Labor edges closer to an outright majority in the lower house as it is projected to win the seat of Richmond, taking the party's tally to 74.
Look back at all of Tuesday's developments with our blog.
Key events
- Liberals retain marginal Tasmanian seat of Bass
- ABC projects Labor to retain Richmond, bringing tally to 74
- Daniel Andrews says Peter Dutton's comments about Victoria may come back to haunt him
- Matt Canavan says he'd like Barnaby Joyce to continue as Nationals leader
- Acting PM calls Liberals text alert about illegal boat interception 'a disgrace'
- Nationals leadership to be decided as early as next week
- Labor wins John Howard's former seat for only second time in more than 70 years
Live updates
By Kate Ainsworth
We're going to leave the blog here for today
Thanks for your company throughout the day.
Never fear though, we'll be back tomorrow as more votes are counted.
Until then, you can follow the latest with the remaining seats as it happens here, and you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news here.
Enjoy your evening!
By Kate Ainsworth
Labor sends election-day boat arrivals back to Sri Lanka as it slams Coalition mass text 'disgrace'
A boatload of asylum seekers intercepted by Australian Border Force near Christmas Island on election day has now been returned to Sri Lanka.
The commander of Operation Sovereign Borders, Rear Admiral Justin Jones, said a thorough screening of each individual's health and protection status was completed before the group was taken back.
"The direction to me, by the Acting Prime Minister, was clear — this government remains committed to Operation Sovereign Borders and to the protection of lives at sea," he said in a statement.
Details about the vessel being intercepted were made public by Border Force on polling day and the Liberal Party used the information to try and win last-minute votes.
It sent text messages to Australians in marginal seats that read: "BREAKING: Australian Border Force has intercepted an illegal boat trying to reach Australia. Keep our borders secure by voting Liberal today."
Voters ultimately did not back the Liberal party and the asylum seekers intercepted on Saturday have been returned, despite warnings from then-home affairs minister Karen Andrews that a Labor government would not be able to control Australia's borders.
"Those ventures indicate, very clearly, what a risk a Labor government poses to our national security," she said on Saturday.
"This is not scaremongering, this is a reality, and it has been demonstrated by the two attempts we are aware of."
Rear Admiral Justin Jones said Australia's policy on illegal boat arrivals has not changed since Labor formed government.
"We will intercept any vessel seeking to reach Australia illegally, and safely return those on board to their point of departure or country of origin, or if not safe to do so, they will be transferred to regional processing," he said.
By Kate Ainsworth
By Kate Ainsworth
What has WA been promised from an Albanese government?
It's far beyond what Labor had been hoping for, despite it having devoted significant attention and resources to the state throughout the campaign.
Plenty of promises have been made by the Labor team — worth around $270 million all up. So what can Western Australians expect the new government to deliver for them?
By Kate Ainsworth
Liberals retain marginal Tasmanian seat of Bass
Speaking just before, ABC analyst Casey Briggs says the Tasmanian seat of Bass has been officially won by incumbent Liberal MP Bridget Archer.
The ultra-marginal seat of Bass had been considered one the Liberals would likely retain, but that's now been officially reflected by the ABC's election computer.
"There was never really any doubt of this one, it was a likely Liberal win, I think we even projected it as the winner on Saturday, but our computer has just formally ticked it over," Casey Briggs said.
It means the Coalition now has 56 seats in the lower house.
By Kate Ainsworth
By Kate Ainsworth
Albanese pledges climate commitments while meeting with Quad leaders
Mr Albanese met with US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tokyo for the Quad leaders meeting in his first major act as Prime Minister.
Mr Albanese said it was an honour to attend the meeting, and the Quad was needed "now more than ever" in order to "meet the challenges and threats of a less certain world [and] to shape that world for the better".
"We have had a change of government in Australia, but Australia's commitment to the Quad has not changed and will not change," he said.
"The new Australian government's priorities align with the Quad agenda — taking action on climate change and building a stronger and more resilient Indo-Pacific region through better economic security, better cybersecurity, better energy security and better environmental and health security."
Mr Albanese repeatedly stressed the importance of action against climate change in his opening address, highlighting Labor's promise to cut emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 and saying the "region is looking to us to work with them and to lead by example".
"That's why my government will take ambitious action on climate change and increase our support to partners in the region as they work to address it, including with new finance," he said.
"We will act in recognition that climate change is the main economic and security challenge for the island countries of the Pacific."
By Kate Ainsworth
What were the main takeaways from Albanese's press conference?
That was a pretty brief press conference — both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong had to head to a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden.
But the key takeaways were that the Quad leaders have welcomed Australia's commitment on climate change, and the situation between Solomon Islands and China, along with China's broader influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Albanese said Solomon Islands were discussed in the meeting, including that China is seeking to exert more influence in the Pacific region.
He said Australia is responding to that, along with the US, and the Quad is looking to engage more in the Indo-Pacific region — he said that was "a general theme" of the meeting.
Albanese also said Australia's position on Taiwan has not changed, after the US yesterday said it would support Taiwan if China invaded.
He said there was also no proposal to broaden the Quad beyond its existing membership.
By Kate Ainsworth
PM Albanese is speaking after the Quad meeting in Tokyo
You can watch it live with the live stream at the top of the blog, or on the ABC's YouTube stream below.
By Kate Ainsworth
Peter Dutton remains the only candidate to become new Liberal leader
As Liberal MPs come to terms with the scale of the defeat on Saturday, jostling over the leadership positions has begun with a strong view within the party that the deputy must be a woman.
Feeling alienated by Mr Morrison and his blokey image, professional women abandoned the Liberals at the election, an issue several MPs say the party needs to address.
Ms Ley, who is not aligned with the conservative or moderate factions, is canvassing support among her colleagues but could face a contest if Victorian Jane Hume or South Australian Anne Ruston throw their hats in the ring.
By Kate Ainsworth
Australia to host next year's Quad meeting
They still might be in the middle of this year's meeting in Japan, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has already confirmed Australia will host the Quad leaders for the 2023 meeting.
He confirmed Australia will take on hosting duties next year on Twitter.
By Kate Ainsworth
What seats are still too close to call?
Although the AEC is well into its third day of counting votes, there are seven seats that are still too close to call — meaning Labor is still two seats away from reaching the 76 mark that will allow them to govern in majority, without having to negotiate with the crossbench.
The seven seats we're still waiting on are:
- Bass
- Brisbane
- Deakin
- Gilmore
- Lyons
- Macnamara
- Sturt
The tightest contest is currently in the seat of Deakin in Victoria, where outgoing Liberal Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar is ahead of Labor's Matt Gregg by just 60 votes.
You can follow the latest changes as the count continues on our full results page here — just select the "Seats in Doubt" tab.
By Kate Ainsworth
What role did Chinese Australians play in Labor's election victory?
Along with millions of Australians, Anna Wang cast her vote for Labor this election.
Her ballot was part of a massive swing towards Labor in the Sydney electorate of Reid, delivering the seat to Sally Sitou, who has Chinese heritage and whose parents fled Laos due to the Vietnam war.
Australia's fraught relationship with China was a key talking point during the election campaign and it shaped Ms Wang's vote.
The 66-year-old said she hoped the new government would improve Australia-China relations and increase trade between the two nations.
"Since the relationship deteriorated and Peter Dutton talked about war with China, there has been more racist pressure on the Chinese," she said.
"As a soon-to-be retiree, I am concerned about the minimum wage and the issues of Medicare and aged care.
"Sally Sitou is a young candidate who has strong community connections. We don't care about the ethnicity of the candidate. We will support anyone who can represent the interests of the community."
Erin Chew, from the Asian Australian Alliance, said she felt it was long overdue that someone with Asian heritage was elected as the local MP for such a diverse electorate.
"I almost cried because I think it was just a very special moment to see someone like her win a seat like Reid," she said.
By Jessica Riga
By Kate Ainsworth
Liberal MP says party could revisit gender quotas
Federal Member for Moncrieff Angie Bell says she believes the LNP would have fared better in the federal election had they had more women in the party.
Ms Bell, who is the former president of the LNP Women Queensland, told ABC Gold Coast gender quotas for the party could be revisited.
"I certainly think we need to make changes, and [quotas] could be one of them that could be looked at at a party level," she said.
Ms Bell said the LNP needs to work harder to relate to women.
"I think we need to make sure we're in touch with women in corporate Australia and make sure we align with their values and they align with our values," she said.
"It's really important that we connect with those who do resonate with Liberal values, and I don't think we've done that well enough."
Ms Bell is set to retain her seat on the Gold Coast.
Reporting by Kimberley Bernard
By Jessica Riga
Analysis: What we should make of the surprising message that China sent to Anthony Albanese
Messages of congratulations from foreign leaders are usually just a standard inclusion in the election win welcome pack, but the warm reception of Anthony Albanese by China's Li Keqiang signals a small but significant shift in our frostiest friendship, writes Bill Birtles.
After close to two-and-a-half years of a Chinese cold shoulder, Beijing has moved quickly to show it's willing to patch things up with the newly elected Albanese government.
Premier Li Keqiang's congratulatory message would be routine under normal circumstances, but the warm language referencing the Whitlam Labor government's establishment of diplomatic ties with the People's Republic 50 years ago set the tone.
Mr Li said China was "ready to work with the Australian side to review the past, face the future, uphold principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit" — a far cry from the Cold War mentality language often hurled at the Morrison government.
While it's a sign China sees the change of government as a chance to reset relations, the expectations on both sides are of only a modest improvement in ties.
By Jessica Riga
In pictures: Anthony Albanese meets with fellow Quad leaders
By Jessica Riga
ABC projects Labor to retain Richmond, bringing tally to 74
The ABC projects Labor's Justine Elliot will retain the electorate of Richmond in NSW.
It brings Labor to 74 seats, two short of a majority.
By Jessica Riga
'We're navigating our darkest hour': Joe Biden reflects on what's happened since the last Quad meeting
"Quad leaders met for the first time just over one year ago. It seems longer but today our partnership is central to achieving our goals and critical for the foundation of our continued coops in my view.
"We already accomplished a great deal, as was referenced earlier, cooperating on COVID-19 response. More to do, to state the obvious. Partnering on 5G and technology supply chains, technology standard-setting and launching our Quad fellowsome program which I think will make a difference, which we talked about earlier.
"At the same time, we're navigating a dark hour in our shared history. The Russian brutal and war against Ukraine has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe and innocent civilians killed on the streets and millions of refugees are internally displaced as well as, island and this is more than just a European issue. This is a global issue.
"The fact is that if you turn on the television, you'll see what Russia is doing now. It appears to me that Putin is just trying to extinguish a culture. He's not even aiming at military targets anymore. He's taking out every school, every church, every Natural History Museum, as if to try to obliterate the Ukrainian culture. And the world has to deal with it and we are. The global food crisis is made worse by Russia's blocking Ukraine from exporting its millions of tonnes of grain and also as long as Russia continues to war, the United States will work with our partners to help lead a global response because it's going to affect all parts of the world.
"At the same time, the United States must and will be strong, stead and an enduring partner in the Indo-Pacific. We are in an Indo-Pacific power. I was once asked by… I won't go into it but I was once asked by the leader of China why I kept talking about being an Indo-Pacific power and I said, "Because we are. We share the Pacific, one enfire side of our country." And we have been deeply involved with all of you for a long time. As long as Russia continues this war, we're going to continue to be partners and lead a global response and, you know, we're an Indo-Pacific power, as I said. We're going to stand with you, our close democratic partners, and we're going to stand for the shared values and the shared vision we all have. Shortly before Russia launched its invasion, my Administration published our Indo-Pacific strategy to advance a free, open, connected, secure and resilient Indo-Pacific.
"Russia's assault on Ukraine only highlights the importance of those goals, the fundamental principles of international order, territorial integrity and sovereignty, international law, human rights, must always be defended, regardless of where they're violated in the world. So the Quad has a lot of work ahead of us. The fact of the matter is we've got a lot of work to do keeping this region peaceful and stable, tackling this pandemic and the next one and addressing the climate crisis as referenced by our new colleagues, ensuring that technologies of the future are governed according to our values. Governs according to our values. But a short time and in a short time we've showed the Quad is not just a passing fad.
"We mean business. We're here to get things done for the region, and I'm proud of what we're building together and I look forward to our vital partnership flourishing and for many years to come."
By Jessica Riga
Biden tells Albanese 'if you fall asleep, it's OK'
We're hearing from US President Joe Biden now, who has also acknowledged how Anthony Albanese jumped on a plane within hours of being sworn in.
"Prime Minister Albanese, I welcome you to your first Quad meeting," Biden says.
"Like I said, you got sworn in, got on a plane and if you fall asleep while you're here, it's OK.
"Because I don't know how you're doing it! It's really quite extraordinary just getting off the campaign trail as well. Congratulations on your election. As I said to you when you won and I called you, we greatly appreciate your commitment on being here so soon after taking office."
