Source : the age
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Another busy day looms on Tuesday, as the fallout and vote count from Saturday’s election resumes.
Labor will continue to prepare for its second term, with Anthony Albanese expecting to bring MPs together on Friday to determine his next ministry. The Coalition will unpack where it all went wrong and turn its mind to appointing a leader to replace Peter Dutton.
Here’s what you need to know as we start the morning:
- Anthony Albanese has resumed work in Canberra after Labor’s landslide win. Albanese spoke to US President Donald Trump yesterday and confirmed he would attend the G7 summit in Canada next month, at the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
- The fallout of the Liberal Party’s crushing election loss will continue, as the party mulls the appointment of its next leader. Angus Taylor, who was shadow treasurer under Peter Dutton, is the early frontrunner for the job, with Sussan Ley and Dan Tehan also contenders.
- Trump praised Albanese following his re-election on Monday, calling the PM “very friendly” and telling this masthead that he had “no idea who the other person is that ran against him”.
- The Australian Electoral Commission will begin its mandatory second count of all votes today. More than 14 million first preference House of Representatives ballot papers have been counted since polling booths closed on Saturday evening.
- Greens leader Adam Bandt is confident of retaining his seat of Melbourne, despite facing a serious challenge from Labor candidate Sarah Witty. The Greens have conceded defeat in the seats of Griffith and Brisbane, and are in a close contest in the Labor-held seat of Wills.
- Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce underwent prostate cancer surgery on Monday, one day after revealing his cancer diagnosis.
Nuclear is not dead for the Nationals, as senator Bridget McKenzie said it remained an important part of the conversation.
Asked on ABC Radio National whether the policy was dead and buried forever after the devastating election loss for the Coalition, McKenzie said it was still necessary to solve the long-term energy problem.
“I’ve been a strong supporter of nuclear being part of our energy mix. Going forward, for a long time, by 2027 we’re going to have nuclear subs docking in Perth, along with, you know, up to 9000 Americans living in and amongst us. So we do need to address the issue, not just to 2050 but to stay an industrialised nation,” she said.
“And I’m not the only one. Labor luminaries like Jenny George, like Peter Malinauskas, also know that this needs to be part of the conversation going forward. So you know, let’s get the … moratorium lifted and see where it takes us.”
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia will press its view against movie tariffs to US President Donald Trump.
The US administration announced yesterday 100 per cent tariffs on all movies produced outside America.
Wong told Seven’s Sunrise that Australia wanted to stress that movies being produced in the country benefited the US.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“We all know how many films we see, made in Australia, made between Australia and American filmmakers. We know how many Australian actors are beloved by American audiences. We obviously will be pressing our view about this to the US administration,” she said.
“I do welcome the fact that the president has indicated he’s going to engage with the studios about it. We want to be able to see films where you get both Aussie actors and American studios working together.”
Wong pointed to movies such as The Fall Guy and Elvis being produced in Australia, which she said American audiences enjoyed.
“The reality is that the industry is set up where we do co-operate together. So we certainly will be engaging. Not just for the economic opportunity which you point out is a big earner for Australia. But also because it’s a good thing for us to be working together on films and on entertainment,” she said.
Turning to Sydney news, NSW Premier Chris Minns is determined to claw back some of corrupt former Labor MP Eddie Obeid’s ill-gotten $30 million, offering the NSW Crime Commission additional resources in its pursuit.
Obeid is due to be released from prison in August, having served three years and 10 months for misconduct in public office in relation to the grant of a coal exploration licence.
“My sense is that this is the greatest and largest example of public corruption since the rum corps,” Minns told 2GB. “It is synonymous with public distrust in officials and with the Labor Party, and there needs to be a reckoning here.
“I’ve made it clear to the Crime Commission and commissioner in a letter yesterday that we will provide the resourcing, the funding, or changes to the law if necessary. Because not only does justice need to be done, it needs to be seen to be done.”
Obeid and former ministers Joe Tripodi and Tony Kelly will face separate trials next year over allegations that they doctored a cabinet submission to gain favourable treatment for Australian Water Holdings, in which the Obeids held an interest.
Eddie Obeid arrives at Darlinghurst court in 2016.Credit: Daniel Munoz
Former Liberal senator and Australian ambassador to the US, Arthur Sinodinos, was on ABC Radio National earlier this morning, where he offered his perspective on a disastrous election night for his party.
Sinodinos said the election result highlighted a “structural issue” for the Liberal Party, reminding leaders of the “need to change, because the world is changing around you”.
“We’ve shown a tendency not to sort of reform or pick up the vibes over a long period of time, and often success has meant you don’t have to do that,” Sinodinos said.
Former ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
“That doesn’t mean Liberal values are no longer relevant – they’re very relevant, but it’s how you apply them to a changing world, and that also goes to how you engage with the community around you. That means being as representative of the community as possible, and there are clearly still some issues in that regard.”
Sinodinos hit out at Liberal members who engaged in culture wars, which he described as an “artifact in a very fragmented social media landscape”, and found that strong leadership was key to returning the party to government.
“You have to have people at the top who can herd the cats and set that direction,” Sinodinos said.
“The situation in the Liberal Party is dire, but it is not terminal. The Liberal Party is one of the great election winning machines in Australia, and it can win again, but only if we do the hard work, because that’s how we’ve done it in the past.”
The teal battlegrounds of Kooyong and Goldstein were “too close to call” as Monday’s count wound down, with election analysts Dr Kevin Bonham and Ben Raue of The Tally Room both agreeing the independent incumbent in Goldstein, Zoe Daniel, is in strife.
Raue, who’s running his own projection model, estimates Daniel is on track to fall behind by around 900 votes once all ballots are counted. Daniel is being challenged by Liberal candidate Tim Wilson, who held Goldstein from 2016 to 2022.
Daniel is currently picking up just 35 per cent of postal votes – well below what she’d need to stay competitive. With a sizeable chunk of postal votes yet to be processed, the trajectory has her slipping further behind.
Kooyong independent MP Zoe Daniel and Liberal challenger – and former MP – Tim WilsonCredit: Marija Ercegovac
Over in Kooyong, fellow teal Monique Ryan is in a stronger – though not yet secure – position.
Like Daniel, Ryan is underperforming on postal votes – but not nearly as badly. About 2000 postal votes were counted on Monday and she currently leads by around 1000 votes.
Raue expects Ryan to gain votes in declaration pre-polls and absentee votes. His modelling suggests she could finish roughly 800 votes ahead when all is said and done.
With thousands of votes left to count across both seats, anything could happen. Stay tuned – counting resumes today.
Independent Monique Ryan and the Liberals’ Amelia Hamer.Credit: The Age
Leaked documents show the Liberals’ pollster raised the alarm about the opposition’s thin tax policy and told Peter Dutton he had to lighten up as the opposition leader’s popularity cratered and his party careened towards a historic loss on Saturday.
In a document titled “Project Majura”, presented to Dutton and a tight group of campaign operatives on April 30, just days out from the election, Turner wrote: “Enjoy the campaign, with a relaxed, sincere tone, using relatable language.
“Ensure public engagements are delivered in a way that shows Dutton, and the Liberals, listen to voters, and understand what they are going through right now.”
Read more from federal political correspondent Paul Sakkal here.
Leaked party research urging Dutton’s staff to get the leader to show his lighter side.
The Australian Electoral Commission will commence its second count of votes today, after counting a record number of election night votes.
Electoral Commissioner Jeff Pope said that in the past two and a half days, AEC staff had counted over 14 million first preference House of Representatives ballot papers and first preferences for over 7 million Senate ballot papers.
Today, fresh scrutiny will be applied to the counted votes. This generally doesn’t provide new results, but does ensure the accuracy of votes already counted.
More than a dozen electorates remain too close to call, including the seat of Melbourne, held by Greens leader Adam Bandt, and Kooyong, Bradfield, and Goldstein.
Electors cast their vote at the 2025 federal election.Credit: Louise Kennerley
Another busy day looms on Tuesday, as the fallout and vote count from Saturday’s election resumes.
Labor will continue to prepare for its second term, with Anthony Albanese expecting to bring MPs together on Friday to determine his next ministry. The Coalition will unpack where it all went wrong and turn its mind to appointing a leader to replace Peter Dutton.
Here’s what you need to know as we start the morning:
- Anthony Albanese has resumed work in Canberra after Labor’s landslide win. Albanese spoke to US President Donald Trump yesterday and confirmed he would attend the G7 summit in Canada next month, at the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
- The fallout of the Liberal Party’s crushing election loss will continue, as the party mulls the appointment of its next leader. Angus Taylor, who was shadow treasurer under Peter Dutton, is the early frontrunner for the job, with Sussan Ley and Dan Tehan also contenders.
- Trump praised Albanese following his re-election on Monday, calling the PM “very friendly” and telling this masthead that he had “no idea who the other person is that ran against him”.
- The Australian Electoral Commission will begin its mandatory second count of all votes today. More than 14 million first preference House of Representatives ballot papers have been counted since polling booths closed on Saturday evening.
- Greens leader Adam Bandt is confident of retaining his seat of Melbourne, despite facing a serious challenge from Labor candidate Sarah Witty. The Greens have conceded defeat in the seats of Griffith and Brisbane, and are in a close contest in the Labor-held seat of Wills.
- Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce underwent prostate cancer surgery on Monday, one day after revealing his cancer diagnosis.
Hello and welcome to our Tuesday live news blog.
We’ll continue bringing you all the wash-up from Saturday’s federal election as Labor returns to governing, the Coalition begins its post-mortem, and counting continues.
I’m Daniel Lo Surdo, and I’ll be helming the blog this morning.
Stick with us throughout the day.
