The Coalition is in crisis with Labor claiming a landslide victory at the Federal Election over the weekend.
The Labor victory is no surprise given the polls and how the campaign unfolded, but the Coalition wouldn’t have expected it to be this bad.
Labor will form a majority government while the Coalition is left to lick its wounds and now faces one of the biggest rebuilds in Australian political history.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has even lost his own seat of Dickson, and will exit Parliament.
“Tonight’s not the night that we wanted for the Liberal Party, for the Coalition or for our country,” Dutton said on Saturday.
“We didn’t do well enough during this campaign, that much is obvious tonight.
“It’s an historic occasion for the Labor Party and we recognise that.”
Albanese arrived to huge celebrations at a Labor event in Sydney, looking emotional as he took to the stage to cheers of “Albo, Albo, Albo” from the crowd.
“Today the Australian people have voted for Australian values,” he said.
“For fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all. For the strength to show courage and kindness to those in need.”
Albanese paid tribute to Dutton following his concession.
“I thank Peter for his generous words at the end of what has been a hard fought campaign,” he said.
In Parramatta, Andrew Charlton has secured a huge swing to Labor on a two party preferred basis.
With around 77 per cent of the vote counted so far, the swing sat at around nine per cent, with Liberal candidate Katie Mullens struggling to make an impact.
Charlton will retain the seat and serve a second term as the local MP.
He achieved a first preference swing of around 8.4 per cent.
“I’m honoured to be re-elected as the Member for Parramatta,” Charlton said.
“Thank you for putting your trust in me, it’s a privilege I’ll never take for granted.
“This result is a vote for the values we share and a belief in a better future for our community.
“Now, it’s straight back to work, fighting for you and for Parramatta, the best place in Australia to build a life, a family, and a future.”
The Greens picked up a swing of around 2.2 per cent while there was some support for Independents Tanya-lee Quinn and Maa Malini.
The flop of the night was Trumpet of Patriots, which grabbed just 2.4 per cent of the vote in Parramatta despite an expensive election campaign across the country.
That’s far less than the 4.2 per cent the Clive Palmer-backed United Australia secured at the 2022 election.
Universities Australia was among the organisations congratulating Labor on its second term in government.
“We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and continue working constructively as a partner of the Albanese Government to support Australia’s future, as we’ve done for the last three years,” Universities Australia Chief Executive Officer Luke Sheehy said.
“Universities are central to much of Labor’s second-term agenda and to meeting Australia’s skills and economic needs.
“In uncertain times, we need to get our universities match fit to ensure they can continue to support the Government to build Australia’s future. There’s no time to waste.”
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.
