Behind the Headlines – World Book Student
  • Search

  • Archived Stories

    • Ancient People
    • Animals
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Business & Industry
    • Civil rights
    • Conservation
    • Crime
    • Current Events
    • Current Events Game
    • Disasters
    • Economics
    • Education
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Food
    • Government & Politics
    • Health
    • History
    • Holidays/Celebrations
    • Law
    • Lesson Plans
    • Literature
    • Medicine
    • Military
    • Military Conflict
    • Natural Disasters
    • People
    • Plants
    • Prehistoric Animals & Plants
    • Race Relations
    • Recreation & Sports
    • Religion
    • Science
    • Space
    • Technology
    • Terrorism
    • Weather
    • Women
    • Working Conditions
  • Archives by Date

« Portugal Takes Euro 16
AL All-Stars Top NL »

Australian Ruling Coalition Claims Victory

July 12, 2016

Australian Federal Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull speaks during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, 14 September 2015. Turnbull announced that he would challenge Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott for the leadership of the Liberal National Party. Credit: © Lukas Coch, EPA/Landov

The coalition government of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull retained power in elections held on July 2, 2016.
Credit: © Lukas Coch, EPA/Landov

On Sunday, July 10, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull declared victory in the country’s recent parliamentary election. Turnbull, who leads a governing coalition of Australia’s Liberal and National parties, made the announcement after opposition leader Bill Shorten, who heads the Labor Party, conceded defeat. More than a week after the July 2 poll, the vote count showed Turnbull’s coalition winning enough seats in the country’s House of Representatives to remain in power. Although some votes are yet to be counted, Turnbull secured enough support from independent legislators and those belonging to smaller parties to form a government even if the coalition does not reach the 76 seats needed to secure a House majority. Preliminary results showed Labor winning at least 66 seats. Turnbull became prime minister in September 2015 after successfully challenging Prime Minister Tony Abbott for the leadership of the Liberal Party. Using a provision of Australia’s Constitution, Turnbull enacted a double dissolution in early 2016—both houses of the federal Parliament were dissolved and fresh elections were called. The election was a sizeable gamble for Turnbull, who had hoped to increase the number of parliamentary seats held by the coalition. However, Turnbull secured a reduced grip on power—at the last federal election in 2013, the coalition won 90 seats to Labor’s 55.

Tags: australia, election, malcolm turnbull


  • Most Popular Tags

    african americans ancient greece archaeology art australia barack obama baseball bashar al-assad basketball black history month china climate change conservation earthquake european union football france global warming iraq isis japan language monday literature major league baseball mars mexico monster monday mythic monday mythology nasa new york city nobel prize presidential election russia space space exploration syria syrian civil war Terrorism ukraine united kingdom united states vladimir putin women's history month world war ii