Very Well, a Hung Parliament

[A_Wanderer]

An interesting result

Australia is in political limbo tonight after big swings against Labor destroyed Julia Gillard's House of Representatives majority and delivered the first hung parliament since World War II.

Labor MPs have been swept aside by swings of more than 9 per cent against them in former prime minister Kevin Rudd's home state of Queensland, and of more than 6 per cent in New South Wales.

ABC analysis now tips the Coalition to have 74 seats in the House of Representatives, with Labor on 71, four independents, and one Green.

With more than 70 per cent of the votes counted, Labor is set to lose at least 17 seats and gain only two.

As Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott pondered their next moves, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith conceded Labor could not form a majority government and Liberal Senator Nick Minchin said he still believed the Coalition was a chance to win outright.

Back from the dead

Former prime minister John Howard said Opposition Leader Tony Abbott had brought the party "back from the dead" and had "undermined and potentially destroyed a first-term Labor government".

And recriminations against Labor's campaign have already begun, with ousted Bennelong MP Maxine McKew taking aim at the party's decision to ditch Kevin Rudd only two months ago.

Ms McKew, who lost her seat to Liberal candidate and former tennis star John Alexander, lost no time in pointing to Kevin Rudd's downfall as a factor in Labor's political humiliation.

"Clearly you cannot have the removal of a Labor leader, and a prime minister, and then two months later have an election and not have that play into the outcome," she said.

Ms McKew said federal Labor's election campaign left a lot to be desired.

"There are some very big questions for the Labor Party given what has happened tonight," she said.

"We shouldn't be on a knife-edge tonight, and we shouldn't be losing colleagues all over the country."

Ms McKew said that in 2007 the party had run a professional, targeted, clear campaign and should have made more of its economic credentials this time around.

And she conceded that scepticism about the promised $2.6 billion Epping to Parramatta rail link had also been difficult to overcome.

Hung parliament

A hung parliament would be the first in Australia since 1940, when Robert Menzies' United Australia Party governed with the help of the Country Party and two independents.

Among the big winners on the night was the Greens' Adam Bandt, who snatched the inner city seat of Melbourne from Labor following outgoing finance minister Lindsay Tanner's decision to retire.

As well as Melbourne and Bennelong, Labor was expected to lose Gilmore, Macarthur, Macquarie, Bonner, Brisbane, Dawson, Denison, Dickson, Flynn, Forde, Herbert, Swan, Leichhardt and Longman to the Coalition and the Northern Territory seat of Solomon to the Country Liberal Party.

The ALP was also poised to lose the Tasmanian seat of Denison to independent Andrew Wilkie.

Tasmanian Labor Senator Nick Sherry said it was too early to say what kind of deals may be done with independent candidates.

"I think it would be a bit presumptive to assume any of the independents - what their position might be," he said. "There is appeal to Labor in some of these independents."

Twenty-year-old Wyatt Roy is set to become Australia's youngest MP, taking the south-east Queensland seat of Longman for the LNP.

Labor's Mike Kelly looked set to hang on to Eden-Monaro, the seat which has traditionally fallen to the party which will form government, while independent Warren Entsch, who retired in 2007, snatched his old northern Queensland seat of Leichhardt back from the ALP.

Liberal frontbencher Peter Dutton, who held on to his seat of Dickson, said he was still waiting to see what happened in marginal seats before speculating on how the Liberals would deal with a hung parliament.

"It's quite an incredible night," he said.

"We'll have to see in those dozen or so marginal seats what happens. I think Tony Abbott certainly deserves to be victorious tonight, but we'll wait and see."

Parliament deadlocked as Labor cops a pasting - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

[Vlad n U 2]

This is becoming a nightmare.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Was just talking to a friend who lives in Australia about this. The whole idea of a hung parliament fascinates me-what a strange setup.

I find it funny this Ms. McKew lost to a former tennis player . Seriously, though, Labor didn't do so hot in Britain, either, in their recent elections, if I recall rightly. Seems to be a bit of a trend?

Angela

 

[Jive Turkey]

Theres a porno version of this thread called A Very Well Hung Parliament

 

[Kieran McConville]

This is what happens when a government loses its nerve. Seriously, nine months ago the opposition was on the ropes. An election held then would have ushered in a generational landslide.

But, all said and done I find the present (potential) result interesting, and by no means a vote for Howardism redux. Note the senate result, and note who'll be playing kingmaker in the hung parliament.

Whatever the outcome, I think Julia Gillard's career has a very limited future.

 

[cobl04]

Michelle Grattan must be the most boring person on the face of the planet.

 

[intedomine]

two years ago, the prospect of Tony Abbott as Prime Minister, let alone even leader of the Liberal Party, was unfathomable.

Massive win for the Greens though, a whopping 6 added seats in the Senate, 1 seat in the Reps and about a 5% primary vote swing to them across the nation - fair! They're the ones damaging Labor, not the Liberals. Preferences aren't always so clear cut. Well done, Sex Party as well, weren't too far behind Family First in Senate votes.

Sincerely hope Gillard can recover from this. I'm a MASSIVE fan, just feel that she hasn't really been allowed to show her true progressive colours at this election, and feels that she needs to pander to much to those still bitter about Rudd and swinging voters. She's fantastic, would make a great PM if properly elected.

 

[nathan1977]

Theres a porno version of this thread called A Very Well Hung Parliament

Beat me to it, JT.

 

[deep]

Well Hung

Beat me.

get a room

 

[Kieran McConville]

And the phrase 'political limbo' always bugs me. Look, the Congo is in political limbo, Australia is in a 'period of negotiation'. Fer fucks sakes.

 

[cobl04]

YouTube - Australian Election Pokemon

 

[The Sad Punk]

That was considerably better than I was expecting.

 

[cobl04]

i clicked on it randomly, thinking it would be terrible, but it surprised me as well.

 

[Liesje]

Theres a porno version of this thread called A Very Well Hung Parliament

That's how I originally read the title

 

[purpleoscar]

That's how I originally read the title

You're not the only one. At least there was a comma.