Link copiedShareShare articleShadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie has ruled himself out of the Liberal Party leadership race after his party's crushing election defeat on Saturday night The decision removes a significant obstacle for Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor who remains the frontrunner to take over the leadership — though he still faces competition from deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley and Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan Mr Taylor is being backed by the party's conservative wing, but he will need to win over colleagues who were left unconvinced by his economic pitch during the campaign The leadership ballot is on hold until all general election votes are counted and seats declared — giving aspirants time to build support and tally numbers behind closed doors Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese returned to Canberra and held a press conference, promising Labor won't get "carried away" with its increased majority and exceed its mandate during the government's second term Take a look back at how the day's events unfolded on our live blog below Live updatesLatestOldest22h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 8:32amThanks for joining us on the federal politics live blogABy Andrew Thorpe We're calling it a night on the federal politics live blog — thanks for being here today as we did our best to keep you up to date with the day's events There are a number of seats still in doubt — some, in fact, that remain on a knife's edge — so don't forget to check out the ABC's live results page You can also catch up with the rest of today's online coverage at our Australia Votes page ReactReactCopy link22h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 8:16amTony Burke responds to Trump's 100 per cent tariff on movies produced outside the USABy Andrew Thorpe Arts Minister Tony Burke has responded to Donald Trump's announcement he will impose a 100 per cent tariff on movies "produced in foreign lands" "I've spoken to the CEO of Screen Australia and we're monitoring this closely," he says "Nobody should be under any doubt that we will be standing  up unequivocally for the rights of the Australian screen industry." the union that represents Australia's film industry workers (among other professionals pointing out no details have been released by the White House regarding the measure "It's unclear what impact there would be for the Australian film industry if this proposal were to eventuate," the statement reads ReactReactCopy link22h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 8:04am🗳️ Will the Trumpet of Patriots secure a Senate seat?CBy Courtney Gould Is there any chance of ToP securing a senate seat this time around ? P.S. If you didn't already know, our elections whiz Antony Green has a Senate results page — and he's updating it frequently as the count continues. ReactReactCopy linkKey Event22h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 7:54amTrump exchange didn't shed much light on US president's thinking about AustraliaSBy Stephen Dziedzic Looking back on the prime minister's press conference earlier today it's notable he didn't say when he'd first meet Donald Trump — but he did confirm he'd travel to Canada next month to join the G7 meeting after receiving an invitation from the country's newly re-elected PM but has been invited to the summit before because of the close ties it shares with many of the countries around the table Anthony Albanese also said his phone call with Trump was "very warm" and suggested the president heaped praise on him He made the remark in the wake of a brief exchange between Trump and an Australian reporter The exchange didn't shed much light on the US president's thinking about Australia — other than suggesting he's not really thinking much about Australia at all The president didn't seem to be aware that the election had occurred although he would presumably have been briefed by his advisors shortly afterwards His remark about not knowing who Albanese's opponent was might look dismissive or snarky but it didn't sound like that live — the president seemed to just be suggesting he didn't know anything much about the election it's possible Trump was just trying to dodge questions about his influence on the result Albanese was clearly the beneficiary of some domestic hostility (or at least unease) towards Trump and the extraordinary upheaval he's brought to the international system But it's also possible that Australia and its politics are simply very low on Trump's list of priorities right now ReactReactCopy link22h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 7:52am🎥: New voting trends by age and genderCBy Caitlin Rawling Youth vote researcher Dr Intifar Chowdhury was on News Channel earlier today to discuss  youth voting trends "This time around we have been talking about the youth vote clumping together Gen Z and Millennial voters which actually made up about 48 per cent of the electorate so that had quite a bit of an influence at how the results played out," she says "Young people tend to be more progressive and also very allergic to extreme ideological tendencies that the Coalition tried to play." ReactReactCopy link22h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 7:47am'Dying' like the Democrats: Jeff Kennett rips into the GreensABy Alysia Thomas-Sam former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett has told 7.30 the Greens are a "dying" party Greens leader Adam Bandt is struggling to hold onto his seat of Melbourne with Labor's Sarah Witty currently leading in the vote count Kennett says Bandt needs to "accept responsibility for the way in which he has been projecting the party" "I think the Greens have lost sight of what they stand for," he says "I would much rather have a Labor Party in control of the parliament than be subject to a minority government — and that would probably have meant working with the Greens." Kennett compared the current state of the Greens to the Australian Democrats who were launched in 1977 by former Liberal minister Don Chipp as an alternative to Labor and the Coalition the party had lost all its seats in parliament after two of its senators retired and two were defeated at the polls "They remind me a bit of the Democrats — they're dying," Kennett said they've have lost their relevance." You can watch or stream the full interview tonight on ABC iview ReactReactCopy link22h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 7:42am🗳️ Melbourne remains in doubt as Labor looks to knock off Bandt on back of Liberal preferencesCBy chief elections analyst Antony Green WM:How is Melbourne looking for Adam Bandt held by Greens leader Adam Bandt since 2010 Bandt's primary vote is currently sitting at 41.4 per cent — down 3.3 per cent — on top of the Green vote having also been reduced by recent boundary changes Melbourne's new boundaries shed solid Greens voting territory in Brunswick and Fitzroy to the electorate of Wills in the north and the seat was extended south of the Yarra to include Prahran and South Yarra the AEC chose to conduct a Greens-Liberal indicative preference count which proved of little use as the Liberal Party finished third in the seat the AEC has begun a new preference count between the Greens and Labor Labor finishing second is a bigger threat to the Greens' hold on Melbourne because Liberal preferences will flow more strongly in Labor's direction That creates an opportunity for Labor's Sarah Witty to win from second place on preferences The first set of Liberal preferences to have been counted are postal votes — and 76 per cent of them went to Labor But postal votes tend to favour a higher-than-normal Liberal vote so this may be a stronger flow of preferences than we'll see from other ballots Applying the current flow of preferences to the full primary vote count puts Labor ahead with a 2PP vote against the Greens of 52 per cent Bandt will pull ahead to win if further preference counts weaken the flows to Labor ReactReactCopy linkKey Event23h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 7:34amAndrew Hastie rules himself out of Liberal leadership contestOBy Olivia Caisley Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie has ruled himself out of the Liberal Party leadership race after his party's crushing election defeat on Saturday night who remains the frontrunner to take over the leadership — though he still faces competition from Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan the Coalition had floated a two-term strategy to reclaim government That plan has now been thrown into uncertainty with Saturday's result pushing any prospect of power further into the future Taylor is being backed by the party's conservative wing but he will need to win over colleagues who were left unconvinced by his economic pitch during the campaign The contest is shaping up as not just a battle of personalities but a defining moment for the Liberal Party as it decides what — and who — it wants to be in 2025 ReactReactCopy link23h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 7:31am📹 Watch: Indonesian president congratulates Anthony Albanese on election winSBy Stephen Dziedzic Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto appears to have released a video of his congratulatory phone call with Anthony Albanese that shows the two men discussing the prime minister's looming visit to Jakarta The Indonesian president had plenty of praise during the call for Albanese who admits he hasn't slept for a couple of days The PM also agrees he's notched up an historic election result saying it's "never been seen before" in Australian politics He confirms to Prabowo that he wants Indonesia to be the first country he visits this term saying there's an "unbreakable bond" between the two countries The PM also deploys a bit of boisterous humour while he makes it: "I have a request for you saying it's a "great honour" and declaring himself "so happy" with the election result The two countries haven't yet announced a date for the visit but the ABC has been told it could happen as soon as next week You can watch a video of the pair's exchange below ReactReactCopy link23h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 7:18amThat may be the case — but Albanese also made history Labor historian Nick Dyrenfurth acknowledges Downer's point about the nature of the challenge Peter Dutton faced but points out that the size of the government's victory was actually a rarity "This is Labor's greatest victory since 1943 when the great John Curtin won Labor's greatest-ever federal election victory," he says "Labor's actually governed federally about 25 per cent of the time and Albo set a number of records on the weekend — first prime minister to be re-elected since John Howard first Labor prime minister to be re-elected since Bob Hawke and he also joins the pantheon — along with Hawke and Gough Whitlam — as only one of three Labor prime ministers to take the Labor Party out of opposition and into government and be re-elected." "So I don't think we should underestimate the scale of this achievement," he says ReactReactCopy link23h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 7:13amHistory was simply on Albanese's side Afternoon Briefing is concluding with today's panel Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer and Labor Party historian Nick Dyrenfurth Downer opens by saying she "never thought that this was going to be much of a challenge for the Albanese government" "History was absolutely on his side — it was 1931 when a first-term government last lost government and that was in the middle of the Great Depression," she says "There was certainly a sense that people were disappointed [in the Albanese government] but I didn't get a sense that there was a baseball bat out to get him and nobody in the community was really arguing that he had to be turfed out." She adds that the Trump factor — "Liberation Day" in particular — added to the headwinds working against Peter Dutton as well as the fact that the Coalition failed to make the case for nuclear energy ReactReactCopy linkKey Event23h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 7:05amGriffith voters were disappointed by Greens' hard-headed strategies She tells Lowrey Labor's efforts to retake Griffith kicked off soon after Queensland's state election in October last year and she "wore out several pairs of shoes" knocking on almost 15,000 doors over the course of the campaign (a tactic her Greens predecessor Asked what seemed to change the minds of voters who in 2022 elected the Greens firebrand Coffey says she believes the minor party's parliamentary tactics were partly to blame "Griffith fundamentally is a progressive electorate and people were wanting to see real change and real progress — so I think there was some disappointment with some of the blocking that went on," she says ReactReactCopy link23h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 6:58amWould Kate Chaney be a member of the Liberal Party if it were led by Julie Bishop?ABy Andrew Thorpe Chaney says she believes Liberal moderate Julie Bishop's first-round defeat in the 2018 leadership spill that elevated Scott Morrison to the prime ministership was a "turning point" for not just the Liberal Party "There is a lot of love in my electorate for Julie Bishop and I think the Liberal Party is struggling to retain its historical role as being a broad church," she says "Policy is being dictated by Peter Dutton and David Littleproud and electorates like mine that are socially progressive moderate electorates are just not seeing themselves being represented in the current Coalition." Lowrey asks Chaney if she believes she'd be a member of the Liberal Party now if it were led by Julie Bishop "I would never have imagined [getting into politics] unless I had been asked to do it but I would say my values are more closely aligned with Julie Bishop's than Peter Dutton's," she replies ReactReactCopy link23h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 6:51amKate Chaney feels for independents in tight races says it's not the time for formal 'teal' voting blocABy Andrew Thorpe newly returned in Perth's seat of Curtin says she feels for fellow independents Zoe Daniel and Monique Ryan who are in trouble in their seats of Goldstein and Kooyong "I was in that situation at this stage of the last election and didn't find out I'd won the seat until the Thursday … so I know it's a very tense time," she says Lowrey asks her if she thinks it's time for her and other like-minded independents to form a more formal voting bloc given Labor's increased majority and the reduced power the crossbench is now likely to have in the lower house "I see my role as looking at anything that will take more than three years to resolve that the major parties would rather not talk about," she says "I think having more voices in parliament that can speak up without being constrained by a party structure means we have richer discussions about the big challenges we're facing as a country." ReactReactCopy link23h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 6:42amCoalition's loss ranks alongside UAP's 1943 defeat that led Menzies to create the Liberal Party Political historian Judith Brett tells Lowrey she believes Saturday's result was "pretty disastrous" for the Liberal Party "It ranks alongside the defeat of the United Australia Party which was a precursor of the Liberal Party which was the defeat which convinced Robert Menzies something had to be done to reform and rebuild a viable non-Labor party," she says Asked what was different between what Peter Dutton took to voters over Brett said Howard simply had "more policy experience and policy substance" "I do think the lack of policy was a huge problem for Dutton because you are voting not just for policies you are voting for people who you hope will be competent in government," she says "The lack of policy — but also the flip-flopping over policy — did not inspire confidence that [Dutton's Coalition] would be a competent government" ReactReactCopy linkYesterday 6:34amMon 5 May 2025 at 6:34amLiberal Party needs to look at 'everything not just gender' when examining how to improve Lowrey points out that Violi is one of the few Liberal MPs who saw a swing towards them on Saturday "How are you interpreting that result compare to the results everyone else is experiencing?" he asks Violi thanks his electorate for its support and attributes his win to his record as a local MP and a number of hyper-local policies around roads and telecommunications that he was able to take to the election Asked whether he thinks the Liberal Party should revisit its policy on gender quotas given it looks like the party may end up with just four or five female MPs in the lower house by one count Violi says the party should be looking at "everything" but also diversity and representing modern Australia within the party system," he says "We should be looking at everything — our organisational structure our policies — we need to understand across the board what went wrong and what we need to change." 6:22amMon 5 May 2025 at 6:22amAaron Violi says Liberals need to 'slow down take a deep breath' while assessing election lossABy Andrew Thorpe Liberal MP Aaron Violi is next up on the program and greets Lowrey by saying it's good to be with him "at what is a tough time for the Liberal Party" Asked if his party is facing an "existential crisis" Violi says Liberals need to "honestly slow down take a deep breath and listen to the feedback that we got from the Australian people He says MPs and senators like Hollie Hughes are entitled to their views on leadership contenders like Angus Taylor but he intends to keep his opinions within the party keep all my conversations and commentary about .. what went wrong to my colleagues internally 6:14amMon 5 May 2025 at 6:14amWatt remembers Campbell Newman's landslide win — and subsequent lossABy Andrew Thorpe Tom Lowrey asks Watt how the government can differentiate between a mandate from the voters on policies Labor took to the election and expectations that the government will do more to tackle major challenges given its increased majority Watt repeats the prime minister's assertion that people saying the government "can now be ambitious" are missing the fact that the government was already ambitious before "The changes we have made over the last three years have been significant and made Australia a better place a fundamentally different place to what it was under 10 years of Coalition government," he says He adds that it's important to make sure the government "remain[s] humble" I remember what happened to [former premier Campbell] Newman when he got an election win — it went to his head and he did all sorts of stuff that was beyond the mandate and got voted out at the next election," he says I don't intend to see us repeat that." 6:08amMon 5 May 2025 at 6:08amMurray Watt calls Saturday's election win the 'best federal election result' he's ever taken part inABy Andrew Thorpe Employment Minister Murray Watt is first up on Afternoon Briefing He tells Lowrey that Saturday's election win ranks as the best federal election result he's ever been involved in "Of course when we won the 2007 election under Kevin Rudd but at a federal level I think this is the best federal campaign Labor has run since 2007 and it looks like the result might be stronger still than then," he says He adds that he's excited to see a number of talented new MPs arriving in the Labor caucus room for Queensland 6:02amMon 5 May 2025 at 6:02amAfternoon Briefing is kicking off nowABy Andrew Thorpe Afternoon Briefing hosted by Tom Lowrey is beginning on the ABC News channel — stay with us as we blog you through the highlights AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) Link copiedShareShare articleAnthony Albanese is set to return for a second term as prime minister Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has conceded defeat in both the federal election and his own seat of Dickson Take a look back through the blog to see how election day unfolded Submit a comment or question Log in to commentLive updatesLatestOldestKey EventSat 2:23pmSat 3 May 2025 at 2:23pmThat's all from our coverage this eveningCBy Courtney Gould Thanks for joining us on for the ABC's election night blog Did the result pan out the way you were expecting Was there an issue, policy or event that decided your vote? Let us know via the ABC's Your Say project. here's some shameless self-promotion: We run a daily politics live blog And we'll be back from 7am tomorrow to bring you all the latest as the election wash-up begins In the meantime, you can check out the highlights from tonight's coverage over at our Australia Votes page Catch ya bright and early tomorrow morning ReactReactCopy linkSat 2:20pmSat 3 May 2025 at 2:20pmWhich seats are still in doubt?ABy Andrew Thorpe ICYMI: Election legend Antony Green bids farewell to the ABC ReactReactCopy linkSat, 2:08pmSat 3 May 2025 at 2:08pmAustralia is not the only one today. Singapore has voted, tooCBy Caitlin Rawling Yes, as we closely watch the results coming out down here, 2.6 millions Singaporeans, 2 hours behind Sydney, have cast their votes in their general election today. Polls there closed at 10pm AEST (8pm SGT). Singapore's elections occur every five years. Local media reports ballot boxes were handed over from election officials to the police officers at the counting centre carpark at 8:30pm AEST. The counting has since started. By 7pm AEST, about 82 per cent of eligible voters, or 2,164,593 Singaporeans, had cast their ballots, according to the Elections Department of Singapore. This election is widely seen as the first major test since Lawrence Wong, the prime minister and leader of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), took over last year from his long-serving predecessor, Lee Hsien Loong, who is now senior minister and only the third prime minister in Singapore's 60-year history. In the midst of global uncertainty and increasing cost of living, the PAP is facing strong challenges from opposition parties in several key battlefields. Despite that, polling has projected an overwhelming victory for the ruling People's Action Party on Saturday. Read my friend Max Walden's full story for ABC's Asia Pacific newsroom previewing the polls : ReactReactCopy linkKey EventSat 2:04pmSat 3 May 2025 at 2:04pmLiberals to lose three shadow ministers in the House of RepsABy Andrew Thorpe The Coalition is set to lose three big names in the lower house — Shadow Foreign Minister David Coleman Shadow Housing and Social Services Minister Michael Sukkar and of course Opposition Leader Peter Dutton Sukkar is perhaps the least surprising of the three given his seat of Deakin was technically on a margin of 0.0 per cent after last year's redistribution of Victoria's electorate boundaries His primary vote has dropped by 5.1 per cent though most of that vote appears to have gone to Climate 200-backed independent Jess Ness who improved on his 2022 primary vote by 2.5 per cent and is set to win the seat on Green preferences David Coleman was sitting on a slightly more comfortable margin of 2.6 per cent — not generally considered a comfortable margin but in an election that was expected to result in Labor losing its majority it's fair to say he wouldn't have been expecting to lose his seat who unsuccessfully contested the seat at the last election has improved his primary vote by 0.9 per cent (with 53.2 per cent counted) but it's enough to get him over the edge given Coleman's 7.3 per cent lower primary vote Dickson is looking like a comfortable win for the Labor Party with Ali France almost dead even with Peter Dutton on the primary vote but scoring a 7.8 per cent 2PP swing on the back of Green and teal preferences The opposition leader was never a lock to retain his suburban Brisbane seat — it was the most marginal seat in Queensland going into this election — but he'd managed to win it at every election since he entered parliament in 2001 that was one of the things Anthony Albanese said he admired about Dutton when asked to name one of his opponent's admirable traits during a debate 1:59pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:59pmCLP Solomon candidate concedes 'it's not looking good'OBy Olivana Lathouris Country Liberal Party candidate for Solomon Lisa Bayliss has addressed a crowd of party faithful in Darwin saying the results are yet to be finalised and she "remains hopeful" about the result Ms Bayliss conceded "it's not looking too good" nationally but maintained there were still many votes still to be counted "It's unlikely we'll be able to bring a result to you tonight," she said With Labor claiming a landslide victory nationally Ms Bayliss said she was proud the party had managed to "buck the trend" in the Northern Territory Ms Bayliss said crime remained her "number one priority" acknowledging the tragic stabbing death of Nightcliff grocer Linford Feick last week Former CLP parliamentarian and Ms Bayliss's dad was in the crowd alongside Ms Bayliss's mum Moreen Manzie calling him "the man behind the woman" and thanked her supporters and volunteers for their support She ran a tight race against Labor incumbent Luke Gosling who looks set to retain the seat for his fourth straight term after the ABC called it for the Labor incumbent on Saturday night 1:56pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:56pmTony Burke makes pointed victory speechCBy Chantelle Al-Khouri A pleased Tony Burke was met with the sound of Arabic drums and a warm reception from his voters in Punchbowl as the announcement of Labor's win came in The Labor minister has held the seat of Watson for more than two decades It's a pointed message at a time when some Arab and Muslim voters in his electorate and surrounding areas hoped to punish Labor over its handling of the war in Gaza Grassroots movement The Muslim Vote was backing independent Ziad Basyouny in Watson and Ahmed Ouf in neighbouring Blaxland — another safe Labor seat held by Jason Clare 1:55pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:55pmLabor faithful can’t quite believe itPBy political reporter Tom Lowrey some of the Labor faithful are settling in for a big night ahead Paterson was supposed to be at risk for Labor Even stalwart supporters were preparing for a count that could go for days The nerves at the start of the night were real Instead they’ve held the seat and they cheered as they watched the ABC on big screens call plenty more for Labor Returned Labor MP Meryl Swanson described Peter Dutton’s defeat as “incredible and shocking” as her supporters soaked up a Labor win on a scale none predicted Even the true believers are surprised at this result 1:53pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:53pmYour reactions to Labor's winCBy Caitlin Rawling Here are some of your reactions to Labor winning the election Steve: Australia has spoken and finally shown we are over Liberal power Riley: This is delicious UP THE LABOR PARTY Stephen: I am a 50 something Liberal voter This has been the most uninspiring campaign by both parties I have ever seen If it wasn't for industrial relations I would have voted for an independent They need to be more socially progressive and have a woman leader Jody Clark one: Wooooooohoooooooo Albo number one 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 ReactReactCopy linkSat, 1:51pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:51pmHow are things looking in the west?GBy Gian De Poloni The count continues across Western Australia, with polls closing two hours after most states. Labor has retained its dominance in the west with yet another emphatic federal election result, picking up an extra seat from the depleted Liberal Party which failed to reverse its significant losses from 2022. And teal independent Kate Chaney is predicted to retain the blue-ribbon seat of Curtin from Liberal challenger Tom White, according to the ABC election computer. Labor has snatched the seat of Moore from the Liberals. Tangney, an affluent electorate in Perth's south, returned former dolphin trainer Sam Lim, who increased his slim majority. However, in some better news for the Liberals, Andrew Hastie appears to have increased his majority in Canning. Hastie was touted as a possible future Liberal leader before the election, and the party will be searching for a new leader in earnest now that Peter Dutton has lost his seat. The new federal seat of Bullwinkel appeared on a knife edge, with preferences late on Saturday appearing to favour the election of Liberal Matt Moran. ReactReactCopy linkSat 1:46pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:46pmFormer WA Nationals leader concedes defeatGBy Gian De Poloni With the result in Bullwinkel still unclear Nationals candidate Mia Davies thanked her supporters and conceded she would not win the seat She said the campaign had done important work taking the Nationals brand of politics to new areas and enlisting new supporters into its ranks "I'm OK  with what's happened because it's just about the journey," she said "It's a privilege to be a part of this organisation and contribute to its history And keep building it so that more people want to join our gang in the playground and take that message forward because we change our state and our nation by being part of it." 1:44pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:44pmLittleproud thanks MaranoaSBy Stephanie Dalzell Nationals leader David Littleproud arrived at his function in the regional Queensland town of Chinchilla to applause having retained his seat but lost his chance to be deputy prime minister It's an evening of contrasts for the leader whose safe seat was the first called by ABC chief elections analyst Antony Green — in his favour — but whose chance of being returned to government at this election is now gone "It's great to be home!" he said thanking his electorate for re-electing him But he told the party faithful gathered at his function at the Chinchilla RSL that it was a tough night to lead the Nationals "Can I just say to each and every one of you the most humbling experience you'll ever have as an MP is to stand here and know that there are people standing on polling booths around the electorate because they believe in their community and they believe in their country," he said The party faithful gave him a standing ovation and a green and gold cake that said: "Thank You Maranoa." the Nationals are largely happy with their result so far — having not yet lost any seats — although some contests remain too close to call 1:42pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:42pmAndrew Gee declares 'independence day' in CalareHBy Holly Tregenza Andrew Gee has declared "it's independence day in Calare" but his National Party opponent does not agree The Nationals have held the regional NSW seat of Calare since 2007 But Mr Gee contested the seat as an Independent after defecting from the party in 2022 over its opposition to The Voice "We felt we've been the underdog all the way through," Mr Gee told supporters while claiming victory at a function in Orange "It's been a David and Goliath battle." told National Party faithful at a pub in Bathurst that a final result might be days away "We don't have a result tonight," he said "We don't have a result because 52 per cent of voters have pre-polled "We can't determine what the result will be." Reporting by Xanthe Gregory and Lani Oataway ReactReactCopy linkSat, 1:41pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:41pmWe're getting lots of questions about how the Senate race is lookingCBy Courtney Gould Much of our focus tonight has been on the lower house. But there are many of you in the comments asking about the Senate results. The count is ticking along. The best place to check out all the latest is our Australia Votes page (linked below) 👇. 1:39pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:39pmCould Josh Frydenberg be parachuted into the Liberal leadership?ABy Andrew Thorpe Annabel Crabb says the betting markets have had a busy night "I'm opening a book on who's the first Coalition figure to ring up Josh Frydenberg and try and engineer some sort of emergency byelection to get him back into the parliament," she says That might be difficult — as David Speers points out there aren't many Liberal-held seats left in Melbourne that Frydenberg could be parachuted into He's going to have to travel," Crabb says ReactReactCopy linkKey EventSat 1:36pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:36pmGreens may not survive in Brisbane Greens leader Adam Bandt has conceded the party may lose seats in Queensland Bandt addressed supporters a second time at Greens HQ in Melbourne tonight "One of the things that may happen is that as we see the two party system start to decline and they embrace each other more and more We may see the situation where some MPs get elected on Liberal preferences." "We may not come out tonight with all of our Brisbane seats." The Greens are currently behind in Griffith held by Max Chandler-Mather and Brisbane held by Stephen Bates These seats were two of three seats the party gained at the last election in what Bandt then described as a "Greenslide" Chandler-Mather rose to prominence in the last parliament as the party's housing spokesperson 1:34pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:34pmWatch: Key takeaways from election nightCBy Courtney Gould 1:32pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:32pmLabor predicted to retain seat of MacnamaraCBy Courtney Gould are in a state of jubilation as incumbent Labor candidate Josh Burns and his partner state Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell enter the room Labor is predicted to retain the seat of Macnamara as Josh Burns looks to secure his third term he fell short of claiming the seat but recognised what he says is 120 years of Labor's success in the electorate "I look around this room and I honestly didn't think this night would happen We had blue to the right and green to the left and the lesson is one where you have to keep yourself and you have to be true to yourself." which spans inner-city suburbs south and south-east of Melbourne's CBD is a very safe Labor seat but has seen a rise in Greens voters over recent years 1:28pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:28pmMore well wishes for Antony GreenGBy Georgie Hewson watching Antony Green's last election call and explaining to our 11 and 8 year old what a legend he is! You've been calling elections since I could vote and the next one just won't be the same without you! We hope you have a wonderful time in retirement Election night with Anthony Green has long been a tradition with Cheese Thank you for some memorable election evenings I’m sure Casey will be great to carry on the tradition analysis and communication skills that have made the nail biting wait on election day such an institution at my place I hope you have a wonderful retirement and thanks for one last election :) It just won't be election night breakdowns without Anthony Green Whoever is his successor has some big brains to fill he is getting a cheer from me every time he's on screen for inspiring me to become a psephologist one day and I wish you all the best in your future endeavours We wish Antony Green all the best in his retirement We are watching now and have enjoyed his election coverage over the decades Elections will not be the same with Anthony Green 1:27pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:27pm🎥: A tribute to Antony Green 'the GOAT' of electionsCBy Caitlin Rawling ABC Elections Analyst Antony Green is crunching the numbers on election night for the final time on May 3 Here's a look back at some of his most  memorable moments CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced Australia — Anthony Albanese claimed victory as the first Australian prime minister to clinch a second consecutive term in 21 years on Saturday and suggested his government had increased its majority by not modeling itself on U.S "Australians have chosen to face global challenges the Australian way looking after each other while building for the future," Albanese told supporters in a victory speech in Sydney "We do not need to beg or borrow or copy from anywhere else We find it right here in our values and in our people," he added His center-left Labor Party had branded Albanese's rival Peter Dutton "DOGE-y Dutton" and accused his conservative Liberal Party of mimicking Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency Dutton had earlier conceded his alliance of conservative parties had been defeated at the election and that he had lost his own parliamentary seat that he had held for 24 years Dutton's plight parallels that of Canada's last opposition leader who lost his seat after Trump declared economic war on the U.S Poilievre had previously been regarded as a shoo-in to become Canada's next prime minister and shepherd his Conservative Party back into power for the first time in a decade Analysts argue that mirroring Trump switched from a political positive for Australian conservatives to a negative after Trump imposed global tariffs a minor party inspired by Trump policies with an advertising budget funded by mining magnate Clive Palmer that eclipses the major parties Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Albanese on his election to a second three-year term Our shared values and democratic traditions provide the bedrock for an enduring alliance and for the deep ties between our peoples," Rubio said in a statement "The United States looks forward to deepening its relationship with Australia to advance our common interests and promote freedom and stability in the Indo-Pacific and globally," he added Labor had held a narrow majority of 78 seats in the 151-seat house House of Representatives the lower chamber where parties form governments Australian governments are usually elected for at least a second term but are expected to lose seats at the second election But Labor is on track to increase its majority in its second term Energy policy and inflation have been major issues in the campaign with both sides agreeing the country faces a cost of living crisis The Liberal Party blamed government waste for fueling inflation and increasing interest rates and has pledged to ax more than one in five public service jobs to reduce government spending While both said the country should reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 Dutton argues that relying on nuclear power instead of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind turbines would deliver less expensive electricity Labor argued Dutton's administration would slash services to pay for its ambitions to build seven government-funded nuclear generators Opposition senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price would have been responsible for cutting 41,000 public service jobs in Dutton's administration She attracted media attention last month when she told supporters her government would "make Australia great again." Price told reporters at the time she didn't recall using the words reminiscent of the Republicans' "Make America Great Again" slogan who said she was photographed wearing a MAGA cap "in jest at Christmas time," on Saturday blamed the news media for focusing on Trump in the election campaign "You made it all about Donald Trump," Price told Australian Broadcasting Corp "We really couldn't care less about the way Donald Trump is governing for America We were concerned with the way Australia is being governed under an Albanese government." The election took place against a backdrop of what both sides of politics describe as a cost of living crisis reported 3.4 million households in the country of 27 million people experienced food insecurity last year That meant Australians were skipping meals eating less or worrying about running out of food before they could afford to buy more The central bank reduced its benchmark cash interest rate by a quarter percentage point in February to 4.1% in an indication that the worst of the financial hardship had passed The rate is widely expected to be cut again at the bank's next board meeting on May 20 this time to encourage investment amid the international economic uncertainty generated by Trump's tariff policies Become an NPR sponsor New high-grade gold discoveries at Abore significantly expand resource potential and support future underground mining development The drill results from Galiano's Abore deposit represent a significant exploration breakthrough with two key discoveries the impressive intercept of 50m @ 3.2 g/t gold below the current Abore Main pit reveals a substantial new high-grade zone extending beyond existing pit boundaries multiple exceptional intercepts around Abore South (including 34m @ 12.0 g/t and several other wide zones exceeding 3 g/t) confirm and expand known high-grade mineralization These results are particularly noteworthy when compared to the current resource grade of 1.24 g/t representing potential grade increases of 2-10 times in these zones The consistent geological setting – mineralization hosted in granite with hydrothermal alteration and visible gold – provides a reliable exploration model for targeting additional resources The extension of the Abore South high-grade zone from 90m to 180m in length demonstrates substantial growth potential With mineralization remaining open at depth throughout the entire 1,600m strike length the deposit boundaries have not yet been fully defined The proximity to existing infrastructure (13km from the processing plant along the haul road) enhances the economic potential of any additional resources identified The consistent high-grade nature of these intercepts supports potential underground mining beyond the economic limits of open-pit operations While additional drilling will be required to establish an underground resource these results provide compelling evidence that mineralization continues with sufficient grade and width to merit further exploration High-grade discoveries below current pits enhance mine economics and support strategic shift toward underground operations Galiano's exploration results at Abore present a significant positive development for the company's production profile and mine life potential The discovery of new high-grade mineralization below the current pit design alongside expansion of known high-grade zones creates tangible opportunities to enhance the Asanko Gold Mine's value proposition The intercepts reported substantially exceed the current resource grade of 1.24 g/t potentially enhancing future mining economics The standout 34m @ 12.0 g/t intercept represents nearly 10 times the grade of the current resource which could significantly improve production economics if successfully converted to reserves Management's stated priority to establish an underground resource in 2025 signals a strategic shift toward accessing higher-grade material beneath current open pits This approach could extend mine life while improving the grade profile of production The identification of two promising underground targets (Abore and Nkran) creates valuable optionality for future development planning Abore's location just 13km from the processing plant along an existing haul road minimizes additional infrastructure requirements helping contain both capital and operational expenses for any expanded operation These results represent a meaningful step toward extending the Asanko Gold Mine's productive life and potentially improving its production profile through access to higher-grade material The current resource base of 638,000 ounces at Abore now shows clear growth potential both laterally and at depth ("Galiano" or the "Company") (TSX: GAU) (NYSE American: GAU) is pleased to provide an update on the 2025 drilling results at the Abore deposit following the completion of a planned infill programme Abore is one of the cornerstone deposits at the Asanko Gold Mine ("AGM") and is currently being mined by the Company Highlights of the infill programme include the discovery of a new high-grade zone immediately below the designed Mineral Reserve pit shell at the Abore Main pit and multiple high-grade intercepts surrounding the known Abore South pit high-grade zone consisting of 26 holes totalling 5,543 metres ("m") A newly discovered zone of high-grade mineralization highlighted by hole ABPC25-346: 50m @ 3.2 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au") from 100m was intercepted immediately below the current Mineral Reserve pit design at the southern end of the Abore Main pit along with critical geological and structural information to guide future drilling aimed at proving further continuations of mineralization at depth Drilling in and around the Abore South pit high-grade zone yielded multiple high-grade intervals matching or exceeding the predictions of the Mineral Resource model These results strengthen confidence in this key portion of the Mineral Reserve which hosts some of the highest-grade material throughout all of the AGM's tenements The drilling program examined areas both within the existing Mineral Reserve pit design and directly beneath it confirming that mineralization continues uninterrupted and extends beyond the current Mineral Reserve boundaries at Abore South Highlights of intercepts at Abore South include (all diamond core samples): High-grade zones throughout the Abore deposit with mineralization hosted primarily within the Abore granite characterized by significant hydrothermal alteration along with high density quartz veining disseminated arsenopyrite and visible gold "The identification of a new high-grade zone beneath Abore Main and the extensions that have grown the Abore South high-grade zone from 90 meters to 180 meters long underscore the substantial growth potential at Abore," said Chris Pettman Galiano's Vice President of Exploration "Mineralization remains open at depth throughout the entire 1,600m strike length with these latest findings suggesting the Abore mineralizing system may be considerably more extensive than previously understood." "These results at Abore validate the robust mineralization within our current open pit reserve while demonstrating strong potential for transitioning to a higher-grade underground operation through ongoing exploration along strike and at depth Establishing our first underground resource at the AGM is a strategic priority for 2025 as promising targets for underground mine life extension and a potential source of high-grade mill feed in the future." The Abore deposit sits along the Esaase shear corridor and forms part of the northeast striking Asankrangwa gold belt The geology of Abore is characterized by a sedimentary sequence composed primarily of siltstones shales and thickly bedded sandstones that has been intruded by a granite which lies parallel to the shear and dipping steeply to the northwest The majority of mineralization is constrained to the granite hosted in west dipping quartz vein arrays developed primarily along the western margin of the granite/sediment contact Table 1: 2025 Abore drilling intercepts table1,2 Intervals reported are hole lengths with true width estimated to be 80%-95% with the exception of those drilled at steeper angles which may be estimated at 65% – 80%.2 Intervals are not top cut and are calculated with the assumptions of >0.5 g/t and <3m of internal waste is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release Pettman is responsible for all aspects of the work including the Data Verification and Quality Control/Quality Assurance programs and has verified the data disclosed by reviewing all data and supervising its compilation There are no known factors that could materially affect the reliability of data collected and verified under his supervision No quality assurance/quality control issues have been identified to date Certified Reference Materials and Blanks are inserted by Galiano into the sample stream at the rate of 1:14 samples Field duplicates are collected at the rate of 1:30 samples All samples have been analysed by Intertek Minerals Ltd Ghana with standard preparation methods and 50g fire assay with atomic absorption finish Intertek does its own introduction of QA/QC samples into the sample stream and reports them to Galiano for double checking Higher grade samples are re-analysed from pulp or reject material or both Intertek is an international company operating in 100 countries and is independent of Galiano It provides testing for a wide range of industries including the mining Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements and information contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws which we refer to collectively as "forward-looking statements" Forward-looking statements are statements and information regarding possible events conditions or results of operations that are based upon assumptions about future conditions and courses of action All statements and information other than statements of historical fact may be forward looking statements forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "seek" "will" and similar words or phrases (including negative variations) suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook Forward-looking statements in this news release include but are not limited to statements regarding the Company's expectations and timing with respect to current and planned drilling programs at Abore and the results thereof; the potential to optimize and/or expand the Abore Reserve pit and the resulting impact on mineral reserves and ore delivery; the Company's belief in the potential of Abore; and the Company's plans to update the mineral resources and mineral reserves and timing of release of production and cost guidance Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions but not limited to: development plans and capital expenditures; the price of gold will not decline significantly or for a protracted period of time; the accuracy of the estimates and assumptions underlying mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates; the Company's ability to raise sufficient funds from future equity financings to support its operations and general business and economic conditions; the global financial markets and general economic conditions will be stable and prosperous in the future; the ability of the Company to comply with applicable governmental regulations and standards; the mining laws tax laws and other laws in Ghana applicable to the AGM will not change and there will be no imposition of additional exchange controls in Ghana; the success of the Company in implementing its development strategies and achieving its business objectives; the Company will have sufficient working capital necessary to sustain its operations on an ongoing basis and the Company will continue to have sufficient working capital to fund its operations; and the key personnel of the Company will continue their employment The foregoing list of assumptions cannot be considered exhaustive Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results performance or achievements to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements The Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained herein Some of the risks and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release but are not limited to: mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates may change and may prove to be inaccurate; metallurgical recoveries may not be economically viable; life of mine estimates are based on a number of factors and assumptions and may prove to be incorrect; actual production returns and other economic and financial performance may vary from the Company's estimates in response to a variety of factors many of which are not within the Company's control; inflationary pressures and the effects thereof; the AGM has a limited operating history and is subject to risks associated with establishing new mining operations; sustained increases in costs of commodities consumed or otherwise used by the Company may adversely affect the Company; adverse geotechnical and geological conditions (including geotechnical failures) may result in operating delays and lower throughput or recovery closures or damage to mine infrastructure; the ability of the Company to treat the number of tonnes planned remove deleterious materials and process ore concentrate and tailings as planned is dependent on a number of factors and assumptions which may not be present or occur as expected; the Company's mineral properties may experience a loss of ore due to illegal mining activities; the Company's operations may encounter delays in or losses of production due to equipment delays or the availability of equipment; outbreaks of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases may have a negative impact on global financial conditions demand for commodities and supply chains and could adversely affect the Company's business financial condition and results of operations and the market price of the common shares of the Company; the Company's operations are subject to continuously evolving legislation development and production of gold; the Company's operations are subject to environmental hazards and compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations; the effects of climate change or extreme weather events may cause prolonged disruption to the delivery of essential commodities which could negatively affect production efficiency; the Company's operations and workforce are exposed to health and safety risks; unexpected costs and delays related to necessary permits could impede the Company's operations; the Company's title to exploration development and mining interests can be uncertain and may be contested; geotechnical risks associated with the design and operation of a mine and related civil structures; the Company's properties may be subject to claims by various community stakeholders; risks related to limited access to infrastructure and water; risks associated with establishing new mining operations; the Company's revenues are dependent on the market prices for gold results of operations and financial conditions of the Company and the Company's share price; the Company may be unsuccessful in identifying targets for acquisition or completing suitable corporate transactions and any such transactions may not be beneficial to the Company or its shareholders; the Company must compete with other mining companies and individuals for mining interests; the Company's growth future profitability and ability to obtain financing may be impacted by global financial conditions; the Company's common shares may experience price and trading volume volatility; the Company has never paid dividends and does not expect to do so in the foreseeable future; the Company's shareholders may be unable to sell significant quantities of the Company's common shares into the public trading markets without a significant reduction in the price of its common shares or at all; and the risk factors described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements you are cautioned that this list is not exhaustive and there may be other factors that the Company has not identified the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change except as otherwise required by applicable law Already have an account? 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All rights reserved Webmail Promoting Africa’s growth and economic development by championing citizen inclusion and increased cooperation and integration of African states Agenda 2063 is the blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future It is the strategic framework for delivering on Africa’s goal for inclusive and sustainable development and is a concrete manifestation of the pan-African drive for unity progress and collective prosperity pursued under Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance President of the Republic of Kenya and the African Union Champion on Institutional Reform Ruto was appointed during the 37th Assembly of Heads of State and Government in February 2024 to champion the AU Institutional Reform process taking over from the H.E Paul Kagame President of the Republic of Rwanda who led the implementation of the reform process since 2016 The AU offers exciting opportunities to get involved in determining continental policies and implementing development programmes that impact the lives of African citizens everywhere Find out more by visiting the links on right the African Union Peace and Security (PSC) Council suspended the participation of the Republic of Sudan in all AU activities until the effective establishment of a civilian-led Transitional Authority as the only way to allow Sudan to exit from its current crisis  While reaffirming their solidarity with the people of The Sudan in their aspirations to a constitutional framework and institutions that would allow the country to make progress in its efforts towards the democratic transformation of the country should the Transition Military Council fail to hand-over power to a civilian-led Transitional Authority the Council would impose punitive measures on individuals and entities obstructing the establishment of the civilian-led Transitional Authority The suspension of Sudan follows what PSC termed as the lack of progress towards the establishment of a civilian-led Transitional Authority since its initial meeting following the coup d’etat of 11th of April 2019 in Sudan The PSC condemned the violence that led to the loss of lives and injuries among civilians; further requesting the Chairperson of the AU Commission in close coordination with the relevant stakeholders in Sudan IGAD and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) within the framework of relevant AU instruments relating to the fight against impunity to make concrete proposals on the modalities for an investigation into the deadly events which took place from 3 June 2019 in Sudan and submit the report the Council.  Read the detailed communique Select the newsletter(s) to which you want to subscribe or unsubscribe driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena captured a terrifying scene as thousands of locusts descended on a road See it for yourself and learn how recent weather could result in a plague of locusts in the Australian state We recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good We may use or share your data with our data vendors The Weather Channel is the world's most accurate forecaster according to ForecastWatch, Global and Regional Weather Forecast Accuracy Overview Global Climate Agreements: Successes and Failures How Tobacco Laws Could Help Close the Racial Gap on Cancer Could Trump’s Tariffs Replace Income Tax for the Bottom 90% Peter McColough Series on International Economics With Robert E It was the best of times or the worst of times in Australia and Singapore’s elections—depending on your approach to President Donald Trump. Victory was the reward for leaders and parties that portrayed themselves as ready to stand up to the White House and its effects on the global economy. Parties in both countries that calmed fears of U.S. instability won by a larger margin than expected On the flip side, those parties that appeared close to Trump or just unprepared to resist his aggressive second-term actions and any resulting global chaos hemorrhaged parliamentary seats and public support the losing parties often seemed aimless in defeat A summary of global news developments with CFR analysis delivered to your inbox each morning. Weekdays examining the debates and efforts to improve health worldwide. Weekly resembling the conservative leader in the recent Canadian elections who was voted out of his seat Australia’s Labor party received an enormous poll boost from the public’s animus towards Trump His administration placed tariffs on Australia even though the United States has a trade surplus with the country and his trade representative has even publicly mocked Australia Dutton’s past friendliness with Trump did not help matters It may now take the Liberal-National conservative coalition multiple elections to recover despite consistently dominating elections for the two decades prior to Albanese’s success But the PAP reversed the trend for other important reasons the electorate clearly moved toward the ruling party because—as in Australia—it thought the incumbent was best positioned to handle the turmoil and uncertainty caused by Trump’s policies “Singapore feels particularly vulnerable given its economy's size and exposure to international forces… Also we are notoriously risk-averse voters,” Ian Chong, an associate professor in political science at the National University of Singapore, told the BBC after the election The opposition also struggled because it did not organize as in the past. By not wholly coalesce behind the leading party, the Workers Party, the opposition suffered from in-fighting and possibly lost seats. Overall, what can be learned from these elections and those in Canada and Greenland? For one, Trump’s international toxicity is creating serious election challenges for conservative parties around the world. It also appears to have created a trend in which voters are now favoring incumbents after years of tossing them out in Europe and other countries. This is perhaps because the incumbent is seen as more experienced in dealing with the United States and with global economic volatility. It remains to be seen whether those trends continue. Upcoming elections in South Korea and Poland—which have their own unique domestic issues—will pose fresh tests that could indicate whether conservative parties abroad are able to reverse their fortunes. This work represents the views and opinions solely of the author. The Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher, and takes no institutional positions on matters of policy Unpacking the IPEF: Biden’s Indo-Pacific Trade Play The President’s Inbox Recap: The Future of U.S.-Taiwan Relations The President’s Inbox Recap: U.S.-India Relations A Tale of Two Elections: Trump Casts Shadow Over Australia and Singapore World Press Freedom Continues Decline at a Time of Upheaval Melanie Burton in Melbourne and Nelson Banya in Harare; Editing by Kim Coghill Kylie is the Deputy Live Pages Editor, helping showcase Reuters multimedia coverage of the biggest global stories. She previously worked on the UK Breaking News team, and spent eight years in Westminster as a UK political correspondent - a period which included the Scottish independence referendum, Brexit and several general elections. She joined Reuters as a graduate trainee in 2008 and has also covered investment banking. Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by Edmund Klamann Still images of the full sky are obtained with a small camera mounted under a dome in the Atmospheric Laboratory, and provide a view with similar sensitivity to the naked eye for the study of Antarctic clouds There are some artefacts in the images due to defective pixels (bright stationary star-like features at night) and refraction and scattering of light by the dome The date/time on the image and movies shows local Davis time (DAVT). If you have any questions about the webcams, please see our webcam FAQ Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Australian Antarctic Division We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land We pay our respects to their Elders past and present there will never be a better chance to shake off old policy impasses and deliver a more ambitious plan for the environment Analysis of the election result has barely begun, but this much is clear: the country has backed a rapid acceleration towards renewable energy. Labor didn’t say much about the climate crisis during the campaign But Anthony Albanese and his climate change and energy minister emerged with their ambitious goal of the country getting 82% of electricity from solar Labor’s position has been relentlessly attacked by the Coalition rightwing organisations backed by fossil fuel interests and one of the country’s biggest news media companies Read moreSupport for independents continues to surge up from about 500,000 votes in 2019 and 750,000 in 2022 to roughly 1m this time Not all of this went to community-backed indies advocating stronger action on climate change and renewable energy the independent movement that is focused on climate lifting integrity and improving safety and respect for women continues to grow and slowing the rollout of renewable energy while substantially boosting local fossil fuel energy for the next two decades – is basically climate denial and not what a majority of Australians want It’s too soon to know what this means for the Coalition’s promise to build taxpayer-funded nuclear generators, or whether it will accept that the grid is on a path to running overwhelmingly on renewable energy backed by firming support, as the Australian Energy Market Operator says it can Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter But it may be a moot point by the time Australians next vote in 2028 at least 60% of power should be coming from renewables Experts differ on whether we will get to 82% renewable energy by the end of the decade The goal is to get there as rapidly as possible while maintaining support for the transition by managing reliability and costs – and the impact on nature There will be few more important projects undertaken across the country over the next five years With so little focus on climate policy during the campaign it is worth a brief stocktake of where we are before the new parliament forms The rollout of renewable energy is being underpinned by a federal underwriting program – a capacity investment scheme – to ensure a substantial amount of large-scale solar wind and batteries are built as coal plants shut State schemes also play a role in driving this change a Coalition-era policy applied to major industrial sites Some were rewarded with free credits after the department expected their emissions to be even higher Most of the policies above were promised, or broadly flagged, before the 2022 election. Commitments in this campaign can be listed much more quickly. They basically start and end with a subsidy program for household battery systems. Free newsletterAdam Morton brings you incisive analysis about the politics and impact of the climate crisis It means major questions about where the government heads on climate in this term remain unanswered – and major decisions lie ahead. But we have some clues. Read moreWhile it doesn’t talk about them much, Labor began work before the election on decarbonisation plans for six sectors of the economy: electricity and energy; transport; industry; agriculture and land; resources; and the built environment It says they will be linked to an overarching net zero plan A national climate risk assessment and adaptation plan is also in the works It tells us that new policies will be needed With so much still to be decided on both the climate crisis and nature, Labor has a rare opportunity to move boldly in the name of governing from the centre. Surveys have repeatedly found that the average voter would back more ambitious action. After a landslide election win, and with a progressive buffer in both houses of parliament, there will never be a better chance to shake off old impasses and deliver it. Will it rise to the challenge? he told ABC the projected victory was "a win for the ages" Albanese "has pulled off one of the great political victories since federation,” he said.The results were "absolutely unbelievable" said through tears at the election party.Reporting by Kirsty Needham Christine Chen and Alasdair Pal in Sydney; editing by Edmund Klamann The African Union strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) 2018-2028 which was launched during the AU Summit February 2019 is based on an inclusive and multisectoral approach and builds on the lessons learned from the 2009 gender policy It is transformational in that its outcomes aim to mitigate if not eliminate the major constraints hindering gender equality and women’s empowerment so that women and girls may participate fully in economic activities The GEWE Strategy is a framework document to strengthen women’s agency in Africa and ensure that women’s voices are amplified and their concerns are fully addressed through effective implementation of legislation and proper financing of gender equality work It is a guiding document on the implementation of the AU’s GEWE commitments and is to be used to design transformational programmes that bring results for African women and girls on the continent and in the diaspora The strategy has four pillars and each pillar outlines outcomes and proposed activities that should be implemented in furtherance of that specific pillar To bring this strategy to life, WGDD initiated the development of three key documents: i.e the Results Framework and the Harmonization Matrix These documents aim at consolidating and capitalizing the orientation of the GEWE strategy strengthening its operationalisation and implementation modalities while taking into account the specific contexts and priorities of Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) The documents were validated at a workshop held in June and will be presented at the upcoming Specialized Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in October where African Union Ministers in charge of gender and women’s Affairs will consider and adopt the documents GEWE Web Page Browse Departments & Services American University was founded to respond to the needs of a changing world, with a set of guiding values AU cannot be excellent without being truly inclusive specific steps to improve our campus climate American University embarked on a journey toward inclusive excellence We welcome you to learn more about the strategy and outcomes of AU’s inclusive excellence journey (AU login required) 4 May 2025: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission has learned with shock and dismay the recent bombing of the Médecins sans frontières (MSF) health facility in Old Fangak town The Chairperson unreservedly condemns this attack in its strongest terms describing this as a flagrant breach of International Humanitarian Law having resulted in the loss of lives and property as well as a denial of the right of access to healthcare and protection of civilians The Chairperson urges the South Sudanese Authorities to investigate this unfortunate incident and hold accountable those responsible for this heinous crime The Chairperson expresses the hope that peace unity and national reconciliation would prevail in South Sudan and calls on the parties to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) to renew their commitment to its implementation Agenda 2063 is Africa’s development blueprint to achieve inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development over a 50-year period Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker visa-free travel program was likely to bolster the Simion vote by implying failure on the part of Romania's pro-Western government."The immediate focus is on global economic uncertainty and what it means for us," Treasurer Jim Chalmers told the Australian Broadcasting Corp."What's happening does cast a dark shadow over the global economy .. to manage that uncertainty."Representatives of the U.S and China joined leaders from around the world congratulating Albanese and his party.The U.S "looks forward to deepening its relationship with Australia to advance our common interests and promote freedom and stability in the Indo-Pacific and globally," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said the country "stands ready to work with the new Australian government (to) continue advancing a more mature and productive comprehensive strategic partnership".Senior figures in Australia's conservative coalition meanwhile began apportioning blame for the loss as it begins the search for a new leader.Mark Speakman leader of the coalition's main Liberal party in New South Wales said the party needed to connect its values of "aspiration innovation and opportunity" to the state "including for women and people from non-English speaking backgrounds".Reporting by Byron Kaye; Additional reporting by Rachel Armstrong in London; Editing by Michael Perry and Edmund Klamann Byron Kaye is the Reuters chief companies correspondent for Australia, based in Sydney. Over 10 years at Reuters he has covered banks, retail, healthcare, media, technology and politics, among other topics. He can be reached at +612 9171 7541 or on Signal via username byronkaye.01 Dutch academic says an ‘unlikely story about a mad heretic’ has been repeated for 400 years – and poses an alternative murder and rape on the Batavia: new theory on Australia’s most horrific shipwreckDutch academic says an ‘unlikely story about a mad heretic’ has been repeated for 400 years – and poses an alternative wrecked off the Western Australian coast in 1629 Survivors of the wreck found themselves marooned on a reef and chain of islands about 60km out to sea in the “harsh and unforgiving end of the earth” “More than 100 people died in the grounding but the carnage didn’t end there,” is how the Australian National Maritime Museum describes it “What befell the survivors was sheer horror – anarchy in a reign of terror where people were picked off one-by-one “Only about a third of the 340 passengers and crew would live.” It’s one of Australia’s most horrifying incidents Researchers are still studying the mass graves found on the islands While no one doubts the terror that unfolded a Dutch academic has posed a different theory: that rather than a dastardly plot ordinary men were driven to terrible acts by starvation The cultural psychologist Jaco Koehler says there’s an alternative scenario that provides “a better explanation for what happened”. His theory – The Batavia Disaster: A new scenario to explain the massacre after the shipwreck – has been published in the May edition of the International Journal of Maritime History Koehler writes that bias in the reports from the time and the use of torture akin to waterboarding cast doubt on the theory that one man plotted a mutiny and oversaw a massacre Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads “It is remarkable that an unlikely story about a mad heretic plotting a massacre has been repeated uncritically for almost 400 years,” Koehler says. The Batavia, with experienced commander Francisco Pelsaert in charge, more than 300 people on board and cargo containing silver coins, left Holland for the East Indies (Indonesia) in 1629. Read morePelsaert was at odds with the ship’s captain Adrian Jacobsz from the start Jacobsz was friendly with under-merchant Jeronimus Cornelisz the third most important person on the ship the Batavia was wrecked on the Houtman Abrolhos Islands off the west coast of Australia Pelseart rose from his sickbed to shout at Jacobsz: “Skipper Some of those who didn’t drown stayed on the ship until it broke up completely Others made their way to the surrounding islands waterless island that came to be known as Batavia’s Graveyard Pelseart and other senior officers left the survivors behind to search for water and ended up sailing to Jakarta (then Batavia) to find help More than three months passed before the commander returned He started ordering the murder of the remaining survivors in the hopes of taking the coins and treasures in Batavia’s cargo hold He tricked some into believing water could be found on another island sent some on useless errands where his allies would push them overboard and sent resistance soldiers off without weapons and sent smoke signals to alert the others – but they were ignored and eventually overpowered Cornelisz when he went after them he took the mutineers prisoner and heard confessions about the murders carried out under the orders of Cornelisz He heard that Jacobsz and Cornelisz had always planned to kill any opposition and that they intended to “throw the dead overboard and then go pirating with the ship” Pelsaert sent Cornelisz and the condemned mutineers to the gallows Free weekly newsletterEach week our editors select five of the most interesting entertaining and thoughtful reads published by Guardian Australia and our international colleagues Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Saturday morning He writes that Pelsaert was “both judge and prosecutor” in a case where he had abandoned survivors Pelsaert’s story was “partly based on confessions obtained through waterboarding” and the accuracy of information extracted under torture should be questioned An illustration from the 1647 Dutch book Ongeluckige voyagie van’t schip Batavia (Unlucky voyage of the ship Batavia) Illustration: WikiMediaCommonsKoehler’s alternative scenario describes “extreme violence driven by famine” There were too many people and not enough food Eventually people were willing to kill to survive confirmation bias – “the tendency to favour evidence that supports existing beliefs while paying little attention to evidence that is inconsistent with those beliefs” – may have played a role in the enduring belief in Pelsaert’s story researchers are still studying the artefacts and gravesites They have welcomed this new theory on the Batavia massacre although they did not necessarily agree with the alternative explanation from the University of Western Australia’s School of Social Sciences and the Oceans Institute professor of maritime archaeology at Flinders University are among those working on site alongside the WA Museum The project is funded by the Australian Research Council Silver coins recovered from the wreck site of the Batavia off the coast of Western Australia. Photograph: Guy de la Bedoyere/WikipediaPaterson says the team is still studying up to 22 individuals buried in mass graves, and they still only partially understand what happened. “We ended up finding a series of mass burials … which doubled down on the idea that what we now know as Beacon Island was really Batavia’s Graveyard … it’s akin to a church burial ground,” he says. “We need to understand what social processes were occurring so that people were murdered, controlled and contained to that island. “We have the archaeological and the historical narrative and we will always need to hone our theories regarding how this event occurred.” Van Duivenvoorde says Koehler’s theory was a “fascinating” approach that she would share with her students. She said “of course” there was bias in the records – but she does not agree with his conclusions. Read more“I’ve worked on those islands as have a lot of other archaeologists and forensic specialists … there are some resources available that are accessible “It was obviously a desperate situation … [but] if survival was the primary goal of the killings why didn’t they move to West and East Wallabi island it has a lot of interesting new things in it the head of maritime heritage at WA Museum says the survivors would have suffered some deprivations but the question is why the survivors did not follow the smoke signals to find those resources if famine was the rationale for the mutiny moving the survivors to an area with resources would be the next step,” she says Koehler suggests that people accept the narrative that Cornelisz was behind the massacres because “we prefer the notion of an individual corrupted by evil” “It saves us from a much more disturbing thought: that mass murder does not arise from [the] monstrosity of a single individual but from moral decay set in motion by the collapse of authority and the disintegration of social structures,” he says an audience of Stetson-wearing Australians are sitting in their fold-up camping chairs swigging beers and eating a spiralled fried potato on a skewer known as a 'chip on a stick' It feels like a slice of Americana in New South Wales perhaps - but that would miss the point that here rodeo has become very much an outback Australian tradition in its own right politics here in Australia could be compared to watching a rodeo the Middle East and more recently US President Donald Trump and his threat of global trade wars every day has brought with it a sharp jolt that changes the dynamics of the campaign trail have been thrown off course despite their best efforts "Tariffs are great," exclaims rodeo fan Guy Algozzino a waistcoat and a Western-style bolo tie with an engraved image of a cowboy riding a bull "We should have had tariff protection many years ago - it looks bad now [but] America's fantastic … Trump's the best thing America ever had.'' "It's going nuts," admits Jared Harris "I'm just sitting back and watching It probably affects me more than I realise Australia didn't worry too much about President Trump's second coming when he won power back in November The country had already witnessed a Trump presidency – and weathered it Australia felt far removed from the shores of America But Trump's second term is panning out very differently Tariffs - imposed on ally and adversary alike - have travelled the whole world Trump doesn't care about making enemies People here pride themselves on 'mateship' – a value that embodies friendship and loyalty – and that extends to politics too Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said as much when Trump initially announced tariffs without exemptions This was not "the act of a friend," said Albanese while he also committed to not responding in kind All of this comes as the country heads to a federal election on 3 May Candidates would rather focus on domestic issues they can control: cost-of-living they are forced to grapple with a question that goes right to the heart of Australia's role in the world: how to deal with a US president as unpredictable as Trump In the final few days of campaigning before up to 18 million Australians go to the polls who entered power three years ago after promising to invest in social services and tackle climate change with the latest YouGov poll putting Labor on 54 per cent of the two-party vote versus 47 per cent for the opposition Coalition (an alliance of the Liberals and Nationals) This is a modest turnaround from the beginning of the year when Labor was consistently lagging the Coalition in polls "It's not the campaign either party thought they would be having," says Amy Remeikis chief political analyst at the Australia Institute think tank "The looming figure of Trump is overshadowing the domestic campaign but also forcing Australia's leaders to do something they haven't had to do in a long time - examine Australia's links to the US." The US-Australia relationship has perhaps been taken for granted in these parts Australia likes the fact the US has long been a dominant military force in the Pacific Australia relies on its funding and benefits from being part of alliances like Aukus - the far-reaching defence pact between Australia designed to counter China – and the Anglo-intelligence alliance Five Eyes The rise of China has made Australia even more conscious about having the US on its side Beijing has expanded its military presence in the Pacific launching various military exercises in recent years - including one live-fire drill in February that saw Chinese naval vessels just 340 nautical miles from the New South Wales coast Australia recently announced efforts to expand its navy and now hosts four US military bases - decisions fuelled in part by the rise of China It's all placed extra value on Canberra's alliance with Washington DC - one that Trump may be throwing into doubt Trump held a meeting with the UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer He was asked whether they would be discussing Aukus "What does that mean?" Trump asked the reporter "We'll be discussing that … we've had a very good relationship with Australia." A blip maybe - but an indication perhaps of how little Trump thinks about Australia right now "We don't have anywhere else to turn," says David Andrews senior policy advisor at the National Security College which is part of the Australian National University in Canberra "We are physically isolated from everyone As long as we've had European settlement here we've always been concerned about the distance [and] isolation which is why we've always maintained such a strong relationship with first Britain and then the US as the dominant maritime power." While only 5% of Australia's exports go to the US (China is by far Australia's biggest trading partner) the US still dominates the conversation here "This isn't a time to end alliances," says Justin Bassi director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute "That would be cutting off our nose to spite our face." Bassi thinks that Australia should support Trump's moves "We should continue to make it clear that any measures the US takes against Australia are unjustified but we should welcome and support American measures to counter Beijing's malign actions - or for that matter Russia," he says "Not to keep Trump happy but because it is in Australia's interests to constrain the adversary that is undermining our strategic interests." A poll published by the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper last month found that 60% of Australians felt Trump's victory was bad for Australia That was up from last November when it was just 40% And a Lowy Institute poll published two weeks later showed almost two in three Australians held 'not very much' or no trust 'at all' in the US to act responsibly Big questions on transnational alliances are not part of normal campaigning But when Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton faced each other in their first televised debate the first question asked by the audience was one on Trump Dutton has long stressed that he would be the politician best suited to dealing with the US President He often cites his experience as a cabinet minister during tariff negotiations in Trump's first term But that strategy doesn't always serve him well "He went into the election telling people he and Trump were similar enough that they would get on better that he was the sort of personality Trump liked," says Remeikis "He's not repeating that now because people don't want someone to get on with Trump - they want someone who will stand up to him." Dutton has had to do some back-pedalling on comments he made earlier in the year after Trump said he had plans to eject Palestinians from Gaza Dutton called the US president "a deal-maker … a big thinker." And he has come in for some criticism amid accusations of copying the US president He's talked about cutting public sector jobs And his Liberal party appointed Jacinta Nampijinpa Price as shadow minister for government efficiency But when Senator Price recently started talking about wanting to 'Make Australia Great Again' on the campaign trail Dutton avoided questions over the comments Albanese of course has to tread a careful line too In a world that's being turned upside down he's trying to reassure people he's a safe pair of hands; that those alliances remain some analysts say that Trump's conduct may be helping Albanese with voters rushing to support the incumbent during a time of perceived crisis Labor's re-election was thought unlikely as it consistently polled behind the Coalition But the final YouGov polling model of the election predicted that Labor will win 84 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives - an increased majority it paints a stark parallel with this week's election result in Canada - in which the Liberal Party won re-election by riding a backlash of anti-Trump sentiment "What we have seen in Canada has been a dramatic shift back towards the incumbent government and that is a rallying around the flag based on attacks on that country," he says "The attacks on Australia haven't been as severe so it's not the same degree but at the same time you're also seeing a rallying around the current Labor government Six months ago you thought their re-election would be unlikely; today on the cusp of the election here in Australia it seems more likely than not - and one of the important factors in that has been developments in Washington DC they will have a big job on their hands to navigate Australia's future with its allies "We have to make do with the hand we've been dealt," says Andrews "I expect that we are going to have to be much more ruthlessly self-interested and that's not comfortable because our foreign policy has generally been based around cooperation collaboration and multilateralism – so that shared sense of threat that middle powers have of working together to maximise their output." the cheerleaders are out and the audience gets ready to watch bucking broncos – the riders shortly afterwards holding on to their steer for as long as possible before being violently thrown to the ground Flying above the arena are the flags of Canada and the US There may not be much of a team spirit among allies right now - but voters here will be keen to see how their next leader rides out the storm BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below Ian Wilkinson was left seriously ill after the meal, which led to the deaths of his wife and two relatives. What Canada's Mark Carney can expect when he meets TrumpThe BBC's Anthony Zurcher looks at how past Oval Office meetings could set the tone for the prime minister's visit to Washington. Experts say the federal government would have to overcome enormous hurdles to turn Alcatraz back into a prison. Australia star batter Marnus Labuschagne will play two matches for Glamorgan in May ahead of the World Test Championship final. Both left-leaning politicians were facing defeat against candidates who had aped some of Mr Trump’s stylings—until widespread dismay at the American president’s disruption of global markets and abandonment of traditional allies turned the tide The country is making it first big bet on semiconductors This one could be riskier than their last major crisis in 2019 After the Kashmir attack, military action is possible but comes with huge risks Amid the tariff war, an interview with the acting president Anthony Miller says worst of inflation-induced pressure on borrowers is easing while framing Labor re-election an ‘enormous positive’ Westpac’s chief executive believes Australia may be recovering from the depths of the cost-of-living crisis and has hailed the re-election of the Albanese government as an “enormous positive” for the country. Anthony Miller said on Monday the worst of the inflation-induced pressure on borrowers was easing, as the share of customers falling behind on repayments fell. “We may have passed the low point in the cycle,” he said. But the likelihood of an Australian recession has risen from 42.5% to 45%, Westpac predicted, as international markets stay on edge amid Donald Trump’s trade conflict. Westpac posted a 1% drop in net profit for the six months ended March to $3.3bn, according to half-year results released on Monday. While the profit result underwhelmed investors, sending the bank’s share price down by more than 3% in early afternoon trading, the report showed early signs customers were facing less intense cost-of-living difficulties. Read moreThe share of Westpac customers behind on repayments fell from its 1.45% peak to 1.36% over the six months to March Just 0.86% of the lender’s Australian mortgage borrowers were more than 90 days behind on repayments while 90-day repayment delays on other consumer loans also fell The ease in cost-of-living pressures signalled by the major bank’s results was also evident in the federal election, with Labor re-elected after arguing that the economy had “turned the corner” Miller said the government’s re-election provided stability to Australia against an uncertain global economic outlook “That certainty that the Labor party has provided over the last couple of years in government and now re-elected is an incredibly powerful outcome and a very positive one for the country,” he told investors and media on Monday Free daily newsletterOur Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day telling you what’s happening and why it matters as opposed to boldly going in different and new directions Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Household and business spending are expected to take over from government activity to drive stronger economic growth as the share of borrowers behind on debt shrinks While lower rates of stressed or impaired debt would have meant Westpac could provision less money to cover potential losses Miller said shocks and volatility in other countries made global borrowing riskier said: “We’ve got a lot of global uncertainty and we’ve increased the downside [likelihood] to cope with that [but] all the forward-looking economic indicators [are] not telling us we’re going to have a downturn in the future.” Given receives funding from the Australian Research Council She is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Association for Information Science and Technology Gary Rosengarten receives funding from the Australian Research Council Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Renewable Affordable Clean Energy for 2030 CRC and is a non-executive board member of the Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment RMIT University provides funding as a strategic partner of The Conversation AU View all partners More than 18 million Australians voted on Saturday reading campaign flyers and reviewing how-to-vote cards The 2025 federal election was Australia’s biggest yet, with 710,000 more people on the electoral roll than in 2022 The Australian Election Commission amassed 250,000 pencils 80,000 ballot boxes and 5,000 rolls of tamper-proof tape to stock some 7,000 polling places what happens to these materials after polling day But every election also generates a mountain of waste for landfill Australia needs to mandate a cradle-to-grave approach to creating recycling and disposing of election materials electronic machines and online voting can reduce the need for paper ballots just as social media campaigns can reduce paper mail drops In response to inquiries from The Conversation, the Australian Election Commission said most AEC materials, such as tamper-proof tape, vests and pencils, are stored between elections at counting centres. Other materials, such as cardboard voting booths, are recycled or donated to schools or charities Most councils require corflutes to be collected within seven days of an election. But no rules govern reuse or disposal. Corflutes are made from polypropylene, a lightweight plastic that is technically recyclable. But it’s not a straightforward process so most recycling facilities reportedly cannot accept this waste Some candidates donate corflutes to schools because the white reverse side can be used to mount artworks Second-hand corflutes have also been used as shelters for homeless people, heat shields for bee hives, or to repair damaged skylights Many countries are “greening” their elections. In 2019, India’s election commission directed parties to eliminate single-use plastic including corflutes. In 2024, the United Kingdom’s Westminster Foundation for Democracy outlined strategies for reducing election “pollution” Australia relies heavily on disposable election materials. While many of these can be recycled, it’s better to avoid single-use materials Parties could also display how-to-vote instructions on posters at election sites rather than handing out individual flyers that are recycled or thrown away In 2022, the AEC introduced plain brown cardboard screens and ballot boxes, saying they are easier to recycle and reuse than previous versions “wrapped” in purple-and-white branded paper Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers says elections will probably always be “highly manual and resource-intensive exercises” Other countries are introducing online voting to reduce waste. One study in Estonia found the carbon footprint of paper-based voting was 180 times greater than internet-based voting More than 50% of the population voted online in 2023 India introduced electronic voting machines in 1982 and mandated them, nationwide, in 2004. In 1999 alone this saved 7,700 tonnes of waste Yet electronic voting machines are not without controversy. Security concerns after the 2016 US election resulted in 94% of districts shifting to optical scanning and use of “direct-recording” electronic voting machines almost halved Ireland invested €50 million (A$88 million) into electronic voting machines in 2002 but they were never used due to concerns about potential tampering Australia should explore secure options for electronic voting machines and online voting the AEC said this would be a matter for parliament to consider because the law currently demands that elections are in-person events Social media enables candidates and voters to engage in new ways. For instance, Labor senators Katy Gallagher and Penny Wong took part in a Facebook “pop quiz” on April 29 But social media can amplify misinformation so consumers need to fact-check what they see and hear online Combined, the parties and affiliated groups spent more than A$39 million on advertisements on YouTube, Facebook and Google during the 2025 campaign. The AEC had to update its authorisation guidelines to cover podcasters and other content creators This mirrors global shifts towards social media campaigning. During Canada’s 2025 campaign, Liberal leader Mark Carney (who went on to be elected prime minister) created a video with celebrity Mike Myers, reaching 10 million views While such creative approaches may engage voters, they still carry a carbon footprint. Carney and Myers’ video likely produced about six tonnes of CO₂ emissions due to the energy and electricity used in production Text messages also connect candidates with voters. Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots party sent 17 million texts the election campaign. This equates to 240kg of CO₂ emissions from energy-hungry data centres and personal devices This is less than the emissions the average Australian produces in a week. However, the unsolicited texts riled many voters, many concerned about privacy and who wanted to opt out. Australia should mandate a reduction in the disposal of election materials. Some print materials may always be needed, because not all voters can access digital content or vote online. But the current situation is unsustainable. Global experiences show innovation is possible. Australia can reduce its reliance on new, physical materials, while maintaining public trust. Australia’s newly elected officials have an opportunity to green future elections, adopting a more sophisticated approach to voting in a digital age. There’s no excuse for producing mountains of plastic and paper waste every three or four years. Our nation deserves better. Whether you’re trying to stash cash ahead of tax time or just looking for an excuse to finally dive into that game your mates won’t shut up about a ton of today’s gaming deals are worth making room for Stop reading and get scrolling to save a bundle I've cracked some kwama eggs to bake a 23-shaped cake for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind My core launch memory of this seminal RPG was one of awe and s'wit questions does this horizon stretch out forever beyond the starter port of Seyda Neen? And what madness is this level of freedom where I can grind into being a magic-bow-packing how I miss quest pathfinding done purely via directions gleaned from conversations (zero quest/compass markers) They don't make 'em like this anymore - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (PC) 2002. Get - NBA Street Vol. 2 (GC, PS2, XB) 2003. Similar - Midnight Club II (PS2) 2003. Sequel - Skullgirls (PS3) 2012. Sequel Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card Back to top Or just invest in an Xbox Card PS+ Monthly FreebiesYours to keep from Apr 1 with this subscription Or purchase a PS Store Card. Or just get a Steam Wallet Card University of Auckland provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau provides funding as a member of The Conversation NZ Trying to capitalise on the electoral success of US President Donald Trump now that his policies are having real-world effects is proving to be a big mistake for conservative leaders Australian voters have delivered a landslide win for the incumbent Labor Party returning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a second term with a clear majority of seats When he said in his victory speech that Australians had “voted for Australian values” an unspoken message was that they’d firmly rejected Trumpian values opposition and Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton had such a bad election he lost his own seat While not the only reason for his electoral demise Dutton’s adoption of themes associated with Trump backfired As recently as mid-February, however, it was a completely different story. Opinion polls were projecting Dutton’s Coalition to win But by March, Labor had pulled ahead in the polls, and exceeded expectations in the election itself. As one commentator put it the Liberals were “reduced to a right-wing populist party that is all but exiled from the biggest cities” Where, then, did Dutton go wrong? Commentators identified a number of reasons, including his “culture wars” and being depicted by Labor as “Trump-lite” Following a Trumpian pathway turned out to be a strategic blunder And Dutton’s downfall mirrors Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s defeat in Canada’s election on April 28 Canada’s incumbent centre-left Liberals were heading for defeat to the Conservatives But there were two gamechangers: the Liberals switched leaders from Justin Trudeau to Mark Carney and Trump caused a national uproar with his aggressive tariffs and his call for Canada to become the 51st US state Pre-election opinion polls then did a dramatic flip in favour of the Liberals who went on to win their fourth election in a row Poilievre’s campaign had adopted elements of the Trump style, such as attacking “wokeness” and using derogatory nicknames for opponents His strategy failed as soon as Trump rolled out “America First” policies contrary to Canadians’ economic interests and national pride The takeaway for serious right-wing leaders in liberal democracies is clear: let Trump do Trump; his brand is toxic Trump’s actions are harming America’s allies affirmative action and climate change have seen voters outside the US react with self-protective patriotism A perceived association with Trump’s brand has now upended the electoral fortunes of (so far) two centre-right parties that had been in line to win and had been banking on the 2024 MAGA success somehow rubbing off on them Admittedly, what has been dubbed the “Trump slump” isn’t a universal trend In Germany, the centre-left Social Democratic-led government was ousted in February, in spite of Trump ally Elon Musk’s unhelpful support for the far-right anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party the populist Reform UK party has risen above 25% while Labour has fallen from 34% in last year’s election to the low 20s in recent polls Opinion polls dramatically flipped in early February boosting Labour from below 20% back into the lead Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will get another term in office Denmark’s governing Social Democrats have enjoyed a small polling boost since Trump declared he’d like to take Greenland off their hands The common denominator underlying these shifts to the left seems to be the Trump effect Voters in countries normally closely allied with the US are turning away from Trump-adjacent politicians In 2024, elections tended to go against incumbents people are rallying patriotically around centre-left Ironically, Trump is harming leaders who could have been his allies. Unrepentant as always, the man himself seemed proud of the impact he had in Canada In Australia and New Zealand, polls in mid-2024 showed support for Trump was growing – heading well above 20% Australia’s election suggests that trend may now be past its peak In New Zealand, with debate over ACT’s contentious Treaty Principles Bill behind it, and despite NZ First leader Winston Peters’ overt culture-war rhetoric (which may appeal to his 6% support base) the right-wing coalition government’s polling shows it could be on track for a second term – for the time being While the Trump effect may have benefited centre-left parties in Australia and Canada polling for New Zealand’s Labour opposition is softer than at the start of the year While “America First” policies continue to damage the global economy centre-right leaders who learn the lesson will quietly distance themselves from the Trump brand while maintaining cordial relations with the White House could do worse than follow Anthony Albanese’s example of not getting distracted by “Trump-lite” and instead promoting his own country’s values of fairness and mutual respect Felix Gold (ASX:FXG) has received firm commitments to raise $17 million under a two-tranche placement which it says has been “strongly supported” by offshore and Australian institutional investors Funds raised will be used to progress development and exploration activities across Felix Gold’s projects Petra Capital acted as sole lead manager and sole bookrunner to the equity raise also played a role in supporting the raise.  13 million broker options with an exercise price of $0.2325 and an expiry date of three years from issue and also pay a 6% commission on funds raised Just over 109.67 million shares will be issued under the placement in two tranches Some $12.7 million will be raised under the company’s remaining placement capacity (tranche one) Settlement of tranche one is expected to occur on 8 May $4.3 million will be issued subject to shareholder approval at a general meeting held on or around 19 June 2025 The offer price of $0.155 represents a discount of 8.8% to the last traded price and a discount of 9.0% to the 15-day trading volume weighted average trading price to 30 April 2025 Write to info@mining.com.au at Mining.com.au Chilwa starts development talks with Malawi for critical minerals project Chilwa Minerals (ASX:CHW) has initiated the process for securing a mining development.. Green Critical Minerals draws European graphite interest Lion’s legacy investments ‘demonstrating compelling value’ Mid West ‘ideal’ export hub for clean... Zeotech executes MoU with global trading house Hazer forms Kellogg Brown and Root alliance ABC Refinery: Back to the future with... Flagship eyes potential to expand Pantanillo’s mineralisation ASX feeling a bit deflated, gold rebounds      Pacgold accelerates Alice River with new resource Plug-in hybrid EV sales decline amid slowing... Stay Informed on up-to-the-minute mining news Get the best articles straight to your inbox ABC Refinery: Back to the future with Trump’s tariffs06 May Flagship eyes potential to expand Pantanillo’s mineralisation06 May Pacgold accelerates Alice River with new resource06 May Get the latest Mining news delivered straight to your inbox This blog has now closed. Follow our Tuesday Australia federal election 2025 live blog here for the latest results and reaction with 16 seats still in doubtJosh ButlerLabor has won the election but the size of its majority in the House of Representatives remains unclear There are a number of seats still to be decided and the counts are progressing slowly The ABC’s election results show 16 seats are still in doubt The Australian Electoral Commission hasn’t officially declared any seats yet, but says Labor is leading in 86, the Coalition leading in 40, independents in 11, Bob Katter in his seat and Rebekha Sharkie in hers; another two seats are too close to attribute, and in nine seats, the two-candidate-preferred count is still being calculated. Some of the closest seats include Longman, Goldstein and Bullwinkel, where the vote is currently 50.05 to 49.95, or separated by about 100 votes. Liberal Tim Wilson is currently 95 votes behind the independent Zoe Daniel in Goldstein; Labor’s Trish Cook leads the Liberals by 85 votes in the new WA seat of Bullwinkel; and LNP’s Terry Young is ahead of Labor in Longman by 102 votes. It might be some time before we get those results, as well as in the seats of Bradfield, Kooyong and Wills. Monday 5 AprilThanks for reading our coverage today as counting continued in several electorates after the election on Saturday night Anthony Albanese held his first press conference since being re-elected as prime minister with an increased Labor majority. Albanese said he had a “warm and positive” conversation with US President Donald Trump and foreshadowed an in-person meeting the president described Albanese as “very good” and said he had “no idea” who Peter Dutton was Trump also announced 100% tariffs on movies made in “foreign lands”, prompting alarm in the Australian film sector and promises from politicians to stand up for the local industry The size of Labor’s majority in the House of Representatives remained unclear and a number contests remain on a knife-edge The ABC was reporting 16 seats still in doubt at 5pm the independent candidate Zoe Daniel walked back her claims of a Victory as counting of postal votes narrowed the gap between her and Liberal Tim Wilson It looked like Greens leader Adam Bandt could lose the seat of Melbourne to Labor Liberal senator Hollie Hughes launched an extraordinary attack on Angus Taylor – who had been touted as a possible new Liberal leader saying the shadow treasurer offered ‘zero economic policy’ and that she didn’t know ‘what he’s been doing for three years’ In other news, the trial of Erin Patterson continued in Victoria. Patterson faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha in South Gippsland in 2023. Updated at 09.54 CEST23h ago09.10 CESTSarah Basford CanalesGina Rinehart urges Liberals to go harder on Trump-like policies Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has encouraged the Liberal party to stick with Donald Trump-like policies after the opposition’s electoral thumping on Saturday night in a campaign overshadowed by the controversial US president The mining billionaire also singled out Italy and Hungary which are governed by populist rightwing coalitions where people were “abandoning the myths or untruths of the left” and returning to “common sense and truth” Gina Rinehart says the ‘left media’ frightened ‘many in the Liberal party from anything Trump’. Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersAnthony Albanese clinched victory against his conservative challenger, Peter Dutton, on Saturday, after the latter failed to brush off comparisons with Trump and ended up losing his own seat. In a lengthy statement to the Daily Mail on Monday, Australia’s richest person broke her silence following the Coalition’s wipeout on Saturday night. The left media did a very successful effort, frightening many in the Liberal party from anything Trump, and away from any Trump-like policies. This has been especially obvious this year, with the Liberals instead becoming known as the ‘me too’ party. Trump-style ‘make Australia great’ policies via cutting government tape, government bureaucracy and wastage, and hence being able to cut taxes, [were] too scarce in Australia this year to rate a mention. No doubt the left media will now try to claim that the Liberal loss was because the Liberal party followed Trump and became too right! The two simply don’t add up! The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has vowed to defends the local screen industry in response to Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on film production. US president has announced 100% tariffs on movies “produced in foreign lands”. It is a bad decision for films and movies whether they’re made in Australia or the United States. It’s shortsighted and won’t work. We’ll be defending our screen industry as well as the local jobs it creates. NSW is home to more than half of Australia’s screen production businesses and film industry. It’s estimated to be around $1.15bn to the local economy. We’re talking films like Mad Max: Fury Road, The Great Gatsby, The Fall Guy, Anyone But You. These are major movie productions. Updated at 09.16 CEST23h ago09.00 CESTVictorian AG warns Liberals’ bail changes would place shoplifting ‘in the same category as manslaughter’ The Victorian attorney-general, Sonya Kilkenny, has responded to the state opposition’s new bail policy. The experiences of victims of crime are always front of mind, as is community safety – that’s why we’ve listened and acted with the toughest bail laws in the country. These are already seeing alleged offenders refused bail – and we’ll have more changes to come soon. They’ve reheated policy from the past that does nothing for community safety and would see petty shoplifting placed in the same category as manslaughter. Brad Battin’s Liberals are irrelevant. We’re getting on with the work that needs to be done to keep Victorians safe. Updated at 09.14 CEST23h ago08.56 CESTBenita KolovosVictorian opposition proposes changes to bail laws Brad Battin has announced a suite of proposed changes to Victoria’s laws young offenders who breach their bail conditions would be remanded in custody called a “loophole” created by the state government If you’re under 18 and you breach your condition of bail We’re going to bring that loophole to an end just like every other offender who receives the privilege of bail with conditions will be required to meet those conditions or they will be committing an offence they will face a much tougher test if they want to stay on bail The opposition’s announcement comes just months after the Allan government reintroduced the offences of committing an indictable offence while on bail and breaching a condition of bail But they did not make them apply to children Under the opposition proposal, these changes would come into effect right away. Battin said the government could account for an influx in people on remand by keeping open the Port Phillip prison in Truganina, which is slated for closure. Battin and O’Brien were joined at the presser conference by Nat Gordon, the sister of Ash Gordon, a GP who was killed during a home invasion earlier this year. Updated at 09.24 CEST23h ago08.55 CESTBenita KolovosVictorian Liberal leader focused on state issues after resounding Coalition loss Following the federal Coalition election defeat, the Victorian opposition leader, Brad Battin, has said he’s firmly focused on state issues, with preparations under way for the 2026 Victorian election. Speaking in Morwell, where he announced his first major policy since being elected leader in late December, Battin said the announcement is an attempt to “reset our agenda to move forward” following the federal result. He went on: We’ve got a whole policy platform we’ll start to roll out over the next 572 days before Victorians go to the electorate and make sure that we’re listening, that we’ve got our policies in the right place, that we’re listening to the community keeping Victoria safe, and that’s our priority. Unlike some of his colleagues, Battin says he wasn’t stunned by the result. He said: I wouldn’t say I was stunned … I watched the election almost from afar. I stayed in contact with the federal counterparts as we went through [and] there’ll be elements of that we can learn from, and we can always learn from. But I think it’s really important that for our focus here in the state, that it stays exactly where it was. We already knew the issues that were happening here in Victoria. We know that crime and cost of living are two of the biggest things impacting people in our state. He also argued voters were able to distinguish between state and federal government’s – pointing to the swings to Labor in Queensland just months after it elected a Liberal National government. Battin said: Victorians and Queenslanders have both said that they know the difference between state and federal issues. So now I’ll be refocusing on those state issues. He denied the Liberal brand was “toxic” and said he trusted the party’s administration, its polling and campaigning ability ahead of the state election. Updated at 09.06 CEST23h ago08.54 CESTGreens’ ‘blocking’ a factor in Labor’s Griffith win The new MP for the Brisbane-based seat of Griffith has explained why she believes she was able to regain the seat for Labor by toppling the Greens’ Max Chandler-Mather The big issues in Griffith are pretty much the issues nationally so cost of living [is] the number one issue [and] housing [are] incredibly important to people in Griffith and also climate change and the environment were really important issues Griffith fundamentally is a progressive electorate and people were wanting to see real change and progress so I think there was some disappointment with some of the blocking that went on and this idea of protest Chandler-Mather, who acted as the Greens’ housing spokesperson, locked horns continuously with Anthony Albanese during the last parliamentary term in very public debates over housing policy The Greens voted with the Coalition to delay Labor’s housing legislation, demanding the government provide more support for renters. Updated at 09.19 CEST23h ago08.45 CESTChaney says independents don’t need to become a formal voting bloc ‘at this point’ The re-elected member for Curtin, Kate Chaney, says she and the other teal independents and crossbenchers in the lower house don’t need to become a “more formalised voting bloc”. Labor has again secured a majority in the House of Representatives, meaning it doesn’t need to negotiate with crossbenchers to pass legislation in the lower chamber. Asked about the role of the crossbench during an interview on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Chaney said: I don’t think there is any need at this point to become a more formalised voting bloc. The role I can play now is much the same as the role in the last parliament and that is to look at everything on the merits and represent the values of my electorate and keep submissions on the agenda that the major parties would rather sweep under the carpet. Having those voices in parliament, have more voices in parliament that can speak up without being constrained by a party structure, means we have richer discussions about the big challenges we’re facing a country. I have more potential to influence legislation by having a constructive working relationship with the government than my electorate would if it was represented by a Coalition backbencher. Updated at 08.56 CEST23h ago08.34 CESTLabor worked for two years to stage Queensland comeback Watt says Labor worked hard on campaigning in Queensland “for some time” to stage a comeback in his home state Labor has picked up a slew of seats in Queensland, including Petrie north of Brisbane and Leichhardt, where it defeated the Liberal National party Labor’s Ali France also won Liberal leader Peter Dutton’s seat of Dickson becoming the first person to unseat a federal opposition leader at an election Murray Watt celebrates with newly elected Queensland Labor MP Ali France. Photograph: Jono Searle/EPALabor also won back two Brisbane seats that it lost to the Greens in the 2022 election. Speaking on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Watt acknowledged 2022 had not been a good year for Labor in Queensland and said the candidates, sitting MPs and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, had all put in significant “time and effort” to reverse that trend. If you go back to the 2019 election, federally we got thumped in Queensland, lost a lot of seats, a very low primary vote, lost a second Senate seat for the first time in decades. [We] went back further in the last election in 2022 and recognised we needed to make a bigger contribution … and frankly to retain government federally, we have needed to win seats in Queensland, so we have been applying ourselves for some time. I looked back at my Facebook posts yesterday and it was two years ago almost to the day we began campaigning in some of the Greens-held seats in Queensland. It has taken a lot of hard work [and it] has not been an overnight success. Watt also said people in Queensland could “differentiate between state and federal issues”, given the LNP won the most recent state election off Labor. Updated at 09.27 CEST23h ago08.18 CESTLabor not given credit for ambition of election agenda – WattLabor senator Murray Watt has denied his party has not been ambitious and says the re-elected Albanese government intends “to live up to” its campaign promises. Watt, a cabinet minister who most recently held the employment and workplace relations portfolios, has been interviewed on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing program. The Queensland senator denied the Albanese government had not been ambitious in its first term, pointing to wages growth: I know there is commentary around we can now be ambitious and we have not been ambitious before, and I think is completely wrong. I think the agenda we took to the election was much more ambitious than it is given credit for. The idea we can get back to a situation in Australia where 90% of Australians can get a bulk-billed GP appointment is huge in terms of cost of living. It may not be exciting in terms of headlines but it makes a huge difference to people’s lives, so [that is] what we will focus on. Updated at 08.33 CEST24h ago08.06 CESTBenita KolovosPremier maintains Loop a decisive issue for Labor in Melbourne But Allan on Monday rejected that suggestion: If you speak to locals, if you spend any time out and about on the ground in local communities, the Suburban Rail Loop was being talked about. It was being talked about on doors. It was being talked about on the streets … It was understood there was a Labor government and a Labor team that were backing the Suburban Rail Loop and a Liberal outfit that wanted to cut it. Updated at 08.11 CEST24h ago08.05 CESTBenita KolovosAllan seizes on Labor’s success in Melbourne’s east to propel Suburban Rail Loop The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has used Labor’s strong showing in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs at the federal election to push forward the state’s signature transport project, the Suburban Rail Loop. If you live in this community, like so many others, you understand that as you welcome more people who live in your community … [you have] got to get in and invest in big rail projects like this one that absolutely shifts more people on to rail, just like what the Metro Tunnel is going to do later this year when it opens. Updated at 08.09 CEST1d ago07.43 CESTSize of Labor majority remains unclear The Australian Electoral Commission hasn’t officially declared any seats yet, but says Labor is leading in 86, the Coalition leading in 40 Bob Katter in his seat and Rebekha Sharkie in hers; another two seats are too close to attribute the two-candidate-preferred count is still being calculated Updated at 07.56 CEST1d ago07.22 CESTAlbanese has ‘very warm’ conversation with Trump Anthony Albanese said he had a “very warm” conversation with the US president about tariffs and Aukus following Labor’s election win Albanese also foreshadowed an in-person meeting with Trump told reporters in the US that he was “very friendly with” Albanese and said he had “no idea” who Peter Dutton was Our multimedia team has prepared this clip of Trump’s full remarks: I’ll be with you on the blog until this evening Follow today’s live news and reaction to the 2025 Australian federal election who was first elected to federal parliament in 2016 fought a tight contest against the Greens’ Samantha Ratnam to hold onto the electorate in Melbourne’s north which takes in the suburbs of Carlton North on a margin of 8.6% on a two-candidate preferred basis against the Greens The Greens were hoping they could win the seat which covers some of Melbourne’s most progressive territory but the results had been too close to call until this afternoon The Australian Electoral Commission’s most recent update put Khalil in front of Ratnam with 51.84% of the two-candidate-preferred vote to 48.16% – a lead of 3356 votes The race narrowed even further in terms of primary votes alone - Khalil had secured 32,926 primary votes and Ratnam 32,179 The independent MP for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, says independent candidates have “done well” in the election, and she has her “fingers crossed” for those in seats that are still too close to call Spender said more than 1 million Australians had given their first preference votes to an independent making it the “fasting growing political movement in the country” While Spender was re-elected to her electorate in Sydney’s eastern suburbs other “teal” independents who were elected to parliament with her in 2022 may not have fared so well In the Melbourne seats of Kooyong and Goldstein, the contests have come down to the wire, with independents Monique Ryan and Zoe Daniel fending off challenges from Liberal candidates hoping to regain the seats for the Coalition Asked by the ABC whether she was surprised Ryan and Daniel had suffered swings against them and could lose their seats It was a huge change to even have these people in these seats – non-Liberals neither of them have ever had a woman represent them before as well It’s very unusual and they had quite big redistributions but they were marginal seats and I still have my fingers crossed Tasmanian Liberal senator Jonathon Duniam says his party has “a lot of work to do” to increase its number of women candidates before the next election who criticised the Coalition’s campaign HQ in an interview with Sky News earlier today has just been up on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing Jonathon Duniam chats with a Labor volunteer in Burnie Photograph: Mike Bowers/The GuardianAsked where he stood on quotas as a way to address the party’s gender imbalance I think it is something we need to address Here in Tasmania of course at the last election not with a quota but it was the way it unfolded We have to make sure we can represent the community we seek to represent and I’ll do my bit along with our organisation to ensure we encourage people … but we have a lot of work to do in that space In 1994 the Labor party adopted a mandatory 35% preselection quota for women in winnable seats at all elections by 2002. Updated at 08.33 CEST36m ago08.07 CESTGreens leader Adam Bandt now expected to lose Melbourne, analyst saysSarah Basford CanalesAnd just as quickly as that, another electoral analyst is predicting Greens leader Adam Bandt will now lose the seat of Melbourne by a very slim margin. In more bad news for the Greens, analyst Kevin Bonham is projecting Labor’s Sarah Witty will clinch the inner Melbourne seat by less than 1% after “very bad preference flows” in a few booths counted recently. Guardian Australia spoke to Bonham only an hour before his latest call, but it seems the odds are turning against the minor party leader for now as the Greens fight to hold on to the seat they’ve held since 2010. Bonham had earlier described Bandt’s position as “shaky”. Meanwhile, Ben Raue has tempered his prediction that Bandt will just scrape in. He’s now projecting a Greens win in Melbourne by just 0.2%. Either way you cut it, it’s not a great result for the Greens which hoped to rule with Labor in a minority government. The speculation will likely last at least another day or two but could take as long as a week for the results to finalise. Updated at 08.20 CEST53m ago07.50 CESTGuardian Australia calls the seat of Wills for LaborPeter Khalil Labor’s Sarah Witty is leading Bandt 52% to 48% on a two-party preferred margin although only two-thirds of ballots have been counted The Greens have held the seat since 2010 and few would have predicted the size of swing against the minor party even after an unfavourable boundary redistribution hurt their lead ahead of polling day But Raue says his calculations predict the Greens leader will hold on This is because the Australian Electoral Commission began with counting postal votes which have typically not gone the way of the Greens Raue says pre-poll and election day votes would typically favour Greens over Labor and Liberal and on those projections Greens leader Adam Bandt will likely hold on to the seat of Melbourne. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPRaue said: Bandt has had a swing against him. There’s no denying that. It’s definitely happening. I think that probably reflects Labor’s resurgence and people want to vote for the government. And, you know, it’s a very progressive area. And so there are probably people who like the Greens, but also want to have a Labor government, and that influences how they vote. Inside Bandt’s camp, the vibes remain positive even as the nearby seat of Wills has been called for Labor, with Peter Khalil retaining the seat. Party sources blame the collapse in the Liberal vote and Labor’s advantage in three-way contests for the loss of some lower house seats. Like other complicated seat counts, the results in Melbourne could take a few more days before an outcome is clear. Updated at 07.53 CEST2h ago07.00 CESTCatie McLeodHello. I hope you’ve had a good day so far. I’m here to take you through the rest of the day’s news. 2h ago06.59 CESTI will now hand the blog over for the afternoon to my colleague, Catie McLeod, who will guide you for the remainder of the day. 2h ago06.46 CESTSearch for missing swimmer suspended The woman didn’t reportedly didn’t resurface after entering the water shortly after 7am at Pottsville beach. There have been no official missing person reports and no unattended vehicles or items have been located near the beach. The woman is described as of Caucasian appearance, aged in her early 20s, of thin build, with light brown shoulder-length hair worn in a ponytail. She was wearing cream-coloured shorts. Police want anyone who matches the description of the woman to contact local police Updated at 07.14 CEST2h ago06.36 CESTMan dies in Erskine Park warehouse incident A 29-year-old man has died after reports of a workplace incident at a warehouse in Erskine Park in NSW. Emergency services were called out to a warehouse on Grady Crescent at 8.30am on Tuesday after the reports. NSW police attended with NSW Ambulance to treat the man, who died at the scene. The man has yet to be formally identified. An investigation into the incident is under way. A report will be prepared for the coroner and the incident has been referred to SafeWork NSW. Updated at 06.37 CEST2h ago06.26 CESTNick EvershedMore on Tim Wilson now leading in Goldstein There’s still quite a few postal, absent and declaration votes to be counted, with at least 8,589 listed as waiting to be processed by the AEC. The postal votes so far are very strongly in favour of the Liberals, with 64.5% Liberal to 35.5% independent on the two-candidate preferred count. It would take quite a margin in Daniel’s favour in the other non-booth votes waiting to be counted for her to regain the lead. Updated at 06.28 CEST2h ago06.20 CESTAEC admit to error in transcription of original count in Menzies The Australian Electoral Commission has admitted there was an “error in the transcription of the original count” in the tightly contested Victorian seat of Menzies on election night Sitting Liberal MP Keith Wolahan is currently trailing Labor’s Gabriel Ng by about 1,300 votes in the count for the seat in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs But Wolahan’s scrutineers are concerned about a big change in votes at a booth in Doncaster East he had 8,817 first-preference votes in the booth but during a recount on Sunday it was reduced to 6,966 – a difference of about 1,800 votes the AEC said it was “not unusual” to make corrections during the counting process The Labor candidate for Menzies Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPThey blamed the discrepancy in Menzies on an “error in the transcription of the original count” which was “detected and quickly rectified during scrutiny on Sunday” They said scrutineers were present for this process Election night counts are conducted by our temporary election workforce at the end of the polling day The ‘fresh scrutiny’ currently being conducted is a re-check of all ordinary ballot papers received from every polling place pre-poll voting centre and mobile polling team in a division and is required by the Electoral Act to further ensure the accuracy of the counting process A spokesperson for the Liberal party said it would continue to watch the count in the seat: We are closely watching the Menzies count as postal votes continue to be received. We are aware of some inconsistency in reported figures on Saturday night and are making inquiries to the AEC about those matters. Wolahan’s defeat has been regarded as a huge loss for the Liberals and with the neighbouring seat of Deakin also set to turn red, leaves the party without a seat in Melbourne. This is another seat where the two-candidate preferred count has been delayed as the initial pairing decided by the AEC (Greens v Liberal) was not the pairing that eventuated on the night So we’re going to have to wait a while to see how the preferences flow with the new Greens v Labor pairing the AEC shows Labor with 55.6% of the two-candidate-preferred vote and the preference flows are going very strongly to Labor That said, this re-count is so far based only on six regular booths and a pre-poll centre, with the counting only 15% complete. Further, election analyst Kevin Bonham suggests that the early preference flows were based on a vote sample that was uncharacteristically bad for the Greens and that Bandt will likely win narrowly once more booths go through the re-count process The ABC’s chief election analyst, Antony Green, also said on 7:30 Monday night that he doesn’t think the rest of the preferences will flow to Labor as strongly, and so Bandt may hold on. In Ryan, we have another three-cornered contest and at the moment it looks like the Greens have beaten Labor for second place on the primary vote by 661 votes. If this position holds, the Greens should win the seat against the LNP off Labor preferences. However, it’s possible that absent, postal and other pre-poll votes could make a difference in the final order, so we’ll have to wait for counting to continue. Updated at 06.18 CEST3h ago06.11 CESTWill Adam Bandt hold his seat?Nick EvershedIn this update we’ll take a closer look at the count unfolding in the seats of Melbourne and Ryan Probably the biggest question at the moment is whether or not Greens leader Adam Bandt is likely to lose his seat the Green’s national vote looked steady compared with 2022 however with more of the vote counted their overall primary vote is down by almost half a percentage point Their bad result in Griffith and Brisbane was in part due to the nature of those seats - both are three-cornered contests where the order of parties in the primary vote (and subsequent preference rounds) matters a lot The swing to Labor flipped the order in these seats compared with 2022 rather than Greens and LNP in the final two which Labor won with strong preference flows The Greens leader the Greens candidate for Wills at Brunswick East primary school on Saturday Photograph: Morgan Hancock/Getty ImagesIn Griffith and Labor won again with strong preference flows The Greens’ margin in the seat of Melbourne has declined compared with 2022 due to boundary redistributions, which resulted in the electorate losing some strong Greens-voting areas in the north of the seat and gaining areas in South Yarra where the Liberal vote is higher This redistribution is likely responsible for at least some of the swing against the Greens Australians have voted in the country's 2025 prime minister federal elections Political analyst Ben Quist breaks down how this election is being watched for signs of a Donald Trump-inspired swing against conservative candidates '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information Beijing vies for influence over South Pacific shipping lanes and ports a highland track that was the scene of intense fighting during World World II During a two-day hike to honor veterans of the conflict the two men were locked in conversation and frequently called each other “brother,” according to journalists who joined them on the trek in April last year one that highlighted Australia’s close ties across the South Pacific.