May 3, 2025 • 14 mins
The mood inside Labor HQ was jubilant as it became clear that against all expectations, Anthony Albanese had led the Labor party to victory, with a significantly increased majority.
For the coalition the outcome is devastating, and Peter Dutton is out of a job.
On top of that, the next generation of Liberal leadership has been wiped off the electoral map, setting the party back for years to come.
Today, we take you inside Anthony Albanese’s election night party with special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis.
We find out how Labor defied the odds and what it means for the country.
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.
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Guest: special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis
Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Did you come here tonight expecting to party?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Yes, I did, a real name, but I don't think
it would be this good. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Good.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Against all expectations, Anthony Albernizi has led the Labor Party
to victory with an increased majority, winning a sway the
seats across the country for the coalition. The outcome is
devastating and Peter Dutton is out of a job. On
top of that, the next generation of Liberal leadership has
been wiped off the electoral map, setting the party back
(00:39):
for years to come. From Schwartz Media, I'm Daniel James.
This is seven am. Today we take you inside Anthony
Albernese's election night party with special correspondent for the Saturday Paper,
Jason Gottsukis. We find out how labored to find the
(01:01):
odds and what it means for the country. It's Sunday,
May four.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Australians have chosen to face global challengers the Australian way,
looking after each other while building for the future.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
And to serve these values.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
Meet these challengers, seize these opportunities and build that better
and stronger future. Australians have chosen a majority Labor government.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Jason, We've just come from the room where Anthony Albinezi
gave his victory speech to I'm a rard of ALP supporters,
followers and true believers. What did he have to say?
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Well, I haven't heard Labor supporters cheer as loudly and
with as much passion in their cheers as since nineteen
ninety three, when Paul Kenny, of course, won that famous victory,
which he described as a victory for the true believers,
the sweetest victory of all. I think everyone in that
room tonight felt this victory was even sweeter because Labor
(02:23):
was expected to at best win minority. But they've won
a thumping majority win and you could hear the relief,
the joy in the voices of those cheering there tonight.
I thought the Prime Minister sounded a lot more confident
than he did in his twenty twenty two victory speech.
(02:45):
And one of the things that he talked about was,
you know, kindness.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
For the strength to show courage in adversity and kindness
to those in need.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Many times he talked about Australian values and how the
Labor Party has held true to these values.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
We do not seek our inspiration overseas, we find.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
It right here in our values.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
And in our people.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
He talked about optimism and determination and these enduring foundations
of fairness and equality. But the biggest cheer at the
end of that list was when he pulled out his
Medicare carpet.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
This card is not Labor red or Liberal blue, it
is green and gold, and.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
The crowd absolutely loved that and nearly lifted the roof
off the auditorium up there.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Did the scale of the victory surprise you? Well?
Speaker 1 (03:47):
A shock result in my view, Daniel. We saw some
polls like the Yugov poll suggesting that a result like
this was possible, but not many people, I think, believed
that it possible. Perhaps a few people inside the Labor
Brains Trust did think it was possible. I heard rumors
of the Prime Minister telling journalists last week that Labour
(04:11):
would win more than eighty seats. He's been proven right.
Never in my wildest imagination did I think that was possible.
This is a stunning result for the Prime Minister and
for the Australian Labor Party.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
What in these very early hours of the victory. What
could you possibly put that down to?
Speaker 1 (04:32):
I think a number of factors that all came together
at the right time for the ALP. But I think
as early as January twenty twenty three, Paul Erickson, the
National Secretary of the Labor Party, had identified the key
problem with the coalition and that was Peter Dutton himself,
and I think they started to work out how they
(04:54):
would showcase that to their advantage as best they could.
We saw a bit of a test run in the
Dunkley by election in twenty twenty three. They ran a
very tight campaign that was very focused on Peter Dutton
and his unpopularity. It worked for them and they've just
hammered that home.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So when we're talking about the scope of the victory, Jason,
what seats in particular surprised you that Labor was able
to claim victory in well?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Right throughout this campaign I have been hearing from Liberal
Party strategists that they were expecting to make big gains
in traditional labor stronghold seats like where were Whitlam in
New South Wales, Hawk in Victoria, Gorton in Victoria, this
kind of traditional safe labor territory, and Labor has increased
(05:44):
their majorities in those seats and held on to them
very comfortably. And I think This is a huge blow
for the Liberal Party strategists that were.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
That were going after these seats hard.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
In a big way. We saw Peter Dutton campaigning in
Melton in Victoria last Sunday and he was championing that
fact that here is a Liberal leader in Melton of
all places, and they suggested that they had a big
chance to win that seat. But not only did they
not win it, they suffered a swing against them, and
(06:16):
I think that shows that the Liberal Party has deep problems.
And then there are the seats that Labor has picked
up unexpectedly, like Bradden in Tasmania, a massive swing to
the Labor Party in Bradon bridget Archer, the Liberal moderate
who's held on to the marginal seat of Bass for
so long, has been completely wiped off the electoral map.
(06:37):
Yere other seats in Queensland like Petree, Likeheart, seats that
we never thought the Labor Party could win. And of
course the biggest prize of all, the seat of Dixon,
Peter Dutton's seat Ali France. It's her third time trying
to win this seat. She's finally prevailed and Peter Dutton
is no longer a member of Parliament. It's extraordinary that
(06:58):
this could.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Happen, coming up after the break. What Peter Dutton's loss
means for the future of the Liberal Party.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Well, tonight's not denight that we wanted for the Liberal Party,
or for our coalition, or adeed for our country. But
we've worked hard every day over the course of the
last three years to do our best for our amazing country.
One of the great.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Honors, Jason. As we know, Peter Dutton lost his seat.
So let's talk about his campaign. How did you rate it?
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Well, he ran a terrible campaign. It's an absolutely devastating
result for the Liberal Party. I can't think of a
time when an opposition leader has ever lost their seat,
especially up against a first term government. So it's a
catastrophic defeat for the Liberal Party and Peter Dutton must
wear the blame for that. He just hasn't done enough
(08:02):
work to get the Liberal Party even within striking distance
for the next election. This puts the Liberal Party back
at least you would think another two terms, and no
one saw that coming. And I think the Liberal Party
really does have an existential crisis facing it now. Is
this a party that can get back into government? It's
(08:24):
an open question right now, because they have been completely
wiped out in Victoria. They've suffered massive swings against them
in Queensland, this is their stronghold. They've lost seats in
New South Wales that no one ever dreamt that they
could lose, seats like Banks, which is held by David Coleman,
Hughes held by Jenny Ware even thought that it was
(08:48):
possible that people like that could lose their seats. Michael
Sooker in Victoria's lost his seat. Keith Wallahan in Victoria's
lost his seat. This is the sort of the future
of the Liberal Party here and they have been completely out.
It's a devastating result for them.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
So we're too now for the Liberal Party, for the coalition.
I mean, it's a devastating result. The future generations of
leaders have been wiped out. Any speculation or any early
discussion about who might take over the party from here.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Well, I think Dan teen has held his seat in
the rural Victorian seat of Wan and I think Dan
ten is going to be a contender for the Liberal leadership.
He's very experienced, he's got quite a level head on him.
I think he's quite presentable, so I think he'll be
a contender. I think Andrew Hasty in Western Australia is
going to be a contender, assuming of course, that he
(09:39):
holds his seat. We assume that he will. I think
Andrew Hasty is a very talented politician. He's got a
big future ahead of him. I'm sure that he will
consider putting up his hand. Why I say consider is
that he's quite an inexperienced politician and he might decide
that he's not ready to put up his hand. And
then you have Angus Taylor, of course in New South Wales,
(10:01):
and I think Angus Taylor would be the favorite to
probably win the leadership. The problem is, Angus Taylor is
not that popular with his colleagues and he's not that
popular with voters.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
But he might be the right.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Person to take the Liberal Party through the next year
or two years, whether he's the person that leads the
party to the next election. If of course he wins
the leadership, I would think he might struggle to lead
the party through a full term, given how unpopular he
is and how unskilled he is at the art of politics.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Jason, everyone thought that Victoria was a wild card in
this election and that results could go either way. A
lot if people believe they would go towards the coalition.
What happened in Victoria tonight.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
The Liberal Party was wiped out in Victoria. I can't
really think that the Liberal Party holds any of the
Metropolitan Melbourne seats. These used to be the jewels in
the crown of the Liberal Party. Robert Menzies, of course,
is from Victoria. The party founder from Victoria. Now hold
a seat in the whole state. So a real crisis
(11:04):
there for the Liberal Party, and so unexpected given that
Cinder Allen, the Labor Premier in Victoria, has seen to
be weighing down the Labor brand there. But that proved
to be a complete mirage and it had no impact
on the campaign. In fact, they've gone backwards in Victoria.
So I think they have to completely rethink the strategy there.
(11:24):
The other thing I'd say about the Liberal Party's campaign
is that in the Dunkly by election, what we saw
was from the coalition a heavy emphasis on crime. But
crime is a state issue. Didn't cut through in the
Dunkey by election, and it certainly did not cut through
in the federal election. And we heard Peter Dutton and
all of his leading frontbenches repeatedly come back to this
(11:48):
issue of crime rising crime, But I think voters know
it's got nothing to do with the federal government. It's
a state issue. And I don't know why the Liberals
keep banging that drum because it is a loser for them,
and they lost big on that issue tonight.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
I think. So I haven't been around so many happy
people before in my life, Jason. Things were getting pretty
loose up there. How do you think things are going
to play out into the night and beyond.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
I think it's going to get a lot looser tonight.
People are going to have a lot more of this
elbow pale ale that's been handed out for free in
the room. There quite a nice beer. I have to say,
it's got a portrait of a very game. The Prime
Minister said he talked about going back to work tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
From tomorrow tomorrow back at work. Maybe not everyone here
and that's probably for the best.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Enjoy tonight, but tomorrow the work on the second term starts,
and so I think all attention will now turn to well,
who gets what jobs in the new ministry. The Prime
Minister signal during the campaign that there was likely to
be a significant revamp of the ministry. There's a lot
of talented people on that backbench who are going to
be looking for a promotion. And then, of course, I
(13:11):
think the more interesting story is going to be, well,
what happens to the coalition. They obviously have to elect
a new leader and they have to work out what
went wrong, What policies are they going to keep, which
ones are they going to drop. I think the first
policy that they're going to be asked about is this
nuclear policy, and whoever takes over the leadership of the
party's going to have to make a decision I think
(13:33):
very early as to whether to dump that policy. There
will be huge pressure on the Liberal leader to do
exactly that, because clearly this policy has been a huge
drag on the Liberal vote and I think they'll have
to dump that pretty quickly. And then what happens to
the whole climate change was I think the Liberal Party
is going to have to decide once and for all
whether it does support the energy transition to net zero.
(13:57):
They're going to have to get serious about it. The
climate change policy has been completely repudiated, So some difficult
times ahead I think for the coalition.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Jason, thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Thanks Daniel,
Did you come here tonight expecting to party?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Yes, I did, a real name, but I don't think
it would be this good. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Good.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Against all expectations, Anthony Albernizi has led the Labor Party
to victory with an increased majority, winning a sway the
seats across the country for the coalition. The outcome is
devastating and Peter Dutton is out of a job. On
top of that, the next generation of Liberal leadership has
been wiped off the electoral map, setting the party back
(00:39):
for years to come. From Schwartz Media, I'm Daniel James.
This is seven am. Today we take you inside Anthony
Albernese's election night party with special correspondent for the Saturday Paper,
Jason Gottsukis. We find out how labored to find the
(01:01):
odds and what it means for the country. It's Sunday,
May four.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Australians have chosen to face global challengers the Australian way,
looking after each other while building for the future.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
And to serve these values.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
Meet these challengers, seize these opportunities and build that better
and stronger future. Australians have chosen a majority Labor government.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Jason, We've just come from the room where Anthony Albinezi
gave his victory speech to I'm a rard of ALP supporters,
followers and true believers. What did he have to say?
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Well, I haven't heard Labor supporters cheer as loudly and
with as much passion in their cheers as since nineteen
ninety three, when Paul Kenny, of course, won that famous victory,
which he described as a victory for the true believers,
the sweetest victory of all. I think everyone in that
room tonight felt this victory was even sweeter because Labor
(02:23):
was expected to at best win minority. But they've won
a thumping majority win and you could hear the relief,
the joy in the voices of those cheering there tonight.
I thought the Prime Minister sounded a lot more confident
than he did in his twenty twenty two victory speech.
(02:45):
And one of the things that he talked about was,
you know, kindness.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
For the strength to show courage in adversity and kindness
to those in need.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Many times he talked about Australian values and how the
Labor Party has held true to these values.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
We do not seek our inspiration overseas, we find.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
It right here in our values.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
And in our people.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
He talked about optimism and determination and these enduring foundations
of fairness and equality. But the biggest cheer at the
end of that list was when he pulled out his
Medicare carpet.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
This card is not Labor red or Liberal blue, it
is green and gold, and.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
The crowd absolutely loved that and nearly lifted the roof
off the auditorium up there.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Did the scale of the victory surprise you? Well?
Speaker 1 (03:47):
A shock result in my view, Daniel. We saw some
polls like the Yugov poll suggesting that a result like
this was possible, but not many people, I think, believed
that it possible. Perhaps a few people inside the Labor
Brains Trust did think it was possible. I heard rumors
of the Prime Minister telling journalists last week that Labour
(04:11):
would win more than eighty seats. He's been proven right.
Never in my wildest imagination did I think that was possible.
This is a stunning result for the Prime Minister and
for the Australian Labor Party.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
What in these very early hours of the victory. What
could you possibly put that down to?
Speaker 1 (04:32):
I think a number of factors that all came together
at the right time for the ALP. But I think
as early as January twenty twenty three, Paul Erickson, the
National Secretary of the Labor Party, had identified the key
problem with the coalition and that was Peter Dutton himself,
and I think they started to work out how they
(04:54):
would showcase that to their advantage as best they could.
We saw a bit of a test run in the
Dunkley by election in twenty twenty three. They ran a
very tight campaign that was very focused on Peter Dutton
and his unpopularity. It worked for them and they've just
hammered that home.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So when we're talking about the scope of the victory, Jason,
what seats in particular surprised you that Labor was able
to claim victory in well?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Right throughout this campaign I have been hearing from Liberal
Party strategists that they were expecting to make big gains
in traditional labor stronghold seats like where were Whitlam in
New South Wales, Hawk in Victoria, Gorton in Victoria, this
kind of traditional safe labor territory, and Labor has increased
(05:44):
their majorities in those seats and held on to them
very comfortably. And I think This is a huge blow
for the Liberal Party strategists that were.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
That were going after these seats hard.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
In a big way. We saw Peter Dutton campaigning in
Melton in Victoria last Sunday and he was championing that
fact that here is a Liberal leader in Melton of
all places, and they suggested that they had a big
chance to win that seat. But not only did they
not win it, they suffered a swing against them, and
(06:16):
I think that shows that the Liberal Party has deep problems.
And then there are the seats that Labor has picked
up unexpectedly, like Bradden in Tasmania, a massive swing to
the Labor Party in Bradon bridget Archer, the Liberal moderate
who's held on to the marginal seat of Bass for
so long, has been completely wiped off the electoral map.
(06:37):
Yere other seats in Queensland like Petree, Likeheart, seats that
we never thought the Labor Party could win. And of
course the biggest prize of all, the seat of Dixon,
Peter Dutton's seat Ali France. It's her third time trying
to win this seat. She's finally prevailed and Peter Dutton
is no longer a member of Parliament. It's extraordinary that
(06:58):
this could.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Happen, coming up after the break. What Peter Dutton's loss
means for the future of the Liberal Party.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Well, tonight's not denight that we wanted for the Liberal Party,
or for our coalition, or adeed for our country. But
we've worked hard every day over the course of the
last three years to do our best for our amazing country.
One of the great.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Honors, Jason. As we know, Peter Dutton lost his seat.
So let's talk about his campaign. How did you rate it?
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Well, he ran a terrible campaign. It's an absolutely devastating
result for the Liberal Party. I can't think of a
time when an opposition leader has ever lost their seat,
especially up against a first term government. So it's a
catastrophic defeat for the Liberal Party and Peter Dutton must
wear the blame for that. He just hasn't done enough
(08:02):
work to get the Liberal Party even within striking distance
for the next election. This puts the Liberal Party back
at least you would think another two terms, and no
one saw that coming. And I think the Liberal Party
really does have an existential crisis facing it now. Is
this a party that can get back into government? It's
(08:24):
an open question right now, because they have been completely
wiped out in Victoria. They've suffered massive swings against them
in Queensland, this is their stronghold. They've lost seats in
New South Wales that no one ever dreamt that they
could lose, seats like Banks, which is held by David Coleman,
Hughes held by Jenny Ware even thought that it was
(08:48):
possible that people like that could lose their seats. Michael
Sooker in Victoria's lost his seat. Keith Wallahan in Victoria's
lost his seat. This is the sort of the future
of the Liberal Party here and they have been completely out.
It's a devastating result for them.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
So we're too now for the Liberal Party, for the coalition.
I mean, it's a devastating result. The future generations of
leaders have been wiped out. Any speculation or any early
discussion about who might take over the party from here.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Well, I think Dan teen has held his seat in
the rural Victorian seat of Wan and I think Dan
ten is going to be a contender for the Liberal leadership.
He's very experienced, he's got quite a level head on him.
I think he's quite presentable, so I think he'll be
a contender. I think Andrew Hasty in Western Australia is
going to be a contender, assuming of course, that he
(09:39):
holds his seat. We assume that he will. I think
Andrew Hasty is a very talented politician. He's got a
big future ahead of him. I'm sure that he will
consider putting up his hand. Why I say consider is
that he's quite an inexperienced politician and he might decide
that he's not ready to put up his hand. And
then you have Angus Taylor, of course in New South Wales,
(10:01):
and I think Angus Taylor would be the favorite to
probably win the leadership. The problem is, Angus Taylor is
not that popular with his colleagues and he's not that
popular with voters.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
But he might be the right.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Person to take the Liberal Party through the next year
or two years, whether he's the person that leads the
party to the next election. If of course he wins
the leadership, I would think he might struggle to lead
the party through a full term, given how unpopular he
is and how unskilled he is at the art of politics.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Jason, everyone thought that Victoria was a wild card in
this election and that results could go either way. A
lot if people believe they would go towards the coalition.
What happened in Victoria tonight.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
The Liberal Party was wiped out in Victoria. I can't
really think that the Liberal Party holds any of the
Metropolitan Melbourne seats. These used to be the jewels in
the crown of the Liberal Party. Robert Menzies, of course,
is from Victoria. The party founder from Victoria. Now hold
a seat in the whole state. So a real crisis
(11:04):
there for the Liberal Party, and so unexpected given that
Cinder Allen, the Labor Premier in Victoria, has seen to
be weighing down the Labor brand there. But that proved
to be a complete mirage and it had no impact
on the campaign. In fact, they've gone backwards in Victoria.
So I think they have to completely rethink the strategy there.
(11:24):
The other thing I'd say about the Liberal Party's campaign
is that in the Dunkly by election, what we saw
was from the coalition a heavy emphasis on crime. But
crime is a state issue. Didn't cut through in the
Dunkey by election, and it certainly did not cut through
in the federal election. And we heard Peter Dutton and
all of his leading frontbenches repeatedly come back to this
(11:48):
issue of crime rising crime, But I think voters know
it's got nothing to do with the federal government. It's
a state issue. And I don't know why the Liberals
keep banging that drum because it is a loser for them,
and they lost big on that issue tonight.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
I think. So I haven't been around so many happy
people before in my life, Jason. Things were getting pretty
loose up there. How do you think things are going
to play out into the night and beyond.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
I think it's going to get a lot looser tonight.
People are going to have a lot more of this
elbow pale ale that's been handed out for free in
the room. There quite a nice beer. I have to say,
it's got a portrait of a very game. The Prime
Minister said he talked about going back to work tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
From tomorrow tomorrow back at work. Maybe not everyone here
and that's probably for the best.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Enjoy tonight, but tomorrow the work on the second term starts,
and so I think all attention will now turn to well,
who gets what jobs in the new ministry. The Prime
Minister signal during the campaign that there was likely to
be a significant revamp of the ministry. There's a lot
of talented people on that backbench who are going to
be looking for a promotion. And then, of course, I
(13:11):
think the more interesting story is going to be, well,
what happens to the coalition. They obviously have to elect
a new leader and they have to work out what
went wrong, What policies are they going to keep, which
ones are they going to drop. I think the first
policy that they're going to be asked about is this
nuclear policy, and whoever takes over the leadership of the
party's going to have to make a decision I think
(13:33):
very early as to whether to dump that policy. There
will be huge pressure on the Liberal leader to do
exactly that, because clearly this policy has been a huge
drag on the Liberal vote and I think they'll have
to dump that pretty quickly. And then what happens to
the whole climate change was I think the Liberal Party
is going to have to decide once and for all
whether it does support the energy transition to net zero.
(13:57):
They're going to have to get serious about it. The
climate change policy has been completely repudiated, So some difficult
times ahead I think for the coalition.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Jason, thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Thanks Daniel,
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