Shorten’s fight is over

Bill Shorten concedes defeat. Picture: Kym Smith

They came to anoint a new Labor prime minister. Instead, they watched him exit the stage, his life’s ambition crushed and leadership at an end.

Facing the most difficult moment of his many years in public life, Bill Shorten gave a fine concession speech. He urged those who had supported Labor to accept the will of the people and to bring the nation together.

He expressed pride in the campaign Labor had run, the things it had tried to do, the changes it had wanted to make.

“I know that you are all hurting and I am too,’’ he said.

On this, he got no argument from anyone in the room.

Tony Isaacs has known Shorten since the future union and Party leader joined his local ALP branch 35 years ago.

Isaacs spent election day handing out how to vote cards in Shorten’s electorate of Maribyrnong. He spent election night in disbelief, as the forecast swing to Labor broke the other way.

“It is pretty flat in here,’’ he said as campaign volunteers and party figures milled around a moribund function centre near the Essendon Airport.

“To his credit, Shorten tried to have a vision but you’d have to say, it has been rejected.’’

Peter Gordon, a campaigning lawyer, president of the Western Bulldogs Football Club and Labor in his bones, had a wretched day.

He spent his afternoon watching his Dogs get overrun by Geelong. He then watched much the same happen to Labor, as Queensland and Tasmanian voters dismantled the ALP reform agenda.

When asked to recall the last time Labor had held such promise in a federal election only to fall short, Gordon searched his memory. “1969,’’ he said. For the children of Whitlam, it was Don’s Party all over again.

Elsewhere around he room, familiar faces stared blankly at the big screens. Youth worker Les Twentyman, Catholic priest Father Bob Maguire, mental health expert and climate change advocate Patrick McGorry, publisher Louise Adler and comedian Max Gillies; all of them at a loss to explain what had happened.

Australia’s richest man, Anthony Pratt, arrived hoping to share a historic moment with the new PM. He left before Shorten made his concession speech.

From as early as 8.00pm, a time when it was supposed to be all over for Scott Morrison and what remained of his government, it was clear that something in the early counting was terribly wrong for Labor.

Nicolas Reece, a former ALP campaign director and an adviser to Labor prime ministers and premiers, scrolled through his phone with a furrowed brow. Well before Antony Green called it on the ABC broadcast, he couldn’t see a way for Labor to win.

At about 11.25pm, Shorten finally put everyone out of their misery. There were still many votes to count and seats to decide but the bottom line for Labor was clear.

“It is obvious that Labor will not be able to form the next government,’’ he said.

“Shame,’’ they cried from the floor. “Shame.”

Shorten tried to rouse them. He promised that the next Labor leader would take the Party to victory. He urged them to carry on the fight.

His fight, however, was over. A fight that was Labor’s to lose. A fight that few thought they could.