Anthony Albanese is savouring the spoils of victory after a landslide win that saw Labor consolidate its power across the country as the coalition counts the cost.
The prime minister has secured a second term in office with Labor increasing its majority in a decisive result.
With 70 per cent of the vote counted, Labor has won 85 seats with the coalition going backwards to sit on 35 seats, while 19 seats remain in doubt.
Labor saw large swings across multiple states, booting the coalition out of all seats in Tasmania and Adelaide, while making significant gains in opposition heartland in Queensland.
Among the significant wins for Labor was Peter Dutton’s electorate of Dickson, as he became the first opposition leader to lose his seat at an election.
Labor national president Wayne Swan said the victory was one of the party’s most resounding.
“This is certainly one for the history books, we haven’t seen anything like this, possibly since 1993, if ever, ” he told ABC Radio on Sunday.
“This is an incredibly substantial achievement for a political leader in the circumstances in which we found ourselves.”
Labor senator Don Farrell said Mr Albanese had run a flawless election campaign.
“(Voters) saw that the prime minister had a vision for this country, he was looking forward, whereas the Liberals were looking backwards,” he told Sky News.
“People have accepted that we need to look forward when we need to look to the future.”
Despite winning back-to-back elections, Mr Albanese said there was no time to waste in achieving a second-term agenda.
“From (Sunday), back at work … we take up this task with new hope, new confidence and new determination,” he told the Labor Party faithful in Sydney on Saturday night.
The coalition will be soul searching following its election defeat, with the party plunging to one of its lowest primary votes in history and also losing its leader.
Nationals leader David Littleproud said Labor had run a stronger campaign, which it made it hard to prosecute the case for a coalition government.
“They ran a campaign where, effectively, they destroyed the character of Peter Dutton, that he became effectively unelectable, not only his own seat, but across the country,” he told Sky News.
The outgoing Liberal leader said he would take full responsibility for the election loss as the coalition looks to rebuild.
“We didn’t do well enough during this campaign, that much is obvious,” Mr Dutton told party supporters in Brisbane on Saturday.
“There are good members, good candidates, who have lost their seats or their ambition and I’m sorry for that.”
Labor senator Murray Watt said the election win went beyond best-case scenarios envisaged by the party.
“You heard a lot of humility from the prime minister last night, and that’s the way we intend to govern over the next three years, but it’s a fantastic win, there’s no doubt about it,” he told Seven’s Sunrise program on Sunday.
Saturday’s election also saw the Greens go backwards, with the party set to lose some of the three seats in Brisbane, while leader Adam Bandt’s electorate in Melbourne was also in jeopardy.
World leaders have congratulated Mr Albanese on his election victory.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would continue to work closely with his Australian counterpart.
“Congratulations to Anthony Albanese on your election win. The UK and Australia are as close as ever, which goes to show that long-distance friendship can be the strongest,” he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Mr Albanese on his election victory and said the United States looked forward to deepening the bilateral relationship.
with Reuters
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