The Coalition should not use this unexpected win to allow itself to be complacent and drift. It needs to work out its agenda for the next three years and how it allows internal debate.
Our experts take a closer look at what’s in store for the country in five key policy areas: health, tax, education, infrastructure and the environment.
Wes Mountain/The Conversation
Now that the Coalition has won the federal election, how will it meet its campaign promises on taxes, the environment, education, health and infrastructure?
Morrison thanked the party faithful in his victory speech after an unexpected win.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
The outcome is completely opposite to the polls, which all had Labor ahead going into the election, albeit narrowly and with some tightening during the campaign.
Against expectations, Scott Morrison has led the Coalition government back to power.
Wes Mountain/The Conversation
This result, which is vastly different from what opinion polls were indicating, shows the probability of “herding” in polls, and also emphasises that betting odds are to be treated with great caution.
Emil Jeyaratnam, The Conversation; Amanda Dunn, The Conversation; Shelley Hepworth, The Conversation, and Andrew Donegan, The Conversation
How did the numbers of election 2019 fall across the country? And what seats are still in play?
Bob Hawke with ministers and staff at the last cabinet meeting in the old Cabinet Room in 1988.
AAP Image/Supplied by the National Archives of Australia
Yes, most jobseekers who receive Newstart payments are also eligible for other benefits. But in many cases this is just a few dollars a fortnight to help with expenses such as electricity bills.
Visualisation of election-related Twitter activity on QUT’s Sphere display.
QUT Media
Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology; Daniel Angus, Queensland University of Technology, and Timothy Graham, Queensland University of Technology
Analysis of tweets from the election campaign reveal two key trends: independents are organising, and embattled Liberal candidates are having to take the fight to their rivals.
The betting market puts the chance of a Labor victory at about 77% nationally.
Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND
Recent polling suggests the race is tightening. Then again, opinion polling suggested the recent Victorian state election would also be a close affair and it turned out to be a Labor landslide.
There is more consensus around climate than politicians would have Australian voters believe.
Darren England/AAP
Like Whitlam, Shorten is selling a huge bag of promises (including in those familiar Whitlam areas of health, education, environment and infrastructure - climate change is a central addition).
Pretty ordinary, really. Pre-poll ballot boxes.
BIANCA DE MARCHI/AAP
Steven Hamilton, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Negative gearing would cause few problems if we better taxed capital gains.
Mining accounts for about half of Australia’s exports. In terms of ‘economic complexity’, the nation ranks 59th in the world, between Kazakhstan and Lebanon.
Shutterstock
Both major parties have promised more money to help boost apprenticeship numbers, including by providing incentives to employers. But history shows this isn’t the best way to spend public dollars.
Senior Lecturer in Political Science: Research Fellow at the Cairns Institute; Research Associate for Centre for Policy Futures, University of Queensland, James Cook University