The Coalition is in crisis tonight with Labor claiming a landslide victory at the Federal Election.
The Labor victory is no surprise given the polls and how the campaign unfolded, but the Coalition wouldn’t have expected it to be this bad.
Labor is on track to form a majority government.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has even lost his own seat of Dickson, and will exit Parliament.
“It’s an historic occasion for the Labor Party and we recognise that.”
Albanese arrived to huge celebrations at a Labor event in Sydney, looking emotional as he took to the stage to cheers of “Albo, Albo, Albo” from the crowd.
“Today the Australian people have voted for Australian values,” he said.
“For fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all. For the strength to show courage and kindness to those in need.”
Albanese paid tribute to Dutton following his concession.
“I thank Peter for his generous words at the end of what has been a hard fought campaign,” he said.
In Lindsay, Melissa McIntosh is likely to be returned for a third term as the local MP but there’s been a significant swing against her and it’s too tight to call tonight.
Labor is on track to achieve a swing of around four per cent towards it via candidate Hollie McLean.
McLean spoke at a function at Penrith RSL earlier tonight, thanking supporters who had gathered after a long day on local polling booths.
There was no sign of a concession.
“In exciting news, we had a massive swing towards us. So big that we’re not going to be able to have a result anytime soon,” she said.
“We need to sit and wait for pre-polls to come in, for our postals to come in, for some of our other votes to come in. This is an exciting result and it shows what can be done – not with cash, not with all the money you can put into advertising and putting your face everywhere… this is what passion and people power and dedication to our values does in our community. It brings a result like this.”
Labor has also convincingly won the neighbouring seats of Macquarie and McMahon.
Penrith Labor Councillor Garion Thain said it was an historic night for the party.
“I don’t think anyone could have predicted quite the statement the Australian people have made tonight,” he said.
McIntosh thanked supporters, and said she would continue to fight for locals if re-elected.
“At this stage Labor’s not willing to concede but that’s fine. I’m happy with the feedback we’ve had on the polling booths, on pre poll over the last two weeks and of course, within our community over these last six years now,” she said.
“I’m just hearing from people about what matters most to them and right now, people are suffering like they’ve never suffered before. I’ve stood for two weeks on the Penrith High Street, and it really upsets me that so many people are experiencing homelessness.
“People on double incomes are lining up at food banks because they can’t afford to feed their families. This is a failure of the Albanese Labor Government to look after everyday Australians. These are not Australians who have been suffering before. These are Australians who are working so hard for their families, and this is exactly the type of people that we are fighting for here in western Sydney and we’re going to continue to fight for them.
“So, we’ll see what the night brings but thank you so much for every second that you put into our campaign, and I’ll continue to do my best as I promised on election night and then in my maiden speech in 2019. I promise I will not let you down and I will not let you down.”
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.
Ally Hall
Ally Hall joined the Weekender in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She's a graduate of the University of South Australia and has previously worked as a Video Journalist with Southern Cross Austereo and as a News Reader with Australian Radio Network.
Emily Chate
Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news - primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.