Federal election 2016: minor parties demand price for support

Malcolm Turnbull has opened talks with key independents in federal parliament to save his Coalition government.

Contemplation at home in Sydney’s Point Piper for Malcolm Turnbull yesterday. Picture: Craig Greenhill

Malcolm Turnbull has opened talks with the new kingmakers in federal parliament to save his government after a savage swing against him in a federal election that has fuelled dissent over his leadership and thrown the nation into political turmoil.

The Prime Minister insisted he was “quietly confident” of holding power as he pledged to work with the independents who could ­decide his fate, clearing the way for days of talks while Australians wait to learn the outcome of an election that remains too close to call.

Bill Shorten vowed to seek a “consensus” in the new parliament and dismissed the idea of going back to the polls, but stopped short of outlining a plan to form a minority Labor government.

The 3.5 per cent swing has weakened Mr Turnbull’s authority and emboldened critics who want Tony Abbott restored to a frontbench position, raising the prospect of a long fight within the Coalition that echoes Labor’s civil war during the hung parliament after the 2010 election.

GRAPHIC — The state of play, what the independents want

“It is going to be absolutely horrific,” said one experienced Liberal of the rivalry between the Turnbull and Abbott camps within a wounded Coalition partyroom.

While Mr Abbott has been named as a possible candidate for the defence ministry or indigenous affairs, Mr Turnbull played down the idea of bringing the former prime minister into the cabinet to mend the wounds of last September’s leadership spill.

“The ministry will be the same after this election as it is now,” the Prime Minister said.

“A number of ministers have not been returned … but I’m not proposing to bring back any particular individuals.”

GRAPHIC — State of the nation

South Australian Liberal senator Cory Bernardi, a leading conservative who has clashed with Mr Turnbull in the past, called the election a “disaster” and blamed the outcome on “hubris” and an “arrogant contempt” for the Liberal base.

“The conservative revolution needs to either start within the Liberal Party or it will start outside of it, and I think we’ve just seen a taste of that on the weekend,” Senator Bernardi said.

The Australian’s analysis of the results so far shows that Labor has won 67 seats, the Coalition has won 65 seats and other candidates have won five seats.

This leaves 13 electorates too close to call with margins of less than 1 per cent between the two parties — within the range where postal votes could help Coalition candidates snatch surprise victories. However, senior Liberals were confident last night of holding 72 seats, with another five in doubt, keeping them within sight of a majority.

Mr Turnbull is putting his faith in one million postal votes that are yet to be counted, arguing that they will tend to favour Coalition candidates based on past experience and will be enough to push the government ahead of Labor in the tightest races of the campaign.

Retreating from the anger and frustration of his midnight speech on Saturday night in response to the first election results, Mr Turnbull vowed to heed the message from voters about lifting the performance of the parliament.

The Australian learned last night that Mr Turnbull had spoken yesterday to three crucial crossbenchers, Nick Xenophon, Andrew Wilkie and Cathy McGowan, and is hoping to talk to other influential players in coming days to shore up support without striking a formal alliance.

“I have spoken to a number of the crossbenchers and what I’ve said to them is what I say to you now — that we will be able to form a majority government,” Mr Turnbull said yesterday. “And in those circumstances, and indeed in any circumstances, we always seek to work constructively with all the members of the parliament, as we have done in the past.”

The Nick Xenophon Team scored one of the biggest upsets of the campaign by installing its candidate, Rebekha Sharkie, in the lower house seat of Mayo to replace former minister Jamie Briggs. Senator Xenophon said yesterday morning he expected Mr Turnbull to form a majority government, but he was open to talking to both major parties in a hung parliament.

Queensland independent Bob Katter has outlined an early list of claims for those seeking his support while Mr Wilkie said he told the Prime Minister yesterday there would be “no deals” for his support.

The Prime Minister and his ­allies are opening lines of communication with the crossbenchers in both houses of parliament but are not seeking formal alliances, believing several MPs would be unlikely to back Labor in a no-confidence motion and put Mr Shorten in The Lodge.

Ms McGowan and Mr Katter hold conservative rural electorates while Ms Sharkie has gained a blue-ribbon Liberal seat.

Mr Shorten used the shock swing against the government to challenge Mr Turnbull to find common ground on climate change and marriage equality, saying the “clear mood” of the crossbenchers was to make the parliament work.

“They don’t want Australia rushing back to the polls; I certainly don’t,” the Opposition Leader said. “I think we owe it to the Australian people to make the decision of the Australian people work. I think that we’re clever enough and smart enough and committed enough to this country that we should do everything we can to make this parliament work. That’s certainly what I’ll be doing.”

Postal votes will not be counted until tomorrow as the Australian Electoral Commission collects and transports the ballot papers to ensure their security, fuelling frustration within the Coalition over the slow process.

The undecided seats are Grey, Hindmarsh, Cowan, Capricornia, Dickson, Forde, Herbert, Petrie, La Trobe, Dunkley, Chisholm, Robertson and Gilmore. Labor’s advantage is substantial in three of those seats — Herbert, Capricornia and Cowan — and Coalition campaigners believe they will struggle to get more than 75 seats and would be unable to form government in their own right.

While Mr Turnbull said yesterday postal votes were likely to deliver a majority government if they repeated the pattern seen in past elections, he added the caveat that “time will tell” and retreated from more confident assertions about a majority on Saturday night.