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| Tony Abbott The Australian Election 2013 Courtesy The Herald Sun |
Kevin Rudd has finally gone, trailing with him the same peculiar circumlocutions of thought, the same baby talk and the same Canberra bureaucratic babble that had infested his brain throughout the campaign. Gone were the glory days of signing Kyoto and the national reconciliation, giant thought bubbles which had the nation enthralled in euphoric virtue.
Gonsky; as he said on his Kitchen Cabinet interview with Annabelle Crabbe for the Australian Broadcasting Commission.
Gone, but not forgotten for a very long time.
Kevin earnt his nickname Captain Chaos until the very end; showing up to cast his vote with wife Teresa Rein but not having alerted the Australian Electoral Commission prior to his arrival. And thereby creating pandamonium as the media fought with AEC officials over access and jostled for position; because whatever the shot, you cannot afford to miss it.
While Michael sat on his elderly mother's couch and watched the election on television. He missed, badly missed, being in the centre of everything.
THE BIGGER STORY:
Australia's opposition has crushed the governing Labor party in a general election that has returned the Liberal-National coalition to power for the first time in six years.
The coalition won 88 seats to Labor's 57 in the 150-seat parliament.
Liberal leader Tony Abbott, who will be prime minister, promised a competent and trustworthy government.
Outgoing PM Kevin Rudd earlier admitted defeat and said he would not stand again for the Labor leadership.
The main election issues were how to tackle an expected economic slowdown, whether to keep a tax on carbon emissions, and how to reduce the number of asylum seekers arriving by boat.
Mr Rudd called the election after defeating Julia Gillard in a leadership challenge in June, amid dismal polling figures that showed Labor on course for a wipe-out.
Kevin! Kevin!
Rudd: Gees, I thought we'd lost. My fellow Australians, my fellow Queenslanders. And follow members of the great Australian Labor Party. Today we have fought the good fight as the great Australian Labor Party. Tonight is the time to unite as the great Australian nation. Because whatever our politics may be we are all first and foremost Australian. And the things that unite us are more powerful than the things that divide us which is why the world marvels at Australia.
This country which can manage its political differences peacefully and conduct the most vigorous of debates peacefully and resolve our politics peacefully and with civility, that is why this country is such a great country is such a great country. And that in this marvellous tapestry of modern Australia, the mosaic of our multicultural nation that with fashion such unity out of diversity, therein lies the great Australian miracle.
Which is why we are all proud to be Australian. A short time ago I telephoned Tony Abbott to concede defeat at these national elections.
As PM of Australia I wish him well now in the high office of PM of this country. Therese and I wish he, Margie and their family well in coping with the stresses and strains of high office that lie ahead. We know a little bit of what that is like.
And Therese and I look forward to greeting them at the Lodge early next week in the same gracious manner with which Mr and Mrs Howard welcomed us six years ago. Now I want to speak to Labor people and Labor supporters everywhere across Australia.
Gees, a couple more days we might have got there. I know that Labor hearts are heavy across the nation tonight and as your PM and as your parliamentary leader of the great Australian Labor Party I accept responsibility. I gave it my all but it was not enough for us to win. I'm proud that despite all the prophets of doom that we have preserved our Federal Parliamentary Labor Party as a viable fighting force for the future.
And I'm also proud of the fact that despite the pundits we appear to have held every seat in Queensland.
I saw Sky News just before saying we're all gone, including me. Anyway. I'm proud of the fact that we've held each of our seats in Queensland, I'm proud of the fact that every cabinet minister has been returned at this election. And I'm proud that practically all other members of our executive have been returned as well. But tonight, but tonight we have lost many fine Labor men and women from our Parliament and I would like to thank them personally for their courage and their unswerving commitment to our cause, to our party and to our nation.
Just as I would like to thank each and every one of you, the true believers of Australia, who have worked so hard this campaign for your unswerving commitment and to our cause and to our nation.
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