Anxiety, nerves for Labor faithful as count kicks off
A fear of history drives the anxieties of Labor loyalists as they watch early election results trickle in.
Labor supporters of all ages filed into Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL in Sydney's inner-west with the hope of celebrating a triumphant win after a gruelling five-week campaign.
Though polling has shifted towards the red in recent weeks, for many - including 17-year-olds Oscar Thompson and Oliver Wild - a sense of anxiety pervades.
"I don't know how it's going to end up, I think everyone's just scared that it'll be a repeat of 2019," Mr Thompson told AAP on Saturday evening.
During that election, Labor appeared in pole position to win before results delivered a devastating loss for party and the then-10-year old and Oscar hopes his volunteer efforts in the south Sydney electorate of Barton will deliver a different result.
"It's very close," he said, donning his Albo 2025 sunglasses
As a growing number of Australians turn to independents and third parties, the prospect of a minority government has cast a shadow over the night of Labor supporters.
"I wouldn't be keen on it but I think it's a possibility," Oliver told AAP.
But not all at the Labor event were closed to the idea, with 53-year-old nurse Sabrina Sharp saying she would be "happy with that".
"I think it would be creative to work with everyone," she said.
"I feel really excited, I think the lead-up has been really promising.
"Australia is ready for a vote of decency today."
Beer cans emblazoned with a photo of young Mr Albanese began to fly off the shelves as the ABC flashed favourable results for Labor.
A swing towards the party in the ultra-marginal seat of Gilmore on the NSW south coast and the north Queensland electorate of Leichhardt lit up the room, as did significant independent votes in the seat of Bradfield on Sydney's north shore and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's seat.
The prime minister earlier told reporters he would watch the results from Kirribilli House with his partner Jodie Haydon and son Nathan.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Embattled premier's request for early election granted
Tasmanians will go to the polls on July 19 after the embattled Liberal premier's request for an early election was granted. Jeremy Rockliff returned to Government House on Wednesday evening to meet with Governor Barbara Baker, six days after he lost the confidence of the parliament. In a statement after the meeting, Ms Baker confirmed she would dissolve parliament and issue the writ for an election to be held on July 19. It will be the fourth state election in seven years after early polls were also held in 2021 and 2024. "Notwithstanding the recent 2024 election, the public interest in avoiding the cost of another election and the prevailing public mood against holding an election, I have granted Premier Rockliff a dissolution," Ms Baker said in the statement. "I make this grant because I am satisfied that there is no real possibility that an alternative government can be formed." Mr Rockliff has resisted pressure to resign and insisted the backing of his partyroom remains solid, despite reports former senator Eric Abetz and ex-deputy premier Michael Ferguson were willing to be leader. "I have a commitment from my team to support me as leader and I am not going anywhere," he said earlier on Wednesday. Mr Rockliff denied he was "driven by ego" in not standing aside from leading the minority government. Liberal MP Jacquie Petrusma didn't directly answer when asked if the party was doing numbers to roll Mr Rockliff. "The premier is a fantastic leader and he has 100 per cent support of the PLP (parliamentary Liberal Party)," she said. Ms Baker also met Labor leader Dean Winter on Wednesday afternoon. Labor, which has just 10 of 35 lower-house seats, had said it would not look to form a minority government with the Greens. "In that meeting (with the governor) I reiterated my position that Labor will not be doing a deal with the Greens," Mr Winter said. Labor, whose no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff was backed by the Greens and three crossbench independents, had called on the premier to step down. "We've gotten to this point because of Jeremy Rockliff and his refusal to resign," Labor MP Shane Broad said. "I come from a farm and no matter how much you love that old sheep dog, if you can't round up sheep anymore it's time to get a new one." Mr Rockliff claimed the no-confidence motion was a deceptive power grab, while Labor says it was because of the Liberals' poor budget and project mismanagement. The premier took a crack at Mr Winter for failing to "front up" and hold a press conference on Wednesday. The Liberals had already appeared to be in fully fledged campaign mode, visiting a hospital to announce a four-year elective surgery plan. They were returned to power in March 2024, winning 14 seats and cobbling together enough support from the crossbench to govern. Tasmanians will go to the polls on July 19 after the embattled Liberal premier's request for an early election was granted. Jeremy Rockliff returned to Government House on Wednesday evening to meet with Governor Barbara Baker, six days after he lost the confidence of the parliament. In a statement after the meeting, Ms Baker confirmed she would dissolve parliament and issue the writ for an election to be held on July 19. It will be the fourth state election in seven years after early polls were also held in 2021 and 2024. "Notwithstanding the recent 2024 election, the public interest in avoiding the cost of another election and the prevailing public mood against holding an election, I have granted Premier Rockliff a dissolution," Ms Baker said in the statement. "I make this grant because I am satisfied that there is no real possibility that an alternative government can be formed." Mr Rockliff has resisted pressure to resign and insisted the backing of his partyroom remains solid, despite reports former senator Eric Abetz and ex-deputy premier Michael Ferguson were willing to be leader. "I have a commitment from my team to support me as leader and I am not going anywhere," he said earlier on Wednesday. Mr Rockliff denied he was "driven by ego" in not standing aside from leading the minority government. Liberal MP Jacquie Petrusma didn't directly answer when asked if the party was doing numbers to roll Mr Rockliff. "The premier is a fantastic leader and he has 100 per cent support of the PLP (parliamentary Liberal Party)," she said. Ms Baker also met Labor leader Dean Winter on Wednesday afternoon. Labor, which has just 10 of 35 lower-house seats, had said it would not look to form a minority government with the Greens. "In that meeting (with the governor) I reiterated my position that Labor will not be doing a deal with the Greens," Mr Winter said. Labor, whose no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff was backed by the Greens and three crossbench independents, had called on the premier to step down. "We've gotten to this point because of Jeremy Rockliff and his refusal to resign," Labor MP Shane Broad said. "I come from a farm and no matter how much you love that old sheep dog, if you can't round up sheep anymore it's time to get a new one." Mr Rockliff claimed the no-confidence motion was a deceptive power grab, while Labor says it was because of the Liberals' poor budget and project mismanagement. The premier took a crack at Mr Winter for failing to "front up" and hold a press conference on Wednesday. The Liberals had already appeared to be in fully fledged campaign mode, visiting a hospital to announce a four-year elective surgery plan. They were returned to power in March 2024, winning 14 seats and cobbling together enough support from the crossbench to govern. Tasmanians will go to the polls on July 19 after the embattled Liberal premier's request for an early election was granted. Jeremy Rockliff returned to Government House on Wednesday evening to meet with Governor Barbara Baker, six days after he lost the confidence of the parliament. In a statement after the meeting, Ms Baker confirmed she would dissolve parliament and issue the writ for an election to be held on July 19. It will be the fourth state election in seven years after early polls were also held in 2021 and 2024. "Notwithstanding the recent 2024 election, the public interest in avoiding the cost of another election and the prevailing public mood against holding an election, I have granted Premier Rockliff a dissolution," Ms Baker said in the statement. "I make this grant because I am satisfied that there is no real possibility that an alternative government can be formed." Mr Rockliff has resisted pressure to resign and insisted the backing of his partyroom remains solid, despite reports former senator Eric Abetz and ex-deputy premier Michael Ferguson were willing to be leader. "I have a commitment from my team to support me as leader and I am not going anywhere," he said earlier on Wednesday. Mr Rockliff denied he was "driven by ego" in not standing aside from leading the minority government. Liberal MP Jacquie Petrusma didn't directly answer when asked if the party was doing numbers to roll Mr Rockliff. "The premier is a fantastic leader and he has 100 per cent support of the PLP (parliamentary Liberal Party)," she said. Ms Baker also met Labor leader Dean Winter on Wednesday afternoon. Labor, which has just 10 of 35 lower-house seats, had said it would not look to form a minority government with the Greens. "In that meeting (with the governor) I reiterated my position that Labor will not be doing a deal with the Greens," Mr Winter said. Labor, whose no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff was backed by the Greens and three crossbench independents, had called on the premier to step down. "We've gotten to this point because of Jeremy Rockliff and his refusal to resign," Labor MP Shane Broad said. "I come from a farm and no matter how much you love that old sheep dog, if you can't round up sheep anymore it's time to get a new one." Mr Rockliff claimed the no-confidence motion was a deceptive power grab, while Labor says it was because of the Liberals' poor budget and project mismanagement. The premier took a crack at Mr Winter for failing to "front up" and hold a press conference on Wednesday. The Liberals had already appeared to be in fully fledged campaign mode, visiting a hospital to announce a four-year elective surgery plan. They were returned to power in March 2024, winning 14 seats and cobbling together enough support from the crossbench to govern. Tasmanians will go to the polls on July 19 after the embattled Liberal premier's request for an early election was granted. Jeremy Rockliff returned to Government House on Wednesday evening to meet with Governor Barbara Baker, six days after he lost the confidence of the parliament. In a statement after the meeting, Ms Baker confirmed she would dissolve parliament and issue the writ for an election to be held on July 19. It will be the fourth state election in seven years after early polls were also held in 2021 and 2024. "Notwithstanding the recent 2024 election, the public interest in avoiding the cost of another election and the prevailing public mood against holding an election, I have granted Premier Rockliff a dissolution," Ms Baker said in the statement. "I make this grant because I am satisfied that there is no real possibility that an alternative government can be formed." Mr Rockliff has resisted pressure to resign and insisted the backing of his partyroom remains solid, despite reports former senator Eric Abetz and ex-deputy premier Michael Ferguson were willing to be leader. "I have a commitment from my team to support me as leader and I am not going anywhere," he said earlier on Wednesday. Mr Rockliff denied he was "driven by ego" in not standing aside from leading the minority government. Liberal MP Jacquie Petrusma didn't directly answer when asked if the party was doing numbers to roll Mr Rockliff. "The premier is a fantastic leader and he has 100 per cent support of the PLP (parliamentary Liberal Party)," she said. Ms Baker also met Labor leader Dean Winter on Wednesday afternoon. Labor, which has just 10 of 35 lower-house seats, had said it would not look to form a minority government with the Greens. "In that meeting (with the governor) I reiterated my position that Labor will not be doing a deal with the Greens," Mr Winter said. Labor, whose no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff was backed by the Greens and three crossbench independents, had called on the premier to step down. "We've gotten to this point because of Jeremy Rockliff and his refusal to resign," Labor MP Shane Broad said. "I come from a farm and no matter how much you love that old sheep dog, if you can't round up sheep anymore it's time to get a new one." Mr Rockliff claimed the no-confidence motion was a deceptive power grab, while Labor says it was because of the Liberals' poor budget and project mismanagement. The premier took a crack at Mr Winter for failing to "front up" and hold a press conference on Wednesday. The Liberals had already appeared to be in fully fledged campaign mode, visiting a hospital to announce a four-year elective surgery plan. They were returned to power in March 2024, winning 14 seats and cobbling together enough support from the crossbench to govern.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
It was once agenda-setting, appointment viewing. What went wrong for Q+A?
At its best, it helped set the national agenda. 'When management moved Q+A to Thursdays [in 2021], before shifting it back to Mondays, it disrupted what's meant to be a habit-based show,' says one high-profile ABC presenter. 'Cutting the number of episodes and putting the show on hiatus in the middle of the year only made things worse. It's hard enough to attract viewers as it is, without expecting them to chase you across different time slots or come back to you after a mid-year break that makes no sense.' One producer notes that Q+A led the way in terms of social media innovation, running a live feed of Twitter comments from viewers before archiving its account on the platform, now called X. 'Before Twitter became a sewer, it was a huge asset to the show,' the producer says. 'But by 2020, when Hamish [Macdonald] took over as host, it became so bad that he had to leave the platform. Stan Grant [who was appointed Q+A host in 2022] copped the most horrible, racist abuse, and you can imagine all the vile comments directed at the female presenters.' Peter Meakin – who spent five decades leading news and current affairs coverage at the Seven, Nine and Ten networks – suspects social media made some politicians more cautious (and therefore, more likely to bore viewers). Loading 'It used to be a sport for them to go on air and spar with each other,' Meakin says. 'You might get a few letters saying, 'That was disgraceful', but not the instant groundswell of hatred you get now. They're more scared of putting a foot wrong.' In a statement, ABC news director Justin Stevens said, 'Discontinuing the program at this point is no reflection on anyone on the show. We always need to keep innovating and renewing.' Stevens said the ABC would produce more news documentaries, and would make its Your Say election initiative – which allows audiences to suggest questions for politicians – a permanent feature. ABC managing director Hugh Marks later announced around 40 redundancies and 10 contract positions that would end early. He also flagged changes to the audio division, separating the sport and capital city network teams into a simpler structure. The ABC's content division will be renamed ABC Screen, led by content director Jennifer Collins. But McEvoy insists the national broadcaster must do more to fill the void created by Q+A's cancellation. 'The ABC always needs to be trying new things, but I don't think an online survey can really give Australian citizens the chance to question decision-makers and politicians – or hold them to account,' he says. 'Engaging Australian citizens in a moderated but open discussion on national issues is a core part of the ABC's obligations as a public service broadcaster … the toxicity of platforms like X that encourage outrage makes the role of a moderated forum like Q+A even more important.' Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was once a frequent guest on the program, believes Q+A was at its most compelling when it resembled a dinner party. 'It was all about having the right mixture of guests,' he says. 'In its heyday, if you were interested in Australian politics and you didn't watch it, you were concerned you might miss out on something.' Loading Since Jones left Q+A in 2019, the program has had several hosts including Macdonald, David Speers, Virginia Trioli, Stan Grant and Karvelas. 'All formats, after a time, start to feel a little tired,' says Trioli, who now hosts the ABC's Creative Types arts program. 'But I'm a huge fan of the Q+A format. It was a mighty program and one of the most important in terms of news, current affairs and public discussion in this country. 'People say they want accountability and they like to feel that issues are being put directly to politicians, but I think sometimes the audience can struggle with the reality of that,' she adds. 'You will get arguments, or politicians spinning their wheels and avoiding the question, while the host is trying to get them to answer – and that can make things awkward, uncomfortable or combative. It's a crapshoot every time, but the producers worked their guts out to do an amazing job.'
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
It was once agenda-setting, appointment viewing. What went wrong for Q+A?
At its best, it helped set the national agenda. 'When management moved Q+A to Thursdays [in 2021], before shifting it back to Mondays, it disrupted what's meant to be a habit-based show,' says one high-profile ABC presenter. 'Cutting the number of episodes and putting the show on hiatus in the middle of the year only made things worse. It's hard enough to attract viewers as it is, without expecting them to chase you across different time slots or come back to you after a mid-year break that makes no sense.' One producer notes that Q+A led the way in terms of social media innovation, running a live feed of Twitter comments from viewers before archiving its account on the platform, now called X. 'Before Twitter became a sewer, it was a huge asset to the show,' the producer says. 'But by 2020, when Hamish [Macdonald] took over as host, it became so bad that he had to leave the platform. Stan Grant [who was appointed Q+A host in 2022] copped the most horrible, racist abuse, and you can imagine all the vile comments directed at the female presenters.' Peter Meakin – who spent five decades leading news and current affairs coverage at the Seven, Nine and Ten networks – suspects social media made some politicians more cautious (and therefore, more likely to bore viewers). Loading 'It used to be a sport for them to go on air and spar with each other,' Meakin says. 'You might get a few letters saying, 'That was disgraceful', but not the instant groundswell of hatred you get now. They're more scared of putting a foot wrong.' In a statement, ABC news director Justin Stevens said, 'Discontinuing the program at this point is no reflection on anyone on the show. We always need to keep innovating and renewing.' Stevens said the ABC would produce more news documentaries, and would make its Your Say election initiative – which allows audiences to suggest questions for politicians – a permanent feature. ABC managing director Hugh Marks later announced around 40 redundancies and 10 contract positions that would end early. He also flagged changes to the audio division, separating the sport and capital city network teams into a simpler structure. The ABC's content division will be renamed ABC Screen, led by content director Jennifer Collins. But McEvoy insists the national broadcaster must do more to fill the void created by Q+A's cancellation. 'The ABC always needs to be trying new things, but I don't think an online survey can really give Australian citizens the chance to question decision-makers and politicians – or hold them to account,' he says. 'Engaging Australian citizens in a moderated but open discussion on national issues is a core part of the ABC's obligations as a public service broadcaster … the toxicity of platforms like X that encourage outrage makes the role of a moderated forum like Q+A even more important.' Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was once a frequent guest on the program, believes Q+A was at its most compelling when it resembled a dinner party. 'It was all about having the right mixture of guests,' he says. 'In its heyday, if you were interested in Australian politics and you didn't watch it, you were concerned you might miss out on something.' Loading Since Jones left Q+A in 2019, the program has had several hosts including Macdonald, David Speers, Virginia Trioli, Stan Grant and Karvelas. 'All formats, after a time, start to feel a little tired,' says Trioli, who now hosts the ABC's Creative Types arts program. 'But I'm a huge fan of the Q+A format. It was a mighty program and one of the most important in terms of news, current affairs and public discussion in this country. 'People say they want accountability and they like to feel that issues are being put directly to politicians, but I think sometimes the audience can struggle with the reality of that,' she adds. 'You will get arguments, or politicians spinning their wheels and avoiding the question, while the host is trying to get them to answer – and that can make things awkward, uncomfortable or combative. It's a crapshoot every time, but the producers worked their guts out to do an amazing job.'
