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The Australian federal election of 7 September 2013 resulted in a win in the House of Representatives for the right of centre Coalition led by Tony Abbott and a defeat for the outgoing minority Labor government led by Kevin Rudd, and before that Julia Gillard. The Coalition held its numbers in the Senate but will depend on support from right of centre independents and micro-parties to pass its legislation after the new Senate commences on 1 July 2014. The 2013 election provides a snapshot of the state of Australian politics not only in relation to the Coalition and Labor, but also in relation to the Greens, other minor parties and independents. Post-election Labor experienced some revival through a new method of choosing its federal parliamentary leader that provides caucus members and branch members with an equal share in the decision; Bill Shorten emerged narrowly as the winner. The formation of the new government was indicative of the political dynamics within the Coalition. There has been some shift of emphasis in terms of key policies receiving attention in the initial period of the Abbott government, most notably climate change, but there are also significant continuities with the previous Labor government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses politics in Australia focusing on the Labor party victory of November 2007, the election of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, his early promise regarding signing the so-called Kyoto protocol on international control of climate change, and experiences since that belie those intentions. A greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme is said to have stalled and power held by Rudd and the Labor party reportedly have been lost to a great extent. Along with these changes, the article reports on gains made by Australia's Green party and a seat that in won in the House of Representatives.

The article discusses the disillusion with the Australian Labour Party (ALP) and the emergence of the left-leaning Greens. The ALP campaign in 2007 exceeded the expectations of voters and raised hopes by labour activists for extensive reform. It also proved to be costly and unsustainable after the election. Various issues including climate change, the need for health, education and tax reforms and Australia's involvement in the war in Iraq have reportedly all contributed to ALP's failure, which in turn paved the way for the emergence of the Green Party.