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ANALYSIS | Andrew Probyn Federal Political EditorThe West Australian The most exciting time to be prime minister has arrived. This is a disastrous result for Malcolm Turnbull. FEDERAL

ELECTION LATEST PM HAS FAILED MISERABLY: SHORTEN ALP LEADERSHIP TALK RIDICULOUS: DASTYARI DEVASTATING BLOW FOR TURNBULL COWAN: THE MOST MARGINAL SEAT IN THE COUNTRY LABOR WINS TOUGH FIGHT

FOR BURT TURNBULL DD ELECTION A DISASTER: O'CONNOR LAZARUS CONCEDES DEFEAT IN QLD Yet for Bill Shorten, who is further from achieving government than his opponent, it is a brilliant

triumph. Federal Election - the day as it happened 'Cowan the most marginal seat in the country Labor's Matt Keogh heads to Canberra for Burt And WA is going to have a big say as

to where we go from here. This was not the case in 2010 when the nation was last in hung parliament territory (The mining tax made sure of that). But in 2016, the final result in Cowan,

where the Liberal Party’s dirty tricks department was in full swing during the past fortnight, may be the difference between wafer-thin majority government and hung parliament. For

Turnbull’s authority, this result is a devastating blow. He took the leadership from Tony Abbott because the former prime minister would have taken the coalition over a nasty precipice. This

is probably the case, but Turnbull’s has delivered little consolation for the blood and bruises of last September. And he has brought the coalition to the brink of disaster himself.

Shorten’s leadership of the Labor Party is now more secure than Turnbull’s is of the Liberal Party. The Labor leader has proven his serial doubters wrong. Shorten cannot form majority Labor

Government, but he can make life very difficult for the coalition. Labor minority government is extremely doubtful. Although the final result might not be known for weeks, one thing is

clear: Turnbull’s dream of a joint sitting to pass industrial relations legislation is dead. He will not be able to muster sufficient numbers in the House of Representatives and the Senate

to be assured of passage. The Australian Building and Construction Commission, the little-mentioned reason for this marathon campaign and a double dissolution election, is no closer. GET THE

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