Australian federal election 2019: Paul Williams reveals why Bill Shorten lost

A leading political expert has revealed the reason why Bill Shorten lost Saturday’s federal election and what gave Scott Morrison the edge.

LABOR was out-campaigned - that’s the big takeaway from this.

Scott Morrison took it upon himself and we did not see much from the Coalition frontbench.

He turned it from and LNP versus Labor campaign to a Scott Morrison versus Bill Shorten campaign. This worked because it was underpinned by the questions of who do you want to be prime minister and who do you trust.

Griffith University’s senior lecturer in politics and journalism Dr Paul Williams

Morrison was able to exploit Shorten’s unpopularity - he was an unpopular leader trying to sell a potentially unpopular policy packet.

This is a result which defied electorate gravity but it shows that kitchen table economics matter in regional Queensland.

Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labor Party Bill Shorten, flanked by his wife Chloe Shorten concedes defeat. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

You had one party which looked half-hearted about the extraction industry and issues like Adani.

We didn’t think voters would react so tersely to Labor’s program.

Places like Dawson in central-north Queensland the voters were very hostile to any hit of Shorten or the Greens convey telling them how to run their lives.

Originally published as Australian federal election 2019: Paul Williams reveals why Bill Shorten lost