Australian PM declares narrow election victory



CANBERRA: -- Australia’s prime minister has declared a narrow victory on the eighth day of vote counting in marathon federal elections.

Malcolm Turnbull may just gain a majority – or else he may be forced to rely on independents to form a government. His coalition had 74 MPs at 0900 GMT – just two short of a majority – whilst the opposition All Labour Party had 66. Five results have not yet come in.

Although he is expected to form a majority government, Turnbull’s gamble in calling the election backfired badly, with a swing to the centre-left Labor opposition and a rise in the popularity of minor parties and independents.

Turnbull’s narrow margin of victory over Labor means he may be forced to rely on independents, who won five seats, to ensure the passage of legislation. That raises questions about how effective his government will be in the long term.

Labor has already conceded defeat and its leader Bill Shorten has offered to work with Turnbull by finding common ground in parliament.

“They’ve made it clear, with the representatives they have selected, that they expect us to work together,” he told a press conference.

Labor vowed not to unduly disrupt the new parliament, although it and several independents oppose much of the coalition’s jobs and growth agenda, from how to return to budget surplus to a proposal for a A$50-billion ($38 billion) corporate tax break.

Meanwhile both Turnbull and Shorten have backed calls to introduce electronic voting so that results take hours rather than days to come in.

Standard and Poor’s recently cut Australia’s credit rating outlook to negative from stable last week, threatening a downgrade of its coveted triple A status, over a potential budget impasse which the new government must tackle.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-07-11

great another 3 years of BS nothing changes but the faces.

Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm, what a disappointment you have turned out to be.

Please don't fleck up the next 3 years like you have the last6 months. Stop being a douchebag and earn your $500,000 pa salary instead of being a jelly backed, cake eating oxygen thief.

Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm, what a disappointment you have turned out to be.

Please don't fleck up the next 3 years like you have the last6 months. Stop being a douchebag and earn your $500,000 pa salary instead of being a jelly backed, cake eating oxygen thief.

Go on, be a devil, tell us what you really think.

Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm, what a disappointment you have turned out to be.

Please don't fleck up the next 3 years like you have the last6 months. Stop being a douchebag and earn your $500,000 pa salary instead of being a jelly backed, cake eating oxygen thief.

Go on, be a devil, tell us what you really think.

If that squeaky arsed rubber kneck shorten got in, I would of

Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm, what a disappointment you have turned out to be.

Please don't fleck up the next 3 years like you have the last6 months. Stop being a douchebag and earn your $500,000 pa salary instead of being a jelly backed, cake eating oxygen thief.

Go on, be a devil, tell us what you really think.

If that squeaky arsed rubber kneck shorten got in, I would of

Me thinks we are on the same page.

Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm, what a disappointment you have turned out to be.

Please don't fleck up the next 3 years like you have the last6 months. Stop being a douchebag and earn your $500,000 pa salary instead of being a jelly backed, cake eating oxygen thief.

Go on, be a devil, tell us what you really think.

If that squeaky arsed rubber kneck shorten got in, I would of

Me thinks we are on the same page.

What this PM needs is a good spanking.

If I was the Govenor General, just prior to swearing any Prime Minister, Premier or Cabinet in, I would dish out a good spanking to them. Make sure the realise what's coming if they screw it up.

Something has happened with modern day pollies, they all rush to join the que of fools instead of having a go for the people in which they represent.

So get to it Malcolm, lad.

As hard as I try, I can't quite get my head around Peter Cosgrove with either Turnbull or Shorten, over his knee. I would however, pay good money to be a spectator.

great another 3 years of BS nothing changes but the faces.

Better to accept the crumbs of victory than defeat.

As hard as I try, I can't quite get my head around Peter Cosgrove with either Turnbull or Shorten, over his knee. I would however, pay good money to be a spectator.

We'd be better off with big pete as pm. IMO.

As hard as I try, I can't quite get my head around Peter Cosgrove with either Turnbull or Shorten, over his knee. I would however, pay good money to be a spectator.

We'd be better off with big pete as pm. IMO.

As he's not a lying 2-faced mongrel, I doubt he would accept the job. But he would make a GREAT president.

Edited July 11, 20169 yr by halloween

As hard as I try, I can't quite get my head around Peter Cosgrove with either Turnbull or Shorten, over his knee. I would however, pay good money to be a spectator.

We'd be better off with big pete as pm. IMO.ight or wrong

As he's not a lying 2-faced mongrel, I doubt he would accept the job. But he would make a GREAT president.

It's prime minister to australians halloween.......

Peter Cosgrove is just another "i'll do what the PM of the day wants me to do'.....whether right or wrong....

One advantage of being in the army........You don't have to think for yourself.....you're told what to do!

As hard as I try, I can't quite get my head around Peter Cosgrove with either Turnbull or Shorten, over his knee. I would however, pay good money to be a spectator.

We'd be better off with big pete as pm. IMO.ight or wrong

As he's not a lying 2-faced mongrel, I doubt he would accept the job. But he would make a GREAT president.

It's prime minister to australians halloween.......

Peter Cosgrove is just another "i'll do what the PM of the day wants me to do'.....whether right or wrong....

One advantage of being in the army........You don't have to think for yourself.....you're told what to do!

Me thinks Peter Cosgrove did most of the telling.

In a time of conflict or disaster, guess who I'd prefer to have in my corner, you or PC ?

Now, be a good boy & get back in ya box.

As hard as I try, I can't quite get my head around Peter Cosgrove with either Turnbull or Shorten, over his knee. I would however, pay good money to be a spectator.

We'd be better off with big pete as pm. IMO.ight or wrong

As he's not a lying 2-faced mongrel, I doubt he would accept the job. But he would make a GREAT president.

It's prime minister to australians halloween.......

Peter Cosgrove is just another "i'll do what the PM of the day wants me to do'.....whether right or wrong....

One advantage of being in the army........You don't have to think for yourself.....you're told what to do!

I'm thinking Halloween well knows its prime minister in Oz, he was just trying to indicate, if we stepped out on our own and become a banana republic then it would probably come down to a close race between myself, neverdie and Peter Cosgrove as e first Australian President. Following the election I would probably send peter for a swim where Harold Holt went missing as a stark warning for anyone that considered running for president in the future

As he's not a lying 2-faced mongrel, I doubt he would accept the job. But he would make a GREAT president.

It's prime minister to australians halloween.......

Peter Cosgrove is just another "i'll do what the PM of the day wants me to do'.....whether right or wrong....

One advantage of being in the army........You don't have to think for yourself.....you're told what to do!

I spent a couple of years in the Australian army - I didn't like it. But that hasn't stopped me being a supporter of the ARM. Hopefully in the near future we can have both a president and a PM.

BTW you seem to know SFA about me and even less about Peter Cosgrove.

As hard as I try, I can't quite get my head around Peter Cosgrove with either Turnbull or Shorten, over his knee. I would however, pay good money to be a spectator.

We'd be better off with big pete as pm. IMO.ight or wrong

As he's not a lying 2-faced mongrel, I doubt he would accept the job. But he would make a GREAT president.

It's prime minister to australians halloween.......

Peter Cosgrove is just another "i'll do what the PM of the day wants me to do'.....whether right or wrong....

One advantage of being in the army........You don't have to think for yourself.....you're told what to do!

I'm thinking Halloween well knows its prime minister in Oz, he was just trying to indicate, if we stepped out on our own and become a banana republic then it would probably come down to a close race between myself, neverdie and Peter Cosgrove as e first Australian President. Following the election I would probably send peter for a swim where Harold Holt went missing as a stark warning for anyone that considered running for president in the future

Keating for our first president. Stuff the other pretenders!

Keating for our first president. Stuff the other pretenders!

Mate, he failed dismally as our treasurer, was a terrible Prime Minister, what makes you think he'd be a good President?

Keating for our first president. Stuff the other pretenders!

Mate, he failed dismally as our treasurer, was a terrible Prime Minister, what makes you think he'd be a good President?

Let me see how my memory is. When the French clock collector & pig breeder was PM, there was debate on Oz becoming a democracy. The story goes something like...

If we became a kingdom, he'd be the king. If we became an empire, he'd be the emperor. If we became a principality, he'd be the prince. But Aussies be as they are, just decided to remain a country, so he could remain being a .........

Keating for our first president. Stuff the other pretenders!

Mate, he failed dismally as our treasurer, was a terrible Prime Minister, what makes you think he'd be a good President?

Whatever his faults the man had a great talent for saying it as he saw it. who can forget the Pacific Peso, recalcitrant Malaysians, scumbags, gutless spivs, and all the traits of a dog,except loyalty.

@Malt65

Me thinks Peter Cosgrove did most of the telling.

In a time of conflict or disaster, guess who I'd prefer to have in my corner, you or PC ?

Now, be a good boy & get back in ya box.

Cosgrove is just another general who does what he's told!!.....

The ARM's moto should be.........Do as we say and get in ya box....

And as for becoming a republic.......better to keep close ties with britain........On our own we'd get eaten alive!!

Peter Cosgrove has not once spoke out against these wars of aggression.!!...He does what he's told-so no,he does NOT do the telling!