Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says there are lessons to be learned from the outcome of Saturday's (July 2) federal election. Counting of votes continues with both major parties unsure of who will be in a position to form government -- with or without the help of the independents. Mr Turnbull says he takes full responsibility for the coalition's performance. He says it's clear that many Australians are disillusioned with politics, with the government and the major parties.
“ Now, we need to listen very carefully to the concerns of the Australian people expressed through this election, and look at how are going to address those concerns. Now, there are lessons to be learned from this election. It's too early for definitive judgements. Turnbull said.”
In the meantime , Deputy prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says the coalition is holding talks with the independents and Nick Xenophon as it waits to see if it can form government in its own right. It could be up to a week until the final result of the election is known with more than a million votes yet to be counted. Mr Joyce says it would be irresponsible to ignore the fact the votes are so close, although it's impossible to predict the outcome.
However, Opposition leader Bill Shorten says he believes there's a real chance Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will call a snap-election in a bid to break the voting deadlock. If another election were called it would not apply to the Senate but only to the Lower House. Mr Shorten says it would not be a good idea.
Shorten says Mr Turnbull shouldn't consider the instability in his party by asking Australians to go to an early election. Mr Turnbull needs to genuinely concentrate on making the Parliament work, and he shouldn't be considering any options for an early election to deal with the dissent in his ranks or the unstable Senate that his reforms have given Australia."
