Historic opportunity for courage and creativity

A result to repudiate and restore
The election result is a stunning repudiation of right-wing populism and the culture wars, restoring my faith that our egalitarianism isn’t a myth.
Jane Ross, San Remo

THE FORUM

High hopes
Hopefully, Australian politics will enter a more mature phase. No more childish insults and opposing just for the sake of opposing. Not looking to the United States for inspiration but to the more thoughtful and kinder approaches of many European nations.
Hopefully, the new parliament will have politicians from all sides who can recognise good policy and work together to compromise and develop something that is good for the nation, not just for re-election.
Hopefully, in a few short years, the rest of the world will look to Australia as a model for political discourse and inspiration.
David Raymond, Doncaster East

A gracious speech
Peter Dutton’s concession speech was not vitriolic, negative and irrational, as we might have expected, but calm, reasoned and gracious. Maybe if these qualities had been more in evidence over the past three years, the outcome could have been different.
Bronwen Bryant, Kensington

Contrast to Trump
I thank God that I live in Australia. While I have never been a fan of Peter Dutton, I see him as a decent man, and his speech conceding the election was exceptional. This speech was in stark contrast to the reaction of Donald Trump when he lost the 2020 presidential election. The United States claims to be a democracy but really, it isn’t.
Michael R. Nolan, Capel Sound

Where’s Malcolm?
If anything showed up how muddleheaded and plain ordinary Peter Dutton has been over the past three years, it was his concession speech.
The leader of the Liberal Party said that the Labor candidate who had turfed him out would do a good job for the electorate (so why did he stand?). Then he said that the leader of the National Party was his partner in crime.
Liberals everywhere must be wondering what they can now do to reconnect with voters who have decisively rejected this inane nonsense. They realise that they need someone who can express some sort of Australian idealism and vision. They know they have to get away from the divisiveness, the wilful blindness and the utter mediocrity of John Howard, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison. So they must also be whispering, “Malcolm, please come back.”
G.T.W. Agnew, Coopers Plains, Qld

Paradigm shift needed
If Angus Taylor, Sussan Ley, Andrew Hastie and Dan Tehan are the best the Liberal Party can nominate, they will be in opposition until the end of the century (“The four key contenders to replace Dutton as Liberal leader”, 4/5). Not one is capable of galvanising the electorate nor can any of them bring about a paradigm shift in Liberal Party policy or practice.
Frank Jones, Melbourne

We’re already great
I do believe that the Liberal-National party Coalition lost this election partly because the voters didn’t buy the Trumpist mantra of making things great again. But already, I’m reading comments that the Coalition needs to make themselves great again in order to make Australia great again.
Are these people living on the same planet as me? And what do they mean by “great”?
What has happened that has caused us to not be “great” any more? In my humble opinion, there is nothing wrong with Australia. We are OK. Just look at what is happening around the world today.
John Cummings, Anglesea

Listen to our youth
As a teacher in a regional secondary school, the overwhelming opinion of my students is that Peter Dutton lacked charisma, and they disliked the Liberal Party’s position on climate, HECS debt and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Dutton’s MAGA mantra was too much like Donald Trump, a person who my students said cast an unhealthy shadow over decency and morality. The young women in my classes find the Liberal Party’s political agenda misogynistic, and the lack of strong, assertive female members surprising in 2025.
If you want to connect with young people, start listening to them. Really listening. They are intelligent and ready to embrace a new political frontier that will enhance their lives now and beyond.
Andrew Dowling, Torquay

Political astrology
Can some explain what a political scientist is? Examining polls based on opinions seems like astrology.
I think the current election result highlights that there is no science to political analysis, just guesswork.
John Massie, Middle Park

Polling problems
The Australian Electoral Commission’s organisation of the election was disgraceful.
I chose to vote on Saturday because there were no pre-polling booths anywhere near me. I gave up trying to vote on my first three attempts on Saturday because I was faced with waits of well over an hour. It was only close to closing time that I found a queue of about 20 minutes that enabled me to vote.
Years ago, I worked at a polling booth in the eastern suburbs, and there were rarely any queues because we had sufficient staff. The AEC needs to employ more staff and open more booths to avoid a repeat of this year’s problems.
Tony O’Brien, South Melbourne

90-minute wait
I had to queue for 90 minutes after lunch to vote at Christ Church Grammar School in South Yarra. Anecdotal reports are that lines were long elsewhere in the eastern suburbs. And certainly much worse than previous elections.
The weather was fine, the crowd good-natured. But voting should not be like a wait at Disneyland. Are there lessons to be learned?
Stephen Minns, South Yarra

Take note, premier
During the federal election, the Labor Party was able to skilfully use the “$600 billion” cost of the Liberals’ nuclear power proposal to launch an effective scare campaign about how Peter Dutton was going to cut essential services.
In Victoria, we have our own project which is costing a fortune and is leading to increased taxes and cuts to services. Therefore, the obvious conclusion from all of this is that Premier Jacinta Allan needs to pause the Suburban Rail Loop now if she wishes to avoid the devastating electoral outcome the federal opposition has just endured.
Ivan Glynn, Vermont

A vote for SRL
Some Victorian Liberals claimed the federal election would be a referendum on the Suburban Rail Loop. That being the case, the people have spoken in record numbers, with Victorian Labor recording more than 57 per cent of the two-party preferred vote. So, critics should now stop the nitpicking and negativity about this essential project and get behind it.
They should be urging the re-elected Albanese government to provide billions more funding for it. After all, taxpayers aren’t going to have to fork out $600 billion for nuclear power stations.
Paul Kennelly, Caulfield North

No bang for bucks
Message to the Trumpet of Patriots: In light of your most recent electoral disaster (“Palmer and Hanson’s parties crash out of election”, 4/5), I would like to make a complaint about the onslaught of unsolicited and unwelcome texts that I and millions of others received. Read the room. You guys are on the nose. Your policies and hubris are tainted with the Donald Trump brush. This election, you wasted over $50 million. Even if you get a handful of Senate seats, you aren’t getting a bang for your buck, so to speak.
David Legat, South Morang

Corflute conundrum
With the election done and the cessation of “corflute wars” in Kooyong, I suggest that Monique Ryan’s husband should be given the task of removing and recycling all the corflutes in the electorate – not just the Liberal ones!
Michael Mack, Kew

Voting system skewed
The Greens increased their primary vote from 12 per cent to 13 per cent but appear to have lost at least three seats (“Greens’ dream of more seats has turned into a nightmare”, 4/5). Regardless of which political party you follow, the voting system is flawed if your party’s vote increases but you lose half your seats.
David Charles, Newtown

Envy of the world
I envy nations like Australia for their considerably more democratically representative elections, and voters there should never take it for granted.
Here in Canada, our first-past-the-post-ballot electoral system only masquerades as real democracy. But first-past-the-post does seem to serve corporate lobbyists well.
Perhaps it’s why such powerful interests generally resist attempts at changing the ballot to more proportionally representative electoral systems, which dilute corporate influence on government policy and decisions.
Albeit rare, Canada’s first-past-the-post system can result in a majority government being elected by a small minority of voters.
Frank Sterle Jr, White Rock, Canada

Trump’s no joke
It is obvious that Trumpism is toxic in Australia and Canada. When will the American voters realise that Donald Trump is incompetent and displays woeful judgment? Will this latest AI-generated post of Trump as the pope be the turning point? (“Trump posts AI-generated photo of himself as pope, drawing internet outrage”, 4/5) Can you imagine Joe Biden or Kamala Harris or any sensible national leader doing that and getting away with it?
Dean Virgin, Strathmore

Moved by Dinh’s story
I was so moved and humbled by Dinh Nguyen’s story, “Blessed after escape from torment” (3/5).
I thank him for choosing Australia rather than the United States when he was a refugee. We are a richer, better country for it.
His story is a reflection of the lives of so many thousands of others from various war-torn countries around the world who also chose Australia as home. And Dinh’s footy team ain’t bad either!
Jo Kidd, Daylesford

AND ANOTHER THING …

Cartoonists around Australia are preparing to draw their last Dutton.
Paul Custance, Highett

I think Peter Dutton will be working from home now.
John Hennessy, Montmorency

Dutton could possibly get a job pumping petrol because he has the requisite experience.
Sue Peterken, Berwick

Peter Dutton, thanks for the good advice. Australia listened and got the country back on track.
Les Aisen, Elsternwick

Trump influence
A clear majority of Australians have emphatically rejected Trump-style politics. I’ve never been prouder of our great nation.
Phil Alexander, Eltham

Don’t blame Trump, Australians just didn’t like Peter Dutton.
Vera Lubczenko, Geelong West

Just think, if Trump doesn’t get impeached, he will still be in office during our next federal election. Bring on four-year terms.
Neale Woods, Wattle Glen

History
It seems that the seeds of self-destruction of the Liberal Party, sown by John Howard and nurtured by Rupert Murdoch, have now fully blossomed.
Keith Beamish, Canterbury

In his campaign against an Indigenous Voice to parliament, Dutton warned: “If you don’t know, say no.” How the wheel turns.
Damon Anderson, Seaford

Furthermore
A wave of Labor women elected while their opponents just don’t get the gender factor in politics.
Tony Delaney, Warrnambool

Unless the Liberals can connect with Gen Z and Millennials, they are history. Preaching to Baby Boomers is passé.
David Jones, Essendon

Finally
No one can Trump Antony Green. He never delivers fake results.
Greg Oates, Huon Creek

Thanks, Antony. A perfect record!
Gavin Kempin, Port Melbourne

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