Labor wins election with convincing majority

The Australian Labor Party is celebrating the win of its second term led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, with a landslide victory of 87 seats under current tallies – including former Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s seat of Dickson, Brisbane – to the Coalition’s 40.

Independent’s have won nine seats, and The Greens none. There are 13 seats that remain in doubt, with 79.8 per cent of votes counted.

Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells has been re-elected to her Brisbane seat of Lilley, Queensland. The PM has not yet announced any ministerial changes.

With Mr Dutton’s position now vacant, Angus Taylor, Sussan Ley, Andrew Hastie and Dan Tehan have been highlighted as possible contenders for the next leaders of the Opposition.

Aged care provider peak body Ageing Australia has congratulated the returning PM and called for him to ensure aged care remains a priority.

“We congratulate Prime Minister Albanese on winning the federal election and we look forward to continuing to work with his government on meaningful, well-designed reform,” Ageing Australia chief executive officer Tom Symondson said.

Reflecting on the close work Ageing Australia engaged in with the Labor Government and LNP opposition to reach rare bipartisan support for a new Aged Care Act, Mr Symondson emphasised this kind of reform can only continue with ongoing bipartisan solidarity.

He also noted that transition times remained a major concern for providers, as do financial sustainability pressures.

“We fully support the introduction of the new Act and the charter of rights for older Australians, but the plain truth is providers simply won’t have enough time to implement all of the reforms by 1 July, with the real risk of creating mass confusion for older Australians and the sector as a whole.”

“Both providers and older people need to get across the changes to the aged care system, however we don’t yet know what those final changes are and we still don’t have all the information we need to get on with the job.

“We have an opportunity to deliver these once-in-a-generation reforms in a way that makes the lives of older people better – we cannot afford to squander it.”

Anglicare Australia has also congratulated Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Party on their election win, but the peak’s executive director Kasy Chambers noted the government and the country still faced “major challenges.” 

“Hundreds of thousands of Australians are struggling to find an affordable home. People on the lowest incomes are struggling to make ends meet. And the aged care sector is in the midst of historic reforms,” she said.

 “That’s why poll after poll shows that Australians want action on wages, welfare, housing and climate change over band-aid solutions. We owe it to them to take action.”

Ms Chambers said Anglicare Australia supports the government’s continued focus on incomes and living costs and hopes to work with them on Centrelink payment reform to ensure it keeps pace with the cost of living.

She also called for action on the “huge shortfall” in social and affordable housing. 

“And we need an ongoing commitment to better care for older people. The government has kicked off historic reforms to the sector, and now we need an ongoing commitment to see those reforms through,” she added.

“We know what we need to do to make Australia fairer – invest in affordable housing, raise the rate of incomes, and ensure a dignified life for older people.”

“We look forward to working with the returned government, and the crossbench, on each of these fronts,” Ms Chambers said.

This story has been updated to reflect changes in seat tallies.

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