Tony Abbott Speech: Election Night 2010

22/08/10

E&OE

Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen. This is a night for pride in our achievements, for satisfaction at the good results that have been achieved, but above all else, measured reflection of the magnitude of the task ahead. There should be no premature triumphalism tonight. There should simply be an appreciation that this has been a great night for the Australian people and I thank the Australian people, wherever they are, whoever they voted for, for their commitment to this great democracy. I have to say to all of you, and this is a very, very enthusiastic crowd and I love you for your enthusiasm, but I have to say to you, that I feel humbled as I think of the responsibilities that could lie ahead, but I feel so proud of the efforts of every supporter of the Coalition right around our country.

I want to particularly thank at the outset of these remarks, I want to thank our party president Alan Stockdale and our party director Brian Loughnane. I want to thank my friends and colleagues. I want to thank Warren Truss, the Leader of the National Party and I want to thank Julie Bishop, our Deputy Leader. I particularly want to thank the Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey, who has made such a contribution to the economic plans that we have brought forward, but I also want to thank my own staff, who have worked so incredibly hard over the last nine months and on whose hard work tonight's result rests. But it has been a team effort. I am the leader of the team, but it has been a team effort, and this is a very strong team. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank all the candidates for election right around our country, representing whichever party they represent on their election. I particularly note that it seems like the Lower House of Parliament has, for the first time, in its history, an Indigenous Member and I am so proud that on current counting it looks likely that the first ever Indigenous Member of our House of Representatives will be a Liberal Member of Parliament.

I want to encourage all of those candidates who are still in contention, and I want to commiserate with all those good people who have lost their seats in the party, whichever party they represent. They have all made a great effort for our country. I want to thank all of the party members and supporters, right around our country, whichever party they represent for their efforts because without political parties we would not have this great democracy. I acknowledge my opponent, Julia Gillard. No. The last eight weeks could not have been easy for her, but she has certainly worked extremely hard for her cause under difficult circumstances, but I want to say, above all else, tonight has been a win for the Australian people.

They are the stern judges of all Governments and they are the ultimate arbiters of all policies, and we must always respect their judgment. We do not have a clear result from tonight and I want to say that until a clear result has emerged from this election that the caretaker conventions under which the Government has been operating for the last five weeks must continue. What is clear from tonight is that the Labor Party has definitely lost its majority and what that means is that the Government has lost its legitimacy.

I say that a Government which found it very hard to govern effectively with a majority of 17 seats will never be able to govern effectively in a minority. I should point out to this room in particular the great fact that has emerged tonight is that 400,000 more Australians voted for the Coalition parties than voted for Labor and the Labor Party achieved the lowest primary vote of any governing party at least since the Second World War. So, it's pretty clear, ladies and gentlemen, that the Australian people have responded to the clear policies that we took forward to the election. The Australian people want their government to end the waste, to repay the debt, to stop the big new taxes, to stop the boats and to provide a fair go for struggling families. They also responded to our longer term agenda. They want local control of schools and hospitals. They want practical measures to improve our environment. They want strong policies is to help families and above all else they want a strong economy that's managed by a government which understands the needs of small business. But the people have not just responded to the strong policies that is we took to the election. The Australian people have decisively rejected factionalism in all its forms. This election has, to some extent at least, been a referendum on the political execution of a Prime Minister and the Australian people have said that whatever else might characterise our political culture, it should never be characterised by the knock on the door at midnight by the faceless men of the Labor factions.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I say on this remarkable night in our political history that the Coalition is back in business. The Liberal and National Party’s are back in business. We stand ready to govern, and we stand ready to offer the Australian people stable, predictable and competent government and over coming days, I will be talking to the Independent Members of Parliament to ensure that a government can be formed that offers just that to the Australian people.

Finally, ladies and gentlemen, let me say that every single Member of Parliament serves in Parliament with the permission of his or her family. I am so proud of my family. Everything that I have achieved in public life has been achieved with the support and encouragement of my family, and I point out to everyone in I point out to everyone in this room who has worked so hard to bring about a good result that my darling angel wife, Margie, she was delivering to the food to the hungry booth workers of Warringah, and my other children up here were handing out how to votes in the electorate of Lindsay.

Finally, let me say, ladies and gentlemen, that I want to thank the electors of Warringah. I want to thank the electors of Warringah for the faith that they have shown in me on seven consecutive elections. It is an unalterable fact of public life in this country that you cannot be a national leader without being a local member first and foremost. I will never forget the people of Warringah.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for all the support that you have given to me and to Coalition candidates right and our country. Your exuberance, your enthusiasm, your excitement, is well merited and I thank you for it, but I beg of you, please, spare a thought tonight for those who do not feel so excited, for those who do not feel so victorious. In the end, this election is not about us. It is about our country and it is incumbent on us to offer Australia the better government that a great country needs and deserves, and I pledge the rest of my time in public life to that great end. Thank you very much.