Susanna Freymark
No doubt, supporters of Kevin Hogan are celebrating tonight. Mr Hogan or his staff have not yet declared the win for Page.
The Australian Electoral Commission has predicted Mr Hogan from the Nationals will have 59.46% of the votes and Labor’s Wendy Backhous 40.54% of votes in a two-candidate preferred vote.
Preferences, pre-polling and postal votes will take days, and maybe weeks to be finalised but Mr Hogan’s win is secure. He has held the seat of Page since 2013.
What isn’t under question is that Labor has increased the number of seats and Anthony Albanese is Prime Minister of Australia for the next three years.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has given a speech and said he called Mr Albanese to congratulate him. Mr Dutton has lost his seat of Dickson, which puts the Coalition in the position of finding a new leader.
“It’s not our night,” Mr Dutton said.
“I love this country and I’ve fought hard for it.”
Mr Albanese made a victory speech.
“Today Australian people have voted for Australian values,” he said.
He used the words kindness, truth, optimism, fairness, equality, respect and determination in his speech.
The crowd listening to his speech chanted his name over and over – Albo, Albo!
I think the Australian people have got the name,” he said.
“Let’s work together.
“We are all Australians.”
I was raised to be an optimist, he said.
“When it come to Australia’s future, we all have a reason to be optimistic.”
