PM takes coffee with supporters in election victory lap

Anthony Albanese has kicked off his post-election victory lap by stopping at a cafe he used to frequent with his late mum.

Anthony Albanese has embarked on a victory lap after leading Labor to a landslide win at Saturday’s federal election.

The Prime Minister’s first stop was Bar Italia – a cafe in his inner-western Sydney seat of Grayndler – where he had coffee with supporters.

Mr Albanese used to visit the cafe with his mother Maryanne, who died in 2002.

“I used to visit this coffee shop with my mum,” he told reporters.

“I grew up just down the road here and I did certainly think of her last night as well. She would be very proud.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese kicked off his post-election victory lap by stopping at a cafe he used to frequent with his late mother. Picture: Julian Andrews/ NewsWire

Among the guests was Jerome Laxale, who managed to fend off the Liberals’ Scott Yung and keep the seat of ultra-marginal seat of Bennelong in Labor’s hands.

Mr Albanese praised Mr Laxale for navigating challenges posted by a redistribution that pushed more Liberal-leaning areas of North Sydney into the seat, saying he “rocked it”.

“There wasn’t one second that Jerome doubted his capacity to win,” Mr Albanese said.

“He put his head down and didn’t complain about it – a bit of a rough deal when you win a seat then it gets turned back the other way.”

Mr Albanese (left) invited Finance Minister Katy Gallagher (middle) and Bennelong MP Jerome Laxale (right) to coffee. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

Mr Laxale fended off his Liberal challenger Scott Yung and kept Bennelong in Labor’s hands. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

He said it was emblematic of the “discipline that our team showed”.

“We will be a disciplined, orderly government in our second term, just like we had been in our first,” Mr Albanese pledged.

“We have been given a great honour of serving the Australian people, and we don’t take them for granted, and we will work hard every day.”

Labor has won at least 86 seats in the 150-seat parliament, while the Coalition has been reduced to 37 so far with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton one of the casualties.

Originally published as PM takes coffee with supporters in election victory lap