

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    Mute Pseud O'Nym
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    May 18th 2019, 12:27 PM

    @iComment: yeah but if other countries do it too…it all adds up together…see how it works?

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    Mute iComment
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    May 18th 2019, 12:30 PM

    @Pseud O’Nym: True but if we believe Greta Thunberg and we all do….Then 2030 is the tipping point for irreversible climate breakdown…If we don’t reduce global CO2 by 50%…

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    Mute Dave Grant
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    May 18th 2019, 1:24 PM

    @iComment: they export 40% of the world’s coal.

    19
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    Mute iComment
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    May 18th 2019, 2:13 PM

    @Dave Grant: Even China biggest coal producer is not that high….Australia produced in 2017… 481 million of global production of 7.7 billion tons….Most for export…6.25%….

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    Mute Virgil
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    May 18th 2019, 9:46 PM

    This is what awaits Corbyn

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    Mute Nathan Mawhinney
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    May 18th 2019, 9:16 AM

    Honestly, it’s a bit weird that they need an election. Either climate change is happening, is backed up by facts and governments start taking action or the other way around.

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    Mute Nathan Mawhinney
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    May 18th 2019, 9:17 AM

    Or is it an election on what action will be taken?

    11
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    Mute Nathan Mawhinney
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    May 18th 2019, 9:18 AM

    Or is it an election on what way climate change will be tackled?

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    Mute David W
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    May 18th 2019, 9:31 AM

    @Nathan Mawhinney: Its just a general election.

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    Mute Jonathan Nolan
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    May 18th 2019, 9:38 AM

    @Nathan Mawhinney: it’s just the normal election that Australia has every 4 years.
    With Bob Hawk just passing away, there may be the sympathy vote leading towards Labour, but I fear the vote will go the way of better the devil you know and Scomo will stay as PM. I hope I’m wrong

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    Mute Michael
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    May 18th 2019, 10:05 AM

    @Jonathan Nolan: And Bob Hawke was a schooner skulling legend. RIP

    10
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    Mute Jonathan Nolan
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    May 18th 2019, 10:29 AM

    @Michael: sure was. Used to see him at the Boxing Day test at the SCG every year

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    Mute Nollaig Elliot
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    May 18th 2019, 2:08 PM

    @Jonathan Nolan:

    I thought Labour were the favourites. I gave them my number 2 on both ballots. I also gave the hemp party number 3 on the senate vote to lift the prohibition on the old MJ. I didn’t even know there was such a party.

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    Mute Ashish Uday Lal
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    May 19th 2019, 12:58 AM

    @Jonathan Nolan: Isn’t the Boxing Day Test usually at the MCG?

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    Mute Jonathan Nolan
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    May 19th 2019, 1:07 AM

    @Ashish Uday Lal: Matt New Years, sorry

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    Mute Jonathan Nolan
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    May 19th 2019, 1:07 AM

    @Ashish Uday Lal: Meant New Years, sorry

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    Mute Jonathan Nolan
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    May 19th 2019, 1:10 AM

    @Nollaig Elliot: looking at the coverage last night, it seems they were, and everyone was surprised. I live in a Labour electorate myself, but work I. Sydney. All my friends in Sydney were saying Scomo would get back in. Looking at the campaign Labour ran (top end of town), they were relying on one slogan. So I thought the same as my friends. Turns out it is what it is.

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    Mute emmetnichol
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    May 20th 2019, 2:10 PM

    @Jonathan Nolan: no you didn’t

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    Mute Steven C. Schulz
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    May 18th 2019, 6:56 PM

    Face, meet egg.

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    Mute Tanks a Minion
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    May 18th 2019, 1:21 PM

    The result is a bigger shock than Trump winning. The bookies had already paid out on Labor, the Libs were at $6.00. This is a disaster for Australia. These blokes (it is mostly blokes) are corrupt, disunited, inept, misogynist, and racist.

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    Mute Neville Bartos
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    May 18th 2019, 1:30 PM

    @Tanks a Minion: it’s great for Australia, that’s why the majority voted to keep them in. The silent majority strikes again!

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    Mute Patrick Nolan
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    May 18th 2019, 1:31 PM

    @Tanks a Minion:
    Jaysus the other guys most have been fierce bad so,!!

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    Mute Tanks a Minion
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    May 18th 2019, 1:55 PM

    @Patrick Nolan: The Libs made themselves a small target – the PM did most of the campaigning, in a presidential style campaign. Labor had a lot of policies that the incumbent Libs targeted with fear and lies. The PM has an interesting idea of how the world works:

    “I said we brought the budget back to surplus next year”.

    https://junkee.com/scott-morrison-tense/204650

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    Mute Bridget O'Hanlon
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    May 18th 2019, 8:53 PM

    @Tanks a Minion: You are completely right. Sad day for Oz.

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    Mute Jonathan Nolan
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    May 18th 2019, 10:31 AM

    It was never brought up in the run up to the election because Labour usually don’t smear other parties. Looks like the Libs have it anyway, so he’s still in

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    Mute rocks0769
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    May 18th 2019, 9:45 PM

    @Jonathan Nolan: you’re taking the p*ss aren’t you? Labour doesn’t smear???? They have it to a fine art. Shock result for Australia, poor result for the environment

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    Mute Michael
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    May 18th 2019, 9:39 AM

    The Scott Morrison scandal at Engadine McDonalds in 1997 after the grand final will definitely sway people’s vote away from the Liberals

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    Mute JimmyMc
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    May 18th 2019, 6:02 PM

    @Michael: yes,, it definitely did..lol

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    Mute Michael
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    May 18th 2019, 9:33 AM

    No mention of the 1997 Scott Morrison scandal in Engadine Mcdonalds? That will definitely sway peoples vote away from liberals

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    Mute E.D.Roche
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    May 19th 2019, 12:47 AM

    ‘Labor’ eh? I thought only the U.S. couldn’t spell.

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    Mute popeye Doyle
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    May 19th 2019, 2:16 AM

    It was close…

    1
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