Labor’s defeat revives a familiar problem in Australian political history: the left’s inability to show how its policies can improve people’s material conditions.
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.
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.
The Labor leader’s personal popularity is stubbornly low, but this has allowed him to build himself as a team player, and position him well to become Australia’s next prime minister.
An inquiry into the status of the teaching profession lasted just four months before being shelved with no clear way forward. Is this the best teachers can hope for?
It remains to be seen whether the Liberals’ campaign woes in Lyons will have any impact on the neighbouring battleground seats of Bass or Braddon, which recent polls suggest the Liberals could regain.
Lack of scrutiny of the Coalition, barrage of criticism aimed at Labor: News Corp’s coverage of the election campaign has been the definition of partisan.
The Christian Democratic Party in NSW could play a key role in the election by funnelling support from voters in electorates with large East Asian populations to the Liberal Party.
The Daily Telegraph story with the headline “Mother of Invention” backfired, handing Shorten the opportunity of a powerful moment on the campaign trail and drawing criticism even within News Corp.
As the campaign wears on, Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten have appeared increasingly stage-managed and rehearsed. Where is the charisma, wit and inspiring ideas?
While Ipsos on Newspoll are telling different stories about leaders’ approval ratings, both are still showing a likely victory for Labor at the federal election.
Razzmatazz aside, the opposition leader - standing in front of Labor’s slogan “A Fair Go For Australia” - brought together the “case for change” in a carefully-honed, strongly delivered address.
Inevitably much of the discussion and many of the clashes focused on money and tax – the conflicting arguments have been well rehearsed throughout the campaign.
In the second debate of the campaign, Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten answered questions from voters in a people’s forum on everything from franking credits to, yes, post offices.
Senior Lecturer in Political Science: Research Fellow at the Cairns Institute; Research Associate for Centre for Policy Futures, University of Queensland, James Cook University