December 29, 2024

Australia election 2022: Scott Morrison to stand down as Liberal leader after conceding defeat; Labor hopeful of majority government – live update

Scott Morrison #ScottMorrison

Peter Dutton:

And to all of my extended family here tonight as well, it’s a wonderful opportunity to speak to you tonight on a couple of things. One is that we have, as a Liberal family, suffered a terrible day today. And there are colleagues around the country, good people, who have potentially lost their seats.

There are still thousands and thousands of postal votes and pre-poll votes to count. So there’s some hope in some of those seats. In many, the race is very tight.

I want to acknowledge the pain they’re going through tonight, their families, their supporters and our supporters across the country. There are some amazing people who supported the Liberal party day in, day out. Through good times and bad. And they’re wonderful believe and I believe in their country. And they are hurting tonight. I want to acknowledge them.

I want to acknowledge the work of the prime minister and Josh Frydenberg, our entire cabinet and backbench. This has been a united team. We have worked day and night through the last couple of years of great difficulty for our country. We’ve been able to put our country in a position that is the economic envy of the world. We’ve been able to provide support and leadership to the Australian people through very difficult times.

Peter Dutton talks to the media before casting his vote in his electorate of Dickson, Queensland. Photograph: Dan Peled/Getty Images

Updated at 08.42 EDT

‘My Liberal family suffered a terrible day today,’ says Peter Dutton

Peter Dutton is declaring it a bad day for the Liberal party.

He is also giving a top hits list:

  • World leadership
  • The economy
  • National security
  • Not being Labor
  • Updated at 08.37 EDT

    As we heard before, Trent Zimmerman has not conceded in North Sydney but admits “the pathway to victory in North Sydney is a narrow one”.

    But he has some insights about what his likely defeat and other urban losses mean for the Liberal party:

    When we look at these results across Sydney and Brisbane and Victoria there are clearly lessons for the Liberal party that we need to learn. We need to ensure that we – as a party [and] as a government we are representing the aspirations of the great urban areas that represent a large portion of the economic activity of our nation, the capacity of our nation. There is a driving desire in the communities I represent for greater action on climate change, for greater action in areas like ensuring there are genuinely more opportunities for women in our communities. These are substantive issues that need to be at the heart of our agenda as a party.

    We cannot ignore them, for if we do, winning government again will be impossible.

    My plea tonight to all of you across the Liberal family … we must ensure we are representing every part of our community, including the community of North Sydney.

    Updated at 09.00 EDT

    Teal independent Allegra Spender is speaking to supporters in Bondi. She is not claiming victory until all the votes have been counted – but she is claiming a victory of sorts.

    It is a victory for the community and what we have achieved together – there is still prepolling and polling to be counted, and while it’s looking good – not everything has been counted. But it’s a victory for the community movement around the country. We stand for the future, not for the past. You’ve given up shouting at the television, the negativity and the spin. You’ve all invested in the democracy of the country. Independent candidate for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, speaks to a voter on election day. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

    Updated at 08.37 EDT

    John Howard, the former prime minister, has arrived at the Liberal function – meaning the hour of Scott Morrison’s concession is approaching.Howard said:

    I’m not saying anything until the prime minister has spoken. It’s up to him to speak on behalf of his party and government, which I’ve been very proud to have helped during this campaign. I’ve worked very hard, I believe in Scott Morrison. I believe in the Liberal party, thank you.”

    Updated at 08.32 EDT

    Matt Kean, the NSW treasurer and a leading moderate in the NSW Liberal party, has responded to the likely loss of three moderate-held seats in the state in Wentworth, Mackellar and North Sydney.

    There are definitely lessons to be learned, that when the Liberal party goes too far to the right, we lose in the centre. The Liberal party is at its strongest when we represent the diversity in the community. Tonight, we have had a very strong message from our heartland that we are not representing them.

    Asked if Saturday’s losses were a response to Scott Morrison’s leadership, Kean said:

    All leaders around the world are struggling at the moment. We’ve seen [Joe] Biden with record-low approval, Boris Johnson too and [Emmanuel] Macron with a massively reduced majority. This a very difficult time for leaders around the world.

    We as a party need to regroup and listen to the communities and the message they have sent. What we can’t do as a party is vacate the space on climate change. We have to have a credible path to reduce emissions. What we can’t do is abandon the space on listening to women. We can’t have a situation where women are voting for us in lesser numbers than males. That is hugely damaging to the community and we need to listen to women and have policies that respond to their concerns.

    Trent Zimmerman and Matt Kean in Lane Cove, Sydney tonight. Photograph: Anne Davies/The Guardian

    Updated at 08.36 EDT

    Clive Palmer says Peter Dutton will be opposition leader

    The United Australia party’s Clive Palmer just appeared on Sky, announcing, rather surprisingly, that Peter Dutton will be the next leader of the Liberal party.

    I don’t think you can overlook the support he [Albanese] had from the Greens and the teals.

    It’s critical the opposition leader Peter Dutton, who will be the opposition leader, will offer him supply to stop him going to the Greens.

    Asked what a Labor government, with teals and Greens, could lead to, he warned “the devastation of most of Australia’s business and production”.

    We’ve got to be sure we don’t become a province of China … that’s what’s on the line, control of our nation and control of our infrastructure.

    Updated at 08.35 EDT

    Morrison will ‘take responsibility’ for loss, Birmingham says

    Simon Birmingham says he believes Scott Morrison will “take responsibility” for the loss.

    Seems Birmingham still believes some miracles can be found tonight.

    I’m confident that Scott will take responsibility. But we all have to take responsibility, too.

    Ultimately, it is a team. What we saw from Josh before, in a very dignified display, and my heart goes out to Amy and Josh’s parents and his family at this point in time.

    But what we saw from Josh before was he acknowledged the role of the team and we share together the successes that we’ve had as a government, and we’ve had some pretty amazing successes in coming through what has been a most trying time in Australia’s history and global history. But we also have to share responsibility for the blame, too, where we have lost seats and where we have gone backwards. So I cop that on my shoulders and I’ve got no doubt that Scott, as the leader, will take it on his as well.

    Updated at 08.30 EDT

    Josh Frydenberg is now thanking the man who has all but ended his run in federal politics and his long held ambition to be prime minister.

    It’s our values that resonate so strongly with the people of Australia since our party’s formation. To be the deputy leader of our party has been an enormous privilege and to serve as Scott Morrison’s deputy, a person of great decency, a person who loves his family, a person who is of deep faith and a person who has shown extra ordinary leadership in extraordinary times. So I thank Scott Morrison for what he has done for our country to leave Australia in a stronger position than when he found it. Give him a clap. ‘Tectonic shift in Australian politics’ as Ryan goes to Greens

    Joe Hinchliffe

    Moments after ABC election analyst Antony Green called the Brisbane seat of Ryan for the Greens, their candidate Elizabeth Watson-Brown tells the Guardian she is “still processing” the news.

    The architect-turned-MP says her victory – along with the results in Brisbane and Griffith – marks a fundamental change for politics in Australia.

    We are witnessing a tectonic shift in Australian politics … and Queensland is leading the way. Greens leader Adam Bandt with MP for Ryan-elect Elizabeth Watson-Brown. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP

    Updated at 08.21 EDT

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