Dutton left the Liberal party rudderless and leaderless (for now), and, just like the Titanic, in a sinking political ship with a gaping hole in its side.

 

As the blame-game, and squabbling continues, the Liberals face a long process of figuring out exactly what went so wrong. One Liberal, in hushed tones, was even reported as saying that it mattered less who the leader was and more what they did next. "I don't think there's any point worrying about who's in first class and who's in third class if we're all on the Titanic and heading toward the iceberg."

 

Meanwhile, billionaire Gina Rinehart on Monday provided a lengthy statement to Daily Mail Australia urging the Liberals not to turn away from Donald Trump-like policies. But isn't that what turned voters against them?

7 May 2025

ALAN HAYES

 

AS votes were counted last Saturday, it was extremely clear that the Albanese government would be returned to power. Then came the election shock for the Coalition, Peter Dutton had fallen on his sword – his own electorate had voted him out; he had lost his seat.

 

Dutton’s loss must have been a ‘punch in the guts’! He had, after all, spruiked for the six weeks prior to 3 May that his goal was a majority government. He had continually dismissed devastating poll predictions, all the while believing in the MAGA-Australis fantasy. He had justified the looming train wreck as inaccurate, saying: “There’s a lot of quiet Australians ... there’s no doubt in my mind that we can win this election.”

 

But what about all those quiet Australians that Dutton insisted would turn the tide on election day and prove the national polls wrong? Well… they were exceptionally quiet when it came time to vote.

 

And, in the aftermath of the biggest election defeat ever for the Liberals, the post-mortems' have been quick to reflect the stunning scale of Labor's victory and the dismal performance by the Coalition. But it seemed blatantly obvious to the Grapevine, in last week’s story – Playhouse of the Farcical – that Peter Dutton was settling in to watch an outstanding performance of the ‘Play That Goes Wrong’, despite predictions in January that he was carrying all the political momentum and Anthony Albanese looked like a scared rabbit caught in the political headlights.

 

So, what did Dutton do to twist fate against him? As we had hammered-home, over-and-again in our reporting, Peter Dutton believed, just like Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots (who didn’t win a seat), that Australians would embrace the far-right extremism of Trumpian doctrine.

 

There is no doubt that Dutton lead the Liberals off a cliff – Lemmings drowning under the weight of no real policy and and the ‘Big Announcement’ that never eventuated. The claimed savings of $17.2 billion promised by dramatically cutting the number of public servants in Canberra and let's not forget Dutton's 'egg-on-the-face' media event train wreck - his decision to end ’working from home’ blowing up in his face, when he told woman to go and job-share instead. Then their was the nuclear power debacle and where the money would come from, and his defence spending adding more dollars to be picked from the fantasy money tree.

 

Australians wanted realistic governance and leadership and they didn’t see that in the Coalition. Little wonder that the vibes at Liberal-National Party’s election night event at the W hotel in Brisbane’s CBD was funereal. Less than a hundred people had shown up to the oversized ballroom, and party faithful spoke in hushed tones.

 

At 9.30pm, Dutton finally made his appearance, walking with his wife and three kids through the camera flashes to the stage.

 

“Tonight, is not the night we wanted for the Liberal Party or for our Coalition, or indeed for our country,” he said as began his concession speech. “We didn’t do well enough during this campaign, that much is obvious tonight, and I accept full responsibility for that.”

 

Dutton cut his remarks short at seven minutes, hugged his family members then followed them off stage – no doubt wondering about the surrealism of his political fantasy. But there was no surrealism and no fantasy as to where he had left the Liberal party - rudderless, leaderless (for now), and facing a long process of figuring out exactly what went so wrong.

 

ad victor[em] spolia – (to the victor goes the spoils)

 

Anthony Albanese’s astounding win is the result of months of hard work beginning just after New Year’s, which lead to one of Australia’s greatest political victories.

 

It was a victory that was historic to say the least – an election result that must have eclipsed even Anthony Albanese’s most optimistic hopes. He rode a wave of anti-Trump sentiment that gave him a landslide second term, just three months after polls had suggested he faced a humiliating defeat.

 

Albanese has become the first Australian prime minister in more than 20 years to claim back-to-back victories and the first Labor leader to achieve that feat since Bob Hawke in 1990.

 

Labor needed 76 seats to form a government and has now won 88 seats as the count continues.

 

On Saturday night, addressing a roomful of ecstatic and raucous supporters, Albanese said: “Voters have chosen “the Australian way” by rejecting the rightwing campaign of the Liberal opposition party, which included proposals championed by US President Donald Trump.

 

“We do not need to beg or borrow or copy from anywhere else. We do not seek our inspiration from overseas. We find it right here, in our values and in our people.”

 

Albanese is now be the first Australian leader to win consecutive elections since John Howard in 2004. And Peter Dutton? The first opposition leader to lose his seat.

 

Speaking in his electorate of Grayndler last Sunday, the prime minister said: “We will be a disciplined, orderly government in our second term, just like we have been in our first. We've been given the great honour of serving the Australian people, and we don't take it for granted, and we'll work hard each and every day.”

 

The Prime Minister said Australians had voted for fairness and "the strength to show courage in adversity and kindness to those in need".

 

The road to victory

 

It was reported variously during Labor’s election campaign the significant promises made to the electorate, and these pledges, even those pledges unpopular with businesses, will proceed in light of the enormous victory the Australian public handed Labor.

 

Albanese always looked confident from the outset, never faltering from his insistence that Peter Dutton was not ready for government and had not done sufficient policy work to lead the country. Unlike Dutton, who promised nothing more than muscular leadership, dubbing his Labor opponent weak and dithering. Dutton went even further, boasting that his conservative coalition could be the first opposition to oust a government after one term since the Great Depression.

 

Peter Dutton was wrong and voters came to the same conclusion. They were unimpressed, smashing the Coalition and booting Dutton from his own seat in Queensland.

 

Dutton was seen by many as Australia's Trump, which appeared to go down badly with voters, despite his attempts, in the final two weeks of his campaign, to shake off comparisons made between his policies on immigration, public sector cuts and China, and the Trump administration. But as reported in last week’s Grapevine, Dutton couldn’t help breaking out into the Trump tribute act, whenever he was performing in front of an audience. He kept on doing and saying things that invited comparison!

 

As former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said: Dutton ran a "very Trumpian campaign", and the US president was "the mood music that had a very big influence on how people perceived" the Liberal-National opposition.

 

The opposition’s campaign was shambolic, with no real direction. But the government - while resolute and disciplined in its campaign - was timid. It's strategy was largely allowing voters to judge Dutton and his party, rather than advancing bold or convincing policies.

 

Yet no doubt, the reasons for the enormous victory and catastrophic defeat will be debated for days and weeks to come.

 

Maintaining the status quo

 

Voters of the Central Coast voted to return all three sitting members – Pat Conroy, Shortland; Emma McBride, Dobell; and Gordon Reid, Robertson – with an increased toward each of them.

 

Member for Robertson, Dr Gordon Reid said the (election) outcome will allow the government to deliver their plans in the next term of government.

 

"Here on the Central Coast, I will ensure our commitments are honoured and delivered in full," Dr Reid said.

 

Dr Reid said that it was a great honour and privilege to represent the Central Coast community in the Australian Parliament. "I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the trust that has been placed in me by the people of Robertson following the 2025 Federal Election," he said.

 

"I look forward to continuing to work hard and be available to our community in the 48th Parliament of Australia."

 

Back to the future

 

The reason for the Liberal Party’s loss is like the stars in the night sky – too many to contemplate, but will be ventilated over and over again as the blame game gathers momentum. But what is clear, however, is that Donald Trump, nuclear power, a poor campaign, an unpopular leader, poor policy processes and Labor's superior campaign, has left the Robert Menzies Liberal Party in tatters.

 

Last Saturday night, pundits spoke of the need for serious soul-searching, but, not surprisingly, there was no soul to search.

 

Labor's win was so emphatic, the party has been virtually guaranteed a third term. Meanwhile, there is now nothing left anywhere for the Liberal Party to hold on to as encouraging.

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