For many, including myself, Anthony Albanese was the “accidental” prime minister who has now emerged as a Labor hero. Haunted by the failure of 2019, he adopted a measured approach with little reform and surrounded himself with, and supported, an effective cabinet. He is now at the peak of his political powers and has the opportunity to establish Labor as the “natural” government by maintaining the grip on middle Australia. This means reform but applied judiciously, staying centre-left, resisting the pressure from the Labor left wing and not spending hard-earned political capital on divisive pursuits. His gracious speech on election night shows he has learnt the lessons of the first three years and deserved his famous victory. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne
Anthony Albanese walks through a crowd of Labor supporters on election night after claiming an emphatic victory.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Return to centre
The Liberals’ defeat was decades in the making (Letters, May 6). In the mid-1960s and early 1970s the party was, indeed, a centrist liberal party, with some conservative elements. Through the 1980s the party shifted to the right so that by the late 1980s I, as a centrist person, could no longer support the Liberal Party. John Howard took the party further to the right, culminating in his anti-worker WorkChoices legislation. By then the party was controlled by its right wing and was beholden to the reactionaries of the Nationals. Warning signs existed in the late 1980s. The alarm bells were ringing in 2007. They were unmissable in 2022, and the building burnt in 2025. Unless the Liberals divorce the Nationals and rebuild the party as a liberal, centrist party, they will be smashed by independents. One day, those sensible “teal” independents will own the centre, and may form a truly liberal centrist party. This will lock the Nationals and the Liberals out of government forever. Gordon Chirgwin, Harrington
Herald columnists Peter Hartcher (“Election delivers harshest lessons”, May 6) and Charlotte Mortlock (“This party may be over for women”, May 6) identify the misogyny in the conservative political sector, which is clear for all to see except its male inhabitants. Should this not change, not only will the decline of the “older blokes’” party continue, but politically articulate women, like Mortlock, could increasingly become teals. But personally, I think winning Lotto is more likely than the much-needed revolution in the blokes’ back rooms of the Liberal Party. Brian Kidd, Mt Waverley (Vic)
There is a lot of touting of “liberal values” as if they are universally good. I can think of a few liberal values that are toxic and yet seemingly supported by so-called liberal moderates. More tax cuts for the rich; service cuts for the rest, flogging off public assets, destroying super, demonising and outsourcing the public service, toleration of the demonisation of beneficiaries (they are all dole bludgers) and toleration of the demonisation of migrants. I think we can do without those “liberal values”, and the Liberals would do well not to re-embrace them. Nicholas Triggs, Katoomba
The next Liberal Party leader is unlikely to endure to the next election. Nevertheless, the party has a death wish if anyone from the current inner circle gets the job because it proves that the members have learned nothing. Angus Taylor and Sussan Ley are complicit in the recent debacle and should not be considered. Trouble is, the membership of the Liberal Party is old, pale and stale, and any reform would be lip service only. Now might be the time for a new centre-right party to form. Where are Josh Frydenberg and Julie Bishop? Such a new party might even woo some of the teals back into the fold. Mike Salon, Darlinghurst
I volunteered for the ALP during the election and I was surprised by the number of seemingly intelligent Liberal volunteers who quoted Sky News as their source of wisdom. This made me sympathetic towards moderate Liberal parliamentarians who return to their electorate branch meetings only to have a Credlin- or Bolt-type point of view thrown at them. I’m sure intelligent Liberals of a decade ago would have seen such views for the rubbish they are. Denis Hannigan, Toowoon Bay
Irrespective of whom the Liberals anoint as their parliamentary leader, the victor will be supping from a poisoned chalice. Whether Liberal or Labor, the opposition leader elected immediately after their party suffers a landslide defeat rarely becomes prime minister or premier. The only exception in living memory is Bob Carr, who led Labor to victory in 1995 after being “drafted” to become party leader after Labor’s huge loss in the 1988 state election. It will be interesting to watch this process unfold, and discover which of the leadership aspirants has the career-limiting victory. Ian De Landelles, Murray’s Beach
Did it really need a consultant to tell Peter Dutton to lighten up (“Dutton was told he had to lighten up,” May 6)? The party knew from the day it chose him as its leader that he was bland. The only time the man ever smiled was when he told the tasteless joke about the Pacific Islands sinking. Australians were never going to vote for a person who was so funereal in both message and style. Trevor Somerville, Illawong
I’m guessing one person who will be sad to see Peter Dutton go is Cathy Wilcox; his very individual appearance was a cartoonist’s dream. Albo, on the other hand … Ross MacPherson, Seaforth
Credit: Cathy Wilcox
Bad call, Gina
Gina Rinehart is right out of step. Even in light of the chaos Trump has unleashed on the world and his own country, she calls for Australians to follow Trump’s path and move further to the right (“Rinehart urges a step to the right” May 6). Australians have wisely rejected that path. They do not want a country as deeply divided as Trump’s America, where only the wealthy can afford good healthcare, where there are large pockets of poverty and illiteracy, with more billionaires than any other country and the divide between rich and poor a widening chasm; where human rights and the rule of law are being trashed and climate change denial overrides science and encourages the burning of more fossil fuels, contributing to the destruction of the planet. Ray Morgan, Maroubra
Gina Rinehart is absolutely right when she calls for the Liberal Party to shift to the right and embrace more Trumpian policies. This could start with appointing a convicted criminal as leader, followed by policies advocating the invasion of New Zealand and PNG. Tariffs would be imposed on all imports. The revenue raised from Australian buyers would be used to reduce the tax burden at the “top end”, especially for billionaires who inherited much of their wealth, like, say, Gina Rinehart. What could possibly go wrong? Michael Perry, Murwillumbah
So Gina Reinhart wonders “why Americans are getting it and we aren’t?” She appears to lack an understanding of middle Australia’s core values and the concept of fairness for all. I suggest she listen carefully to the PM’s election night victory speech, particularly the following excerpt: “We do not need to beg or borrow or copy from anywhere else. We do not seek our inspiration overseas, we find it right here, in our values and in our people.” Terry Wilson, Milton
Yes, Gina, voters are responsible for the Liberals’ demise; that’s democracy. As for the “left media” to which she refers, that would be “left” of the far-right media. Australians have rejected both right- wing and left-wing policies and politicians. That is something of which we Australians should be proud. John Harris, Goulburn
Plot thickens
Once again Trump wields his tariff stick, this time at filmmakers who create their movies offshore (“Trump announces 100 per cent tariff for movies produced outside US,” May 6). Surely a carrot approach would work better, with perks offered to lure the movie corporations back on shore. It is hard to see how the stick approach contributes to MAGA, other than filling the coffers of the tariff department. For a self-nominated great dealmaker, Trump is overinclined to sidestep negotiating in favour of bully boy pronouncements. This, of course, results in MTGA (making Trump great again). Christine Perrott, Armidale
Enough China war talk
Australians of Chinese heritage, like myself, make up about 5 per cent of the population and tend to congregate in metropolitan areas. As a result, Chinese Australians have become a significant voting group in some marginal electorates, such as Bennelong, Reid, Menzies, Ashton and Chisholm, with the shocking new addition of Bradfield, where I live, a traditionally deep blue seat now on the brink of becoming independent. Contrary to what some media analysis assumes, Chinese Australians are not a uniform voting bloc – we have diverse political opinions ranging from the tankie left to the neo-Nazi right and everything in between, just like white Australians. Judging from my own interactions in this community, perhaps the majority of us are actually conservative. In normal circumstances these voters would probably go for the Liberals, but as evidenced in the 2022 election and more clearly this year, many of these natural Liberal voters are turned off by the hostile war talk towards China by Dutton, Morrison and some of their colleagues. They are not necessarily pro-Beijing but rather prefer a pragmatic and stable relationship with China. In substance, there is actually little difference between Liberal and Labor on national security, the US alliance, AUKUS and the importance of our trading relationship with China. But Labor is smart enough to recognise that as a middle power, Australia only carries a middle-sized stick and therefore should speak gently. If the Liberals want to be competitive at the next election, and thereafter, they had better learn that. Han Yang, North Turramurra
Systemic gaslighting
When did “cost savings” become a euphemism for cruelty? There’s a growing narrative that NDIS reform is working; that success is being driven by stamping out fraud. But let’s be honest, that’s just spin. The real “savings” are coming from quietly defunding people with disabilities. This is not a crackdown on rorts, it’s systemic gaslighting. The National Disability Insurance Agency is spending more than $50 million a year fighting participants in a tribunal. It is unacceptable for a trauma-inducing system to be permitted to masquerade as progress, or for our new federal government to let this continue. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used the word “kindness” in his victory speech. This is not kindness. Or decency. Or integrity. Nor is it aligned with the moral or ethical platform on which our prime minister, and the ALP more widely, have been re-elected. As the sun rises on their new mandate they must address this honourably, fairly, transparently and promptly. Vulnerable Australian lives are at stake. Liz Wise, Sydney
Bipartisan energy policy no closer
Can we have a bipartisan energy policy now? I guess not. I was really hoping that the Coalition’s drubbing would maybe, finally, see them agree to act sensibly on climate change (“Nuclear fallout: Coalition’s energy policy proved toxic to voters,” May 6). But no, all I hear is they “didn’t communicate properly”, “should have done more for women” and basically just tinkering at the edges. For the vast majority of independents (maybe Bob Katter excluded) acting seriously on climate change was a core value. But I hear Nationals Bridget McKenzie and David Littleproud still promoting nuclear. This won’t happen now, but continues to disrupt the certainty and deter or slow down the investment we need in renewables. So far, they seem to have learnt very little. Peggy Fisher, Manly
The Loy Yang Coal fired power station in the La Trobe Valley was a proposed site for a Coalition nuclear reactor.Credit: Justin McManus
Despite the outcome of the election, Bridget McKenzie and the broader National Party remain wedded to the nuclear delusion and fossil fuels. Why is that so, when there is so much sunshine available to convert into energy? If the National Party cared about its constituents, who are often some of the poorest, it would offer them subsidies to establish solar power and batteries, just as the old Country Party fought for and obtained heavily subsidised access to telecommunications. The attachment to fossil fuels makes even less sense when key reserves are held offshore, captive to the whims of the US. The National Party can remain in denial as long as it wishes, but it still owes it to the people it represents (not to mention the rest of us) to think and act rationally. John Balazs, Battery Point (Tas)
In response to the point made by Tiit Tonuri (Letters, May 6) that the Nationals won 15 seats with increased majorities, the reality is that the Nationals have 15 seats in a 151 seat federal parliament. This is not exactly a ringing endorsement of their direction, which includes aligning with big business and mining while paying lip service to rural issues such as the need for cheap power, which can be provided by renewables. Margaret Jones, Bathurst
I suggest your Cowra correspondent read Peter Hartcher’s article. Yes, the Nationals retained the same number of seats, losing one and gaining one, but the reason they did well is that under their coalition with the Liberals they manage to get their way with large dollops of taxpayer funds to finance the next brainwave of the local member. Clay target shooting club, anyone? Rodney Crute, Hunters Hill
Stand up for Gaza
Like your correspondent Therese Curtis, I want the re-elected government to be more nuanced about their stand on Gaza (Letters, May 6). An excellent starting point would be to ban all politicians from accepting the largesse of pro-Israel lobby groups on the all-expenses-paid propaganda tours to Israel. Instead, they could educate themselves by firstly reading the challenging Balcony Over Jerusalem, penned by our own esteemed journalist John Lyons about his six years living and working in the Middle East. Then watch the 2025 Oscar winner of the best documentary feature No Other Land. These resources will require politicians to critically examine the history of the Israeli state and the consequences of their policies on the Palestinian people. Rhonda Seymour, Castle Hill