Federal election 2016: Malcolm Turnbull considers health change to fix ailing campaign

IN HIS first major comments since the Coalition’s election night disaster, Malcolm Turnbull has accepted “full responsibility” and left open the option of changing his health policy to win back voters.

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MALCOLM Turnbull has accepted “full responsibility” for his party’s failed election campaign and left open the option of changing his health policy to win back voters.

In his first major comments since the Coalition’s election night disaster, Mr Turnbull said Labor’s Medicare privatisation scare campaign had worked because “there was some fertile ground in which that grotesque lie could be sown”.

“We have to recognise that a material number of Australians were sufficiently concerned about our commit-ment to Medicare that they changed their vote,” Mr Turnbull said. “That’s something we need to address.”

The Prime Minister’s comments raise the possibility of changes such as scrapping the freeze on Medicare rebates to encourage more doctors to continue bulk billing.

In a message to voters but also to independents whose support Mr Turnbull may need to form a minority government, the PM said he would learn “lessons” from the shock election result.

As vote counting resumed yesterday, Australia inched closer towards the chaos of a hung parliament.

Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he will learn “lessons” from the shock election result. Picture: AFP

Both major parties are predicting the Coalition will end up ahead of Labor but may fall one or two seats short of the 76 needed for a majority on the floor of the Parliament.

Nine seats were last night considered still in doubt, with the tightest margin in the outer Brisbane seat of Forde where Labor was just 104 votes ahead.

Labor’s lead in the central Queensland seat of Capricornia slipped by about 200 votes, but the Opposition was still 991 votes ahead last night, while the LNP appeared closer to holding on to Petrie with a 1227-vote lead.

Labor is likely to gain Longman and is ahead in Flynn but the margin is narrowing.

In mixed results, the Liberals look likely to hold Dunkley in Victoria and Gilmore in NSW but lose Hindmarsh in South Australia and Cowan in WA to the Opposition. Labor, meanwhile, edged towards losing its Victorian seat of Chisholm to the Liberals.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten continued a victory lap of likely gains with a visit to Morayfield in Longman, where he demanded the PM adopt Labor’s health policies.

“Mr Turnbull says he wants to rebuild trust of the Liberals in the way Australians view him on Medicare,” he said.

“Here is a four-point plan, Malcolm: Don’t increase the price of prescription medicine; improve the funding offer to hospitals to match Labor; don’t cut the bulk-billing ­incentives for X-rays and blood tests; and unfreeze the GP rebate.”

Mr Shorten claimed Mr Turnbull was planning to “pull the ripcord” and call a new election, but the PM’s office has scoffed at the suggestion.

Coalition MPs are demanding a say on any offers Mr Turnbull makes to crossbenchers, which could include further policy backdowns.

Backdated cuts to superannuation tax perks are unlikely to pass the Senate and could be dumped as Liberal policy after a revolt by supporters.

Small business tax cuts could also be separated from Mr Turnbull’s plans for later cuts for larger companies to ensure they pass Parliament.

Some Liberals remain hopeful of negotiating the ABCC Bill through the Senate by winning over new crossbenchers, but concede this would probably require changes to the legislation.

There is also a push by some Liberals to delay the same-sex marriage plebiscite, planned for later this year.

Temporary Australian Electoral Commission workers sort through absentee ballot papers in Sydney. Picture: AFP

Amid growing finger-pointing in the Coalition over the election result, former prime minister John Howard urged his party not to destroy their chances of governing.

“This hasn’t been an outcome that we wanted but it’s not the end of the world and people shouldn’t start slitting their throats – certainly not Liberals,” Mr Howard said.

Attorney-General George Brandis warned internal battles in the Coalition would make it harder for Mr Turnbull to woo independents.

“It is not helpful for anyone on the Coalition side to be engaging in the kind of public criticism which might potentially weaken Mr Turnbull’s bargaining position,” he said.