Election 2022 live: Josh Frydenberg concedes, Anthony Albanese sworn in
Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg has conceded the seat of Kooyong as new PM Anthony Albanese vows to “do politics better”.
Federal Election
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Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg has conceded the seat of Kooyong to Independent Dr Monique Ryan.
In a statement, the outgoing treasurer said he rang Dr Ryan to congratulate her and wished her well for the term ahead.
“It’s been an incredible privilege to have served as the local member for the last 12 years,” he said.
Today, I contacted Dr Monique Ryan to congratulate her on the election result in Kooyong.
— Josh Frydenberg (@JoshFrydenberg) May 23, 2022
It’s been an incredible privilege to have served as the local member for the last 12 years.
Kooyong, thank you. pic.twitter.com/T6aMK53Zl5
Mr Frydenberg thanked the “wonderful local people” he had met as Kooyong MP and said “we have achieved so much together”.
“It’s their contribution that makes our community great...A community whose diversity, tolerance, and values reflect the very best of Australia. I want to thank everyone who i had the pleasure to work loclaly with - it’s been quite a journey,” he said.
“To the people of Kooyong, I can only say thank you.
“I look forward to spending more time with my family”.
Dr Ryan will be making a media statement shortly.
ALBANESE SWORN IN AS PM
Anthony Albanese vowed to “do politics better” in his first press conference as Australia’s new prime minister ahead of his first international trip to Tokyo for the Quad leaders meeting.
“I am incredibly honoured and humbled to have be sworn in as Australia’s 31st Prime Minister. Australians have voted for change. And my government intends to implement that change in an orderly way,” Mr Albanese said in his opening statement.
The prime minister said he had spoken to US President Joe Biden last night ahead of the Quad summit.
“I received a phone call last night and had a very fruitful and positive conversation renewing my acquaintance with President Biden. The relationship with the United States is our most important,” he said.
He said he will use the summit to “send a message to the world that there’s a new government in Australia.”
“It’s a government that represents a change in terms of the way that we deal with the world on issues like climate change. But also a continuity in the way that we have respectful democracy and the way that we value our friendships and long-term alliances,” he said.
Mr Albanese said one of the “messages” Australian voters sent at Saturday’s federal election was they were sick of the divisive politics and wanted to be better represented.
“People do have conflict fatigue,” he said.
“They want to work with people and I will work with people, whether it’s the cross benchers, or the Opposition, to try to, wherever possible, get agreement.”
Mr Albanese said he would return from Japan on Wednesday and “set about implementing (Labor’s) agenda”.
“Our agenda that’s received the endorsement of the Australian people,” he said.
“Our national reconstruction fund, our powering Australia plan to deal with the opportunities that come with acting on climate change.
“Our full implementation of the Respect@Work report recommendations.
“Affordable child care, fixing the aged care crisis, strengthening Medicare.”
Mr Albanese said he wanted to “bring people together” and “change the way that politics is conducted” in Australia.
“We will establish a National Anti-Corruption Commission and I have asked for that work to begin already,” he said.
“I will bring together an employment summit and I thank those people in the business community and in the trade union movement for the discussions that we have had already about the way that that can be progressed.”
Mr Albanese said he will be advancing the need to have constitutional recognition of first nations people, including a Voice to Parliament enshrined in that constitution.
“I look forward to leading a government that makes Australians proud,” he said.
“A government that doesn’t seek to divide, that doesn’t seek to have wedges but seeks to bring people together for our common interest and our common purpose.”
As counting of the votes continues, Mr Albanese said he was confident he would be able to form a majority Labor government, but had secured support from the crossbench that they would not back any motions of no confidence against him.
“I have received and have had discussions with the existing members of the cross bench and received confirmation from Rebekha Sharkie, Bob Katter, Andrew Wilkie, Helen Haines and Zali Steggall that they would not support any no confidence motions against the Government and that they would also secure supply,” he said.
“They will consider legislation on its merits. I expect that to be the case. I will treat them with respect.”
Mr Albanese said it was important to “respect” the outcome of the election, though he believed the final numbers would be in Labor’s favour.
“I am hopeful that we will receive a majority of members of the House of Representatives,” he said.
“At this stage that looks most likely.”
Mr Albanese said parliament would resume sitting before the end of July, however he was still working with departments to finalise a date.
He said there were some “international events” that needed to be accommodated, and he also wanted to ensure there wasn’t cross over with school holidays.
“I will try to run a family friendly parliament,” he said.
“We will resume parliament in a very orderly way.”
Shortly before he left to board a plane to Tokyo with his freshly sworn in Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Mr Albanese said he would “put Australia’s national interests first” and “not attempt to play politics” with security issues.
“What I will do as the Prime Minister and my Foreign Minister, Senator Wong will do, is put Australia’s national interests first, put Australia’s values first,” he said.
Mr Albanese said his position on the Chinese Government was the same as it had been before the election.
“The relationship with China will remain a difficult one,” he said.
“I said that before the election. That has not changed.
“It is China that has changed, not Australia and Australia should always stand up for our values and we will in a Government that I lead.”
Mr Albanese made a historic change to the backdrop of the Australian Prime Minister.
Prior to his press conference, staff replaced two of the three Australian flags behind the podium to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.
He said the Caucus will meet next Tuesday and have a swearing in of the full Ministry next Wednesday morning.
The Labor leader arrived at Government House just before 9am AEST where he met with the Governor-General David Hurley before he jets off to his first international trip to the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue summit in Tokyo.
He was accompanied by his new incoming foreign minister, Penny Wong.
“I, Anthony Norman Albanese do solemnly and sincerely affirm and declare that I will well and truly serve the Commonwealth of Australia,” Mr Albanese said in taking the affirmation of Office of the Prime Minister of Australia.
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles was also sworn in as defence minister and will become acting prime minister while Mr Albanese is away in Japan.
Jim Chalmers and Katy Gallagher were sworn in as treasurer and finance minister.
Mr Albanese will meet with world leaders including US President Joe Biden and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modhi.
Mr Albanese said on Sunday the Quad meeting was an “absolute priority for Australia”.
“It enables us to send a message to the world that there is a change of government, there will be some changes in policy, particularly with regard to climate change and our engagement with the world on those issues,” he said.
He said he would “get down to business” when he arrived back in Australia on Wednesday. He is set to meet state and territory leaders in Canberra.
DUTTON TO LEAD LIBS
Outgoing defence minister Peter Dutton is in the box seat to take over the traumatised Liberal Party, which is reeling from its rout on Saturday night.
Mr Dutton seems almost certain to be elected Opposition Leader when the party meets in coming days.
Victorian MP Alan Tudge on Monday told Sky News: “Peter Dutton will be leader. He will be incredibly effective, actually.”
“He will be a very effective leader in holding the Labor Party to account.
“I think we need to go back to those values. He will be a very effective leader in holding the Labor Party to account.”
While former energy minister Angus Taylor and former trade minister Dan Tehan’s names have been floated, it’s thought Mr Dutton, a proven political warrior and leading conservative, would have a straight run to replace former prime minister Scott Morrison.
The role of deputy is less clear, with names including Mr Taylor, Mr Tehan, and three possible female contenders, Jane Hume, Michaelia Cash and Anne Ruston, who are all senators.
The only likely Lower House woman in the mix would be outgoing Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews, but the party would not accept two Queenslanders in the top two leadership positions
Andrew Hastie, the outgoing assistant defence minister, is touted as a potential future prime minister, but it is not clear if he would be considered for the role of deputy. He suffered the smallest swing against him of any of the western Australian Liberals.
The new Labor Government is presuming Mr Dutton will be leader, and is already bracing for incoming fire from the former police officer, who revels in political warfare and is quick on his feet in Parliament.
The National Party leadership is also up for grabs, as it is declared vacant automatically after every election.
Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, from NSW, would likely make a claim to continue as leader, given the Nationals held every seat they contested.
However, he is a polarising figure and some believe the time has come to transition to David Littleproud, the more moderate deputy leader, from Queensland.
It is not known how a ballot would play out in the Nationals party room, given the antipathy some MPs including Gippsland’s Darren Chester, who bucked the anti-government trend to increase his margin, hold towards Mr Joyce.
As well as deciding the leadership and senior shadow cabinet positions, the Liberals are also grappling with the up-ending of their factional power bases.
With five inner-city MPs dislodged, most notably Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, along with Dave Sharma, Trent Zimmerman, Jason Falinski and Tim Wilson, the moderate wing of the party has been gutted.
The most senior moderate is former communications minister Paul Fletcher, but he lacks the dynamism required to lead the party – one colleague referred to him as a “charisma black hole.’’
Liberal hardheads believe the key to recovery is to keep the focus firmly on the economy, noting difficult economic headwinds will make life uncomfortable for the incoming Albanese government, which has precious little experience on the Treasury benches.
One MP said the party must focus on economic and cost-of-living concerns, but feared the party could be sidetracked by “factional wars in NSW and climate wars with the Nationals.’’
Another said the party needed to unravel the mixed messages sent by the electorate.
“In the suburbs they sent us a message about climate change and integrity, in the regions it was the anti-vaccine mandates and in the city it was women,’’ he said.
The two parties will call for leadership nominations once the AEC finalises its count in class seats and winners are formally declared in coming days.
LIVE STREAM: WATCH SKY’S POST-ELECTION COVERAGE BELOW
MCGOWAN’S BRUTAL TAKE-DOWN OF DUTTON
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has labelled Peter Dutton an “extremist” and not “that smart”, saying he is unfit for the Liberal Party leadership.
During the same press conference, Mr McGowan also launched a blistering attack on Clive Palmer supporters, whom he dubbed “misfits and losers”, and the national press gallery for “bullying” new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Asked about Mr Dutton potentially becoming the new leader of the Liberal Party, Mr McGowan said he was not fit to be the Prime Minister someday.
“He’s an extremist and I don’t think he fits with modern Australia at all,” the Premier told reporters on Monday.
“He doesn’t seem to listen, he’s extremely conservative. I actually don’t think he’s that smart.
“I’ve seen him present on things. I don’t really pick up there’s much there, as opposed to Scott Morrison.”
Mr McGowan said it was important for the new Labor government to improve Australia’s relationship with China.
“These things are difficult but it is an opportunity to get back onto a surer footing with our major trading partner,” he said.
“We, as a state, export half of the nation’s exports and the vast majority of that goes to China because it’s the biggest market.
“Iron ore, gas, lots of other mineral products, lots of agricultural products go to China.
“So having a good relationship with your biggest customer is kind of important.”
Security was the other major factor in having a diplomatic relationship with China, he added.
“The biggest power in our region is China,” he said.
“Our strongest ally is and will remain the United States, but that doesn’t mean you have a hostile relationship with China.
“What we saw over the federal election campaign was the Liberal Party tried to weaponise these things for political purposes … that’s what used to happen back in the Cold War.
“I just urge a reset on the relationship.”
Mr Albanese told reporters on Monday that Australia’s relationship with China would remain “difficult”.
“It is China that has changed – not Australia,” he said.
“What we should do is put Australia’s national interest first and not attempt to play politics with national security issues.”
Mr McGowan said he believed a major factor for WA voters in the election was the Liberal Party’s opposition to the hard border, which kept the state safe during the height of the pandemic.
He said the Liberals essentially supported Mr Palmer’s fight to bring down the border for about two months before backing down.
The Premier recalled he even received a phone call from Mr Morrison telling him the state would lose the court battle and should give up.
“Hopefully, they’ve learned a lesson that Clive Palmer is a bit like kryptonite – you don’t want to touch him because inevitably with these things, particularly political things, it goes bad,” Mr McGowan said.
“It was a terrible look and actually, not just a terrible look. It was just the wrong decision.”
Mr McGowan said it was good that no one from the United Australia Party was elected.
“I saw their actions on the polling booths. I saw how the Palmer people behave,” he said.
“They’re misfits and losers and they scream and yell at voters. They shove things in people’s faces.
“They are offensive and rude people, and I’m glad that Australians haven’t supported them.”
Mr McGowan said to a lesser a degree the same could be said about One Nation supporters.
“People screaming, yelling, bustling, harassing. They’re just misfits and losers,” he said.
During the election campaign, both Mr Albanese and Mr Morrison talked up their relationship with Mr McGowan, knowing he was hugely popular in WA.
But the Premier said he could not take credit for Labor’s victory.
“I’m not claiming any credit for their victory. It’s their victory they achieved and they deserve all the credit,” he said.
“I think the Australian public is very mainstream … they just want to have good jobs, good social services, a protected environment.
“They want to make sure no one’s left behind, make sure that we have law reforms that protect the rights and interests of people, particularly those most vulnerable.
“(They want to) lift up the hopes and aspirations of everyone – and if you get the balance right, both economically and socially, I think people will respect that.”
Mr McGowan said it was a positive for WA to have strong representation in the new government because it meant the state’s interests would be heard.
Meanwhile, he said the Liberal Party was controlled by “extremists factional powerbrokers” and did not have very talented people in the parliament, both at a state and federal level.
“They don’t appeal to the mainstream. They’re out on the fringe,” he said.
“They’re more inclined to pursue their own hobbyhorses rather than listen to what the public wants. And I think that reflects in the voting.
“I actually don’t think they’re fit for government, certainly at a state level, for a long time to come.”
Mr McGowan also lashed out at the federal press gallery following Mr Albanese during the campaign, saying he witnessed intimidating behaviour from reporters at the four or five press conferences he attended.
“The press conferences I went to, they were screaming and interrupting, and rude and insulting, intimidating and bullying – sort of stuff that in a workplace, you get sacked for,” he said.
“They need to reflect on their behaviour. I’ve never seen anything like it.
“Anthony’s trying to answer a question, and they’re basically talking over him and being rude, and then muttering and insulting.
“Journalists would run at him and surround him as he walked towards the exit after concluding his press conference, and then the reporting would be he fled the press conference. It’s just lies.
“I was shocked and appalled.”
KAREN ANDREWS TO VIE FOR LEADERSHIP ROLE
Veteran Queensland MP Karen Andrews has confirmed she will be looking to challenge for at least the deputy leadership of the highly wounded Liberal Party.
The former Home Affairs Minister, who holds the seat of McPherson on the Gold Coast, told 4BC she was “interested in whatever role” would allow her to add the most value to the Liberal Party.
Pressed on whether she would seek the deputy leadership, Ms Andrews said “certainly” she would look at that option.
Ms Andrews, who was an engineer prior to entering politics, conceded professional well educated women who had previously supported the Liberals had abandoned the party.
She said many people-young and older-had raised the issue of climate change with her during the campaign and wanted it “dealt with in a sensible manner”.
“There was the lingering issue over my party about women … women who were professional, well educated, chose not to not to vote for us as they had before,” she said.
“Now we’ve got a lot of work to do, to make sure we are properly representing the views of women, professional women, and older women … young parents trying to deal with the issues of childcare.
“Women actually stepped up and said, we count.”
Meanwhile, northern Tasmanian MP Bridget Archer says she would “potentially” put her hand up for Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in an effort to keep the party from lurching further to the right.
The Bass MP bucked the trend and improved her margin over Labor in her Launceston-based seat, and remains one of the last moderate Liberals in the Coalition following Saturday’s “teal wash” and “Greens slide”.
But Ms Archer said the party would need to wait for the dust to settle and the counts in knife-edge seats to be finalised before the party met.
“I feel like it would be fairly presumptuous,” she told ABC Radio when asked if she would put her hand up for deputy leadership.
“I think we’ll see what happens, I am very interested and very concerned in seeing the Liberal Party rebuild,” she said.
“I’ve seen some early commentary around … some ideas that the party should move further to the right and I will certainly resist all efforts for that to occur.”
Host Patricia Karvelas asked: “Including putting your hand up?”
“Potentially,” Ms Archer said.
“We must do everything to resist (moving further to the right). I think it is telling that whilst we have lost many, many moderates at this election out of the Liberal Party, my status in one of the most marginal seats in the country … I have managed to hang on.
“I think that speaks to the fact that we need to bring the party back to the centre, not further to the right.”
Ms Archer had caused headaches for the Morrison government throughout her first term in parliament, after she crossed the floor to support independent MP Helen Haines’ integrity bill. She also crossed the floor against Scott Morrison’s religious discrimination bill.
BARNABY SHUNS BLAME FOR LIBS LOSS
Outgoing deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has hit back at accusations his unpopularity in inner-city seats cost the Coalition at least 19 seats across the country.
Mr Joyce, who leads the Nationals Party, was accused by his predecessor Michael McCormack of being too unpopular for moderate Australians, prompting them to turn towards so-called “teal” independents.
Once-safe blue-ribbon seats like Wentworth, Goldstein and MacKellar have been lost to independents, while outgoing treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s Melbourne-based seat of Kooyong is likely to be lost.
The moderate Liberal whitewash prompted Mr McCormack to tell the Guardian Australia that the Nationals leadership spill last year had marked a turning point against the Coalition.
“The leadership change last year shouldn’t have happened. Whether that influenced the inner-city seats, where I was very popular, and provided a lot of infrastructure as minister, and spent a lot of time in, will be for others to decide,” he told the outlet.
“There were no campaigns against my name and my reputation or anything in inner-city seats. I was … welcomed.”
Mr Joyce was on the defensive on Monday morning, calling the Coalition a “business relationship, not a marriage” and that the party he leads – the Nationals – didn’t run in inner-city seats.
In fact, the Nationals party bucked the trend and grew its hold in the Senate and held onto all its lower house seats.
“It’s like blaming (outgoing Wentworth MP) Dave Sharma for something that’s gone wrong in a regional area,” Mr Joyce told Channel 7.
“The Liberals within their party will have an analysis, but in politics at some stage people will change the curtains, even if they work well, and that’s what’s happened here.”
Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan said “surrendering” to the “radical environmentalism” had prompted the Coalition to lose.
“Moderate Coalition or moderate Liberal seems to me like another word for the left,” Senator Canavan told the Nine Network.
“I heard stories on the weekend that we couldn’t man our booths in many marginal seats in Sydney, and that is a testament to the fact that our core supporters were not buying what we were selling. We need to rediscover the principles and values and give faith to people who want to support a small Liberal and National Party.”
Given outgoing prime minister Scott Morrison announced he would step aside as Liberal leader, former defence minister Peter Dutton has emerged as the front runner.
Mr Joyce said he would let the senior Coalition partner “do their thing”.
“It’s their business now, and it’s their business to pick their leader, and it won’t be influenced by the musings of me,” Mr Joyce said.
WHO ELSE HAS CONCEDED DEFEAT?
Wentworth independent Allegra Spender has confirmed outgoing Liberal MP Dave Sharma has called her to concede defeat.
In a statement, Mr Sharma said while there were still 40,000 votes to be counted he expected the current lead would not change markedly.
“It has been a privilege to serve the people of Wentworth these past three years as a their federal member of parliament and I wish to thank the people of Wentworth for the opportunity to do some”.
Liberal MP Ken Wyatt has conceded defeat in the seat of Hasluck to Labor’s Tania Lawrence.
Mr Wyatt, who was the first Aboriginal member of the House of Representatives, thanked the Hasluck community.
“I just want to say thank you to the people for giving me 12 incredible years serving in the House of Representatives. Not only looking after their interests and needs but being in a position to influence the national agenda as an Indigenous person it has been a great privilege,” Mr Wyatt said.
Kristina Keneally officially conceded defeat in Fowler to independent Dai Le after a massive swing against her of nearly 20 per cent.
Ms Keneally said it seemed “that Labor will not claim victory in Fowler”.
“I congratulate Dai Le and wish her well,” she said in a tweet.
“Thank you to the people who voted Labor & the volunteers on our campaign. And congratulations to Albo & Labor – a better future for Australia lies ahead.”
Health care, roads and infrastructure, and commuter parking are key issues that Le is promising to deliver on.
“The Labor party threw as much mud as they could at me, and we had to get a legal letter sent to them because it’s so untrue,” she told 2GB radio host Ray Hadley.
The first Vietnamese-Australian independent is urging the newly sworn in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to work with all MPs and listen to what communities are saying.
“I will call on the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to really think to govern for everybody and not just those who voted for their members,” she said.
“They need to look after their community.”
Le arrived in Australia and sought refuge with her family after escaping war-torn Vietnam in the 1970s.
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