Australia elections: Opposition leader likens Malcolm Turnbull to David Cameron

Australia's opposition leader wants Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to quit after trending election results point towards a hung parliament in the country. Labor Party leader Bill Shorten said Turnbull is like "David Cameron of the southern hemisphere". The reference was to the British prime minister who found himself on the wrong side of the Brexit vote.

The counting of votes resumed on Tuesday (5 July) morning and so far the results do not show either of the top political parties anywhere near the majority mark. Although Turnbull and his allies are confident of garnering enough votes to form the government, the opposition has started efforts to turn the tide their way if the results confirm a hung parliament.

Shorten, who was addressing the media in the western suburbs of Sydney on Monday (4 July), alleged that Turnbull is leading a divided party and "he has delivered an inferior and unstable outcome" in the election. He said like Cameron failed in the Brexit vote, Turnbull too has failed in the election.

Turnbull has not yet reacted to any of these comments. However, his allies came out in his defence and said he still has the vision and is very much capable of delivering on his promises.

"[Turnbull] has taken this nation to an election on the basis of stability. He has delivered instability. His own party know he is not up to the job, the Australian people know he is out of touch and he has given a Senate reform which involves two or three One Nation senators," Shorten was quoted by the Guardian as telling the media.

Arthur Sinodinos, the cabinet secretary, was quoted by the paper as saying that the prime minister "still has the vision, I think he still has the policies that are right for Australia in the 21st century".

Christopher Pyne, the innovation minister, said on Twitter that the Australian people are in favour of "solid, common sense government" and not any "jolly japes".

Liberal MP Ewen Jones accused Cory Bernardi and David Johnston of the opposition of running a "quasi campaign to destabilise the leadership", He also slammed them for taking potshots at Turnbull even before the final election results are out.