After a few months of mudslinging, door knocking, and tackling one small child over in Tasmania, this year’s federal election is finally over. But who are the winners? And how much did they win by? Well, if these questions have been bouncing around your noggin, then here’s a handy-dandy guide to help you out.
Labor
Obviously, the biggest winner of this election was the Labor Party. On May 22, they won more seats than the Liberals did, Anthony Albanese took his victory lap, and Scott Morrison ended up conceding. If kicking Morrison out of his Prime Ministership wasn’t a win for Labor, then I don’t know what a win would even be.
Additionally, on May 30, ABC reported that Labor scored 76 seats, meaning that they are able to form a majority government. According to The Conversation, this means that Albanese’s team won’t need any official support from the cross-benchers in order to govern Australia. This situation is advantageous for Labor, as minority governments often have to wheel and deal with the independents in exchange for their endorsement.
If you’re curious what Labor’s policies are, then The Latch has got you covered with its policies being outlined here.
Dai Le
Dai Le might be the only conservative politician that had a notable win this election. This is because the Sydney Morning Herald outlined that she took the Labor stronghold seat of Fowler and painted it independent. Fowler has been a controversial place in this election. Early in 2022, Labor refused to back the Vietnamese-Australian local Tu Le and instead parachuted Kristina Keneally into this supposedly un-losable electorate. Well, Dai Le and Tu Le’s community didn’t want to be taken for granted, so they sent a super strong message to both major parties.
After winning the seat of Fowler, Le tweeted, “I still can’t believe it. I still remember lying on that rickety boat in the middle of the ocean not knowing if our family will survive; camp’s life, rebuilding our lives in Australia, and now, elected by the people of Fowler. An honour.”
The Greens
To say that The Greens had a good day on May 21 would be a tad of an understatement. Because this party performed phenomenally. As per the ABC, The Greens had, at that time, retained one seat while picking up two others.
The leader of The Greens, Adam Bandt, was jubilant during his victory speech. The Guardian noted that he said, “The Greens are on track for our best result ever.” Bandt also stated, “People have backed The Greens in record numbers and delivered a massive mandate for action on climate and inequality.”
Moreover, on May 28, The Greens had another boon with its candidate Stephen Bates winning the seat of Brisbane. Unsurprisingly, the victor Bates was stoked with the results. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, he said, “As one of the youngest members of the new parliament, I believe my election is a message that the young people of Australia refuse to be pushed out any longer. We need action on climate, the housing and rental crisis, mental health into Medicare, student debt, and job insecurity.”
If you don’t know what The Green’s policies are, then check out this article on The Latch.
Teals
If you haven’t heard of the teals yet, then prepare to hear about them a lot in the coming years. For Nine News has listed that this loose collection of independents has won seven seats and has knocked out many Liberal candidates in the process. This has dramatically changed the playing field, with publications like The Conversation asking the question, “Is this the end of the two-party system in Australia?”
But what makes a teal candidate a teal candidate? According to The Guardian, these independents care about important topics such as being more proactive about climate change, fighting against gender inequality, and establishing a federal integrity commission. None of these elected representatives are beholden to each other, their donors, or either major party.
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