Scott Morrison hails quiet true believers in miracle win
Scott Morrison says it was the “have a go” Aussies that powered his victory in the polls, as the Coalition closes in on a historic majority win. LATEST RESULTS
Federal Election
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Millions of Australians have chosen aspiration and unity over division and class warfare.
Scott Morrison today paid tribute to the “quiet Australians” who delivered the Coalition a third term. He is now poised to win a majority on the floor of the House of Representatives, after gaining seats in Queensland and New South Wales while likely limiting Liberal losses in Victoria to just two seats.
Mr Morrison told the Herald Sun his message that Australians believed in “a fair go for those who have a go” had won over the hearts and minds of families across the country.
“People just really want to pursue their own ambitions, whether it’s buying their own home or saving for their retirement … they really just want to be able to get on and do that,” he said.
“That’s really what I kept saying and was trying to reinforce during the campaign … those quiet Australians, as I refer to them.
“The vast majority of Australians I put in that category.”
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Mr Morrison was met by cheering crowds at a home-turf rugby league match tonight, less than a day after he led his party to one of its most famous election victories.
He vowed to work with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to sort out their differences and deliver to Victoria infrastructure projects including the contentious East-West Link.
Vote-counting is continuing on Monday, and the Morrison Government is confident that it will claim at least 77 of the 151 seats in the House to form a majority.
The horror Labor result ends Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s almost six-year stint as leader of the Labor Party.
A shattered Mr Shorten fronted reporters briefly outside his Moonee Ponds home, confirming he would stay in the job temporarily as leadership contenders, including veteran frontbencher Anthony Albanese, line up for his job.
The shock election result came despite a brutal defeat for former PM Tony Abbott, who was ousted from his Sydney seat of Warringah by Winter Olympian Zali Steggall.
Mr Abbott remained upbeat about the loss, which ended a 25-year political career, saying: “What’s best for the country is not so much who wins or loses Warringah, but who forms, or does not form, a government in Canberra.”
The returning prime minister and his daughter were mobbed by Sharks fans as they entered the Cronulla ground decked out in the team’s official merchandise.
Mr Morrison said his “focused, measured and disciplined” five-week campaign stuck to a plan despite the Coalition having consistently trailed in opinion polls — including on election day itself.
“We had a plan and we knew we had to stick to the plan, and that was the way we could be sure we were in a position to ensure Australians could realise their aspirations and protect against what Bill Shorten was proposing,” Mr Morrison told the Herald Sun.
“It wasn’t about how we felt or how we didn’t feel.
“We had the job we had to do, and focused on it.
“We were determined to leave nothing in the tank with our effort during the campaign. We demonstrated hunger during the campaign to really connect with people and tell them how serious it was, and they did take very seriously.”
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THE VICTORIAN SEATS STILL IN DOUBT
The PM acknowledged support for his government in Victoria had been lower than that it had received in Queensland and parts of New South Wales.
But he promised a strong working relationship with the Andrews Government.
“The first premier, other than the Liberal premiers, to get in touch with me last night was Dan Andrews,” Mr Morrison said. “It’s our job, both as the Premier and the Prime Minister, to get on and deliver that important infrastructure in Victoria, and I think they were very important issues in Victoria — as they had been in his election.
“That’s always been my view of Dan, and I look forward to working with him now. And I appreciate the message that he sent me last night.”
LIFE UNDER SCOMO
TAX CUTS
■ Australians on incomes of between $48,000 and $90,000 will get a tax rebate of $1080 with their returns from July 1. Taxpayers who earn less than $37,000 will get a rebate of up to $255.
■ From July 2022, the tax threshold for the 19 per cent income tax bracket will be lifted from $37,000 to $45,000.
■ From July 2024, the 32.5 per cent marginal tax rate will be cut to 30 per cent and the 37 per cent bracket eliminated, creating a flat marginal rate of 30 per cent between $45,000 and $200,000.
HOME LOANS
■ The Coalition’s First Home Loan Deposit Scheme will allow eligible first-home buyers to enter the property market with just a 5 per cent deposit, rather than the usual 20 per cent of the purchase price. The Coalition will do this by guaranteeing the 15 per cent difference to lenders. The $500 million policy was announced by Scott Morrison in the last week of the campaign, and was matched by Labor.
BORDER SECURITY
■ Mr Morrison — the man who stopped the boats as immigration minister — will continue with the Coalition’s tough border protection measures. This includes boat turnbacks and offshore processing. Expect the government to try to unwind the changes Labor passed this year speeding up medical transfers from Manus Island and Nauru.
CLIMATE CHANGE
■ The Coalition will continue with a $2 billion Climate Solutions Fund, which pays farmers and businesses to cut carbon dioxide pollution. It has also promised to support renewable energy projects such as the Snowy 2.0 and Tasmania Battery of the Nation projects. The policies are aimed at meeting its 26-28 per cent emissions reduction target. Some Liberal MPs want the government to do more on climate change, but after defeating Labor’s more ambitious climate-change policies, many in the party room will urge restraint.
PARENTAL LEAVE
■ Families will be able to take parental leave in blocks so they can be more flexible. Under the changes, parents will be able to access the scheme in smaller chunks, allowing them to return to work part-time and still receive taxpayer support.
INFRASTRUCTURE
■ Mr Morrison promises to go it alone on the East West Link, committing $4 billion for the first stage of the project. But he will still need the approval of the Victorian government. The PM has promised $2 billion towards a fast rail link between Melbourne and Geelong, and has called on Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to match the commitment to make it a reality. The government has contributed millions of dollars to upgrades on suburban roads and railway station car parks across Melbourne.
ADANI
■ The Adani coal mine in central Queensland is now almost guaranteed to go ahead. Bill Shorten’s scepticism about the project was a big reason the Coalition was able to secure significant swings back to the party, according to LNP strategists. The Coalition will now have more than three quarters of the seats in Queensland and the MPs from up north will call the shots.
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