‘Alban-easy' and ‘red, red, whine': how the papers saw Labor's ‘thumping' win in Australia's election
Here is how Australian and international news captured Labor's win:
The Sunday Telegraph's election special edition was headlined: 'It's so Alban-easy' – while his opponent was 'Duttonated'.
The historic win was branded a 'mega victory', while Andrew Bolt wrote the 'gutless and incoherent Coalition should be ashamed'.
On Monday, the Daily Telegraph turned its attention to how Dutton's Liberal party fared in Sydney, with its 'attacks on migration and policy of cutting international students to lower house prices' reported to have cost the party the ethnic vote across the city and New South Wales.
'Albanese supremacy' stated the Australian as it described Labor's 'thumping election victory'. The prime minister's 'powerful authority' inside a second-term Labor government 'decimated' Peter Dutton's Liberal party, it reported.
While Albanese was given the Mr Whippy treatment by the Adelaide Advertiser, the Liberals were reported to be turning on each other in what the paper headlined 'Red, red whine'. The swing to Labor was larger in South Australia than in any other state.
Tasmania's historic quad of Labor MPs led the Mercury's coverage on Monday, with Jess Teesdale, Rebecca White, Julia Collins and Anne Urquhart 'ready to take on Canberra', the paper said.
Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email
Over at the West Australian, 'Albo country' has been declared. Like many outlets, the paper's coverage on Monday was led by the PM's 'sweet and Albanese' moment serving ice-creams at a cafe in his Sydney electorate on Sunday.
The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday turned its focus to how Albanese's new ministry might look, with more than a dozen new MPs expected to change its factional structure.
In Queensland, Albanese's 'Hecs appeal' – referring to the government's promise to slash student loan debts – fuelled Labor's 'demolition of the Greens and Liberals', while Dutton was kept in the dark about poor polling in Dickson, the Courier-Mail reported on Monday.
Over at the Financial Review on Monday, the 'rout' put the economy into focus.
The BBC called Albanese's win a 'stunning comeback', describing how he 'defied the so-called 'incumbency curse'' that has shaped global elections in recent months.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported the 'resounding defeat' completed 'a stunning turnaround' for the PM. Dutton's loss, the Times said, 'echoed the ouster of Canada's conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, whose defeat was seen as a rejection of his embrace of [Donald] Trump.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
40 minutes ago
- The Guardian
A reckoning, talkfest or Canberra Coachella? What to expect from the economic reform roundtable
A reform reckoning, a massive talkfest or Canberra Coachella 2025? Tuesday marks the start of the treasurer's economic reform roundtable, bringing together business, unions and decision makers at Parliament House. Jim Chalmers and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will host the event, charged with finding consensus on ways to boost Australia's sluggish productivity, improve the sustainability of the federal budget and strengthen the economy to grow. Following the jobs and skills summit at the start of Labor's first term, the three-day cabinet room roundtable could help guide the new parliamentary term and debut major reform ideas ahead of the next federal election. Here's everything we know so far about the roundtable: Productivity in Australia has barely grown in the past decade. The measure of output across the economy, productivity growth is considered one of the main drivers of higher living standards for households. In 2003-2004, productivity was growing at 1.8% per year. That figure dropped to 0.9% in 2022-23. Sign up: AU Breaking News email The former Treasury boss Ken Henry estimated the cost of sluggish productivity at about $500,000 in lost wage rises for workers since 2000. The Productivity Commission (PC) estimates full-time workers could be $14,000 a year worse off in a decade if growth does not pick up. The guest list includes some of the biggest names in the Australian economy. Labor has chosen 23 core attenders and invited 25 others for specific sessions. The Reserve Bank of Australia governor, Michele Bullock, the PC boss, Danielle Wood and the Treasury secretary, Jenny Wilkinson, will each open one day of the discussions. Steven Kennedy, the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the New South Wales treasurer, Daniel Mookhey and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair, Gina Cass‑Gottlieb, will also attend. Union officials including Sally McManus and Michele O'Neil from the ACTU will take part, along with the Australian Council of Social Service boss, Cassandra Goldie, energy expert Kerry Schott and former Treasury boss Henry. Business figures include: the Tech Council chair, Scott Farquhar; the CBA boss, Matt Comyn; Woodside board member Ben Wyatt; along with representatives of the Business Council of Australia, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Australian Industry Group and the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia. The shadow treasurer, Ted O'Brien, will represent the Coalition. Teal MP and tax reform advocate Allegra Spender is the only independent invited. The roundtable is organised around three themes: resilience, productivity and budget sustainability and tax reform. Chalmers has called the summit 'a really important opportunity' and he will challenge participants to think big. 'We intend to make the most of it … We will be gathering people of vast experience and expertise,' he said. 'It's an important opportunity to confer with them about the big challenges in our economy.' Hundreds of ideas have been proposed by invitees, individuals and organisations around the country. The ACTU called for a four-day working week to be on the agenda, while the Western Australian independent Kate Chaney has pushed for the GST to be lifted to 15%The Business Council wants a short, sharp tax review run before the end of the year. Chalmers has said all along he does not want to shoot down ideas before the talks formally begin. He has coordinated dozens of pre-roundtable meetings by cabinet ministers in recent weeks, as Treasury officials mulled more than 900 submissions. In the lead-up, Chalmers also met business leaders and state and territory treasurers. There were some guardrails for the talks: Chalmers said ideas had to be either budget neutral or budget positive, in the national interest, as well as specific and practical. The government has given strong signals it will move to cut regulation slowing down building approvals, including in housing. Chalmers wants to speed up approvals for as many as 65,000 new homes. A pause on changes to the national construction code is expected, while changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act could be sped up. Labor is also set to phase in a set of road user charging rules to cover electric vehicles. Declining fuel excise revenue, now collected when motorists fill up their petrol tank, is hurting the budget New rules will raise revenue from EVs and hybrids. The rise of AI is a key issue. Chalmers has promised to achieve a middle road between new stand-alone AI laws and the government letting technological developments run free. Albanese and Chalmers have struggled to manage expectations for the summit, which initially sparked enthusiasm about a new round of tax reform, including consideration of the first changes to the GST in 25 years. But Albanese said earlier this month the only tax policy the government would consider 'is the one that we took to the election,' seriously dampening expectations. The PC suggested giving big tech companies an exemption to copyright laws for 'text and data mining' in AI. That idea prompted fierce pushback from arts, creative and media companies and the government has signalled changes in this area are not a priority. Chalmers plans to make some initial announcements as soon as the roundtable wraps up on Thursday night. He said areas of consensus could spark immediate priorities, while he is also looking for long-term reform directions to pursue. 'This is all about three days to inform the next three budgets and beyond,' he said.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Major airline disruption continues amid flight attendants' strike
Air Canada 's fleet remains grounded after striking flight attendants, represented by CUPE, defied a government-backed order to return to work. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) rejected the Canada Industrial Relations Board's directive for binding arbitration, calling the order unconstitutional. Flight attendants are demanding improved wages and compensation for ground duties, such as passenger boarding, as their current pay structure only compensates them when aircraft are in motion. Air Canada has delayed plans to restart operations, describing the union's defiance of the labour board as illegal. The Canadian government's options to end the strike include seeking court enforcement of the order or attempting to pass legislation, though the latter is complicated by parliamentary break and legal precedents regarding the right to strike.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Former Hong Kong lawmaker says Australian asylum grant shows territory infringed rights
SYDNEY, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Exiled former Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui hailed on Monday Australia's grant of asylum status as a key acknowledgement of the territory's human rights infringements since its authorities quelled massive pro-democracy protests in 2019. Hui, who also urged support for businessman Jimmy Lai now being tried on national security charges, received asylum on Friday, more than four years after leaving Hong Kong, which has offered a bounty for him on criminal charges over the protests. "It is recognition by the Australian government that human rights infringements and erosion of democracy and freedom actually happened and justified granting asylum to people like me ... being persecuted because of the protests," Hui said. "I believe this is good for Australia to have that recognition and I am grateful for the country, which has given me so much," he told Reuters in an interview. Australian visa data reviewed by Reuters showed it had approved no asylum claims by citizens of the Asian financial hub since January 2021, and rejected five in 2023. Hui, who is working as a lawyer in South Australia, said the good news for his family came in a week during which he was concerned over Hong Kong's trial of his friend, the pro-democracy businessman Lai, on national security charges. "Jimmy Lai is very iconic of Hong Kong's resistance because he actually had the ability to leave Hong Kong but he decided to stay," he said. "That is very noble of him." Before his arrest, Lai had described himself to Hui as being "like a captain of a ship" in support of democratic values and would "sink with the ship". Hui added, "He deserves democracy's help in rescuing him when he is in a deep plight and he is not well." Lai, 77, received medication and a heart monitor for the start of the trial's final submissions, prompted by health concerns aroused by heart palpitations. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong raised concerns with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in a meeting last month about anonymous letters circulated in South Australia offering rewards for information about Hui and his family. The Australian Federal Police were investigating the matter, Hui said. "They call me to check on my safety and that of my family...," he said. "I can say the AFP is putting in a lot of effort." A police spokesman declined to comment. After Hui and his family arrived in 2021, 123 Hong Kong citizens have made asylum claims in Australia. Many more have taken up skilled visas under a program launched in 2021 for Hong Kong citizens to stay permanently, data shows. The home affairs department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement, the government of the former British colony said it was "against the harbouring of criminals in any form by any country".
