Tag Archives: oceania

Albanese faces the tough task of uniting a divided nation

Uniting the country may be a more difficult task than Anthony Albanese can imagine, Nine political editor Chris Uhlmann has said.

Speaking after a long election night, Uhlmann reflected on what the results said about the country.

"We are a hugely balkanised country now between the regions, the suburbs and the inner cities," he said.

FEDERAL ELECTION 2022: Full results, seats won and who will be the next Liberal leader

Anthony Albanese gives his victory speech at the Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Club.

He pointed to the high performance of right-wing minor parties.

"I think some people in the Coalition will look at that 13 per cent One Nation vote and think that is the way they will want to go," Uhlmann said.

FEDERAL ELECTION 2022: Full results, seats won, party votes total and swings by electorate

"The media in this country is now usually balkanised and we seem to stand on each corner and yell at each other.

"The hardest place to stand is somewhere in the centre. 

“That is where Anthony Albanese needs to stand to be a government for all Australians."

READ MORE: Queensland's One Nation Party inspires 'anti-mandate' vote

READ MORE: Teal independents claim nine seats as voters abandon Liberal candidates

Outgoing Prime Minister Scott Morrison hugs his daughters Lily and Abbey.

The big names on both sides ousted

A teal wave has swept across the country, leading independents to win at least eight seats and causing some major upsets at the federal election.

From Dave Sharma to Ken Wyatt there have been some significant losses over the course of the night.

Thousands of votes are still being counted, but 9News can project that for some MPs a path to victory is unlikely.

FEDERAL ELECTION 2022 RESULTS: See how your electorate voted

New South Wales

FEDERAL ELECTION 2022: Full results, seats won and who will be the next Liberal leader

One of the biggest upsets is in the seat of Fowler, where Labor's Kristina Keneally is set to lose to independent Dai Le.

Another loss was in the seat of Wentworth where Liberal MP Dave Sharma lost to independent Allegra Spender.

Sharma has not yet conceded, saying "it's undoubtedly true we've had a big swing against us tonight".

"We are facing a challenging scenario. But let's wait until all the votes are counted."

READ MORE: Labor on track to form Australia's next government

Labor candidate for Sydney's seat of Fowler is in a tight race with Independent Dai Le.

In the seat of Reid, Liberal MP Fiona Martin has conceded that she will not retain the seat, with Labor candidate Sally Sitou victorious.

"Tonight has not been our night," Martin said.

Trent Zimmerman hasn't been successful in retaining the seat of North Sydney, with independent Kylea Jane Tink claiming the win.

Labor candidate Riley Campbell has lost the seat of Hughes to Liberal MP Jenny Ware.

Victoria

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is likely to lose his seat of Kooyong to independent Monique Ryan.

READ MORE: Teal independents claim eight seats as voters abandon Liberal candidates

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is likely to lose his Victorian seat of Kooyong to Independent Monique Ryan.

The race has been very tight between the two candidates, with Frydenberg saying "while it is mathematically possible that we win in Kooyong, it is definitely difficult".

Independent candidate for Goldstein Zoe Daniel is set to be the new member, defeating Liberal MP Tim Wilson.

"This is a reflection of what the community wanted," Daniel told 9News.

Liberal Gladys Liu has lost Chisholm to Labor's Carina Garland.

Queensland

The race for the seat of Dickson has come down to the wire between Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Labor candidate Ali France, with Dutton just slightly ahead with 51 per cent of the votes counted.

The Greens have landed a major victory in the seat of Griffith, with Max Chandler-Mather defeating Liberal candidate Olivia Roberts.

Western Australia

Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt has lost his seat of Hasluck to Labor's Tania Lawrence.

South Australia

Labor has won the seat of Boothby with Louise Miller-Frost defeating Liberal MP Rachel Swift.

Storm generates three tornados in Germany, dozens injured

A storm that swept across parts of Germany generated three tornadoes, the country's weather service said Saturday. More than 40 people were injured in one western city.

The twister created a path of destruction from west to east of the city, Paderborn police said, adding it caused 30 to 40 injuries. At least 10 of those injuries were serious, authorities noted.

Authorities in Paderborn, located about three hours north of Frankfurt, asked residents to stay indoors as "countless danger spots" remained, and rescue efforts were ongoing.

READ MORE: North Korea reports more fevers as Kim claims virus progress

Two trucks overturned after a storm in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. A damaged car is seen after a storm in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022.

Storms on Thursday had already disrupted traffic, uprooted trees that toppled onto rail tracks and roads, and flooded hundreds of basements in western Germany.

Much of northern Germany was under a threat level 3 (out of 3) for severe storms Friday, according to the European Storm Forecast Experiment. The level indicates a possibility for severe to extremely severe wind gusts, large hail, tornadoes and heavy rain, the team said.

READ MORE: Russia claims to have taken full control of Mariupol

"A dangerous situation is expected that may feature a convective windstorm with long swaths of severe to extremely severe wind gusts and several supercells with large hail and tornadoes with the highest threat over central parts of Germany," Estofex said.

 A destroyed solar cell module lies on the roadside next to a fallen tree.  A storm has also caused major damage in Paderborn.  The roof of a construction machinery dealer lies across the building.  A storm has also caused major damage in Paderborn. May 20, 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia, Paderborn

There were several other tornado reports Friday, including one in the Netherlands, close to the German border and three in Germany, CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward said.

The German Weather Service confirmed three tornadoes in North Rhine-Westphalia — in Paderborn, in nearby Lippstadt, and on the edge of the town of Hoexter, news agency dpa reported.

A loaf of bread lies among the debris on the edge of a downtown street. A storm has also caused major damage in Paderborn. May 20, 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia, Paderborn

The storm loosened roof tiles, brought down scaffolding, overturned cars and sent tree branches crashing into windows.

Further south, authorities in Bavaria said 14 people were injured Friday when the wooden hut they were trying to shelter in collapsed during a storm at Lake Brombach, south of Nuremberg.

The ukulele strumming robot that MPs will come to fear

It's the ukulele strumming robot that may just come to haunt members of parliament forever.

Nine has unveiled its 2022 Federal election coverage gimmick, this year in the form of a robot that plays to the tune of April Sun in Cuba by 1970s rock band Dragon before whacking a picture of the MP off to Cuba.

It's inspired by Prime Minister Scott Morrison's impromptu ukulele performance at Kirribilli House, where he serenaded Karl Stefanovic for a 60 Minutes story.

FEDERAL ELECTION 2022: Full results, seats won, party votes total and swings by electorate

FULL COVERAGE: How election night 2022 is unfolding

For keen electoral pundits, it's another classic graphic in the all-time history of television coverage.

Over the years sitting politicians have been shredded, punted over the goal posts and even kicked by a red stiletto known as the "Bish Boot".

The tongue-in-cheek send off joins other colourful election nights that included appetising names such as the "crusher", the "gurgler", the "shark pool" and the "dead ducks".

READ MORE: How the bookies think the election is going to unfold

The Bish Boot.

"If you are going to be leaving politics, what better way to go out than to the soothing sounds of a ukulele," said Nine anchor Peter Overton.

"Perhaps bathed in the warm 'April Sun of Cuba'. Just take a look at this. If we Zoom in on our little robot friend there, you see him strumming in time with the song, looking quite relaxed about it all.

"Bags are packed, and on the conveyor belt."

For some tonight, Dragon's iconic song may just be a suggestion to get away from the cool harshness of Aussie politics.

Asylum seeker boat stopped off Christmas Island, Liberal text follows

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed an unauthorised vessel from Sri Lanka has been intercepted on its way to Australia.

The Australian Border Force said the vessel was attempting to illegally enter Australia from Sri Lanka.

The prime minister confirmed the interception earlier today after he voted in his Sydney electorate of Cook.

FULL COVERAGE: Federal Election 2022

"I can confirm that there's been an interception of a vessel en route to Australia," Morrison said.

"That vessel has been intercepted in accordance with the policies of government and they're following those normal protocols.

"In the interests of full transparency in the middle of an election campaign, the Labor Party was advised of this and a statement has been issued by the border protection authorities."

The incident triggered a text spruiking the Liberal Party's tough border policies that was sent to voters in NSW and Victoria.

It was sent out from the LiberalNSW about the boat interception, saying: "BREAKING- Aust Border Force has intercepted an illegal boat trying to reach Aus".

Labor home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally noted the party supported the federal government's border security operation and boat turn-backs.

"Labor supports Operation Sovereign Borders – offshore processing, regional resettlement, and boat turn-backs where safe to do so," she said.

"The people smuggling trade is vile and risks the lives of the people at sea."

"To be clear – If you attempt to come to Australia by boat you will not make it and you will be turned around, or sent to Nauru.

"Labor thanks the Operation Sovereign Borders Joint Agency Task Force for their continued work at keeping our borders secure."

READ MORE: Court orders 'deceptive' signs urging voters to 'put Labor last' to be pulled down

The Australian Border Force's Operation Sovereign Borders Commander Rear Admiral Justin Jones said that the vessel was intercepted "in a likely attempt to illegally enter Australia from Sri Lanka".

"The Australian government's policy remains unchanged," he said.

"We will intercept any vessel seeking to reach Australia illegally and to safely return those on board to their point of departure or country of origin.

"Measures and safeguards are in place to enable actions and activities to be undertaken in accordance with Australian domestic law and Australia's obligations under international law.

"The overriding priority for all agencies involved in Operation Sovereign Borders is the safety of all persons involved, including potential illegal immigrants and vessel crews as well as Australian personnel."

A statement by the Sri Lanka Navy said it had "managed to apprehend 40 individuals who attempted to illegally migrate to a foreign country by sea".

Court orders 'deceptive' election signs be pulled down

Green political signage which mysteriously appeared overnight in Melbourne urging voters to "put Labor last" have been ordered to be pulled down by the Federal Court.

The deceptive signs – similar in style to official Greens party corflutes – turned up in the electorate of Higgins, a hotly contested seat in Victoria, sparking outrage from the opposition and Greens.

After Labor wrote to the Australian Electoral Commission and lodged a court bid this morning, the Federal Court granted an injunction allowing the AEC to remove the signs which the opposition party says were unauthorised and "deliberately misleading".

READ MORE: Federal Election 2022 live rolling coverage

Labor is seeking an injunction over "Put Labor Last" signs appearing in Higgins, designed to look like they were placed by the Greens but allegedly from the Liberal Party.

"Thankfully, the Federal Court granted Labor an injunction, authorising the removal of this material by the Australian Electoral Commission," a Labor spokesperson told 9News.com.au.

"We urge the AEC to remove the deceptive and misleading materials from polling booths immediately."

The corflutes appear similar to official Greens signage and instruct voters to rank the Labor party behind the Coalition on ballot papers in today's federal election.

Liberal MP Katie Allen currently holds the blue-ribbon seat by just 2.6 per cent.

READ MORE: Who are the 'teal candidates' in the 2022 federal election?

Labor is seeking an injunction over "Put Labor Last" signs appearing in Higgins, designed to look like they were placed by the Greens but allegedly from the Liberal Party.

Labor candidate Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah and Greens candidate Sonya Semmens are both vying for the seat.

The opposition alleged the signs were put up by the Liberal Party campaign team, and claimed the signs misleadingly impersonate the Greens party.

A Liberal spokesperson said the corflutes were "not authorised by us" but did not condemn the signage when pressed on the matter.

READ MORE: The key seats that will determine the outcome of the federal election

Labor is seeking an injunction over "Put Labor Last" signs appearing in Higgins, designed to look like they were placed by the Greens but allegedly from the Liberal Party.

Higgins is expected to be one of the tightest races in the federal election today.

The electorate is known as the Liberal heartland and has been held by significant members like Harold Holt, John Gorton and Peter Costello.

It covers some inner eastern Melbourne suburbs.

Higgins isn't the only Melbourne seat where corflutes have drawn the ire of political parties today.

Earlier today, the Liberal Party referred the Chinese-language voting cards of independent Kooyong candidate Monique Ryan to the AEC.

The Liberals said the cards, designed to inform Chinese-speaking voters, breach the regulations because they do not carry an authorisation in the same non-English language the rest of the card is written in.

A spokesperson for Ryan issued a statement saying the Liberal claim is a "false allegation".

"All Chinese election campaign material used by Dr Ryan's campaign, including how to vote cards, are properly authorised in the correct language," the spokesperson said.