Labor will probably get a few terms in government, and anyone who thinks the Coalition can get back in three years is dreaming. And that’s not because of the large margin; the same would be true if Rudd had only scraped in with one seat. Look at what’s happened in the states over the past decade: it’s the incumbency that matters, not how you got it.

ALP National Secretary Tim Gartrell is already out telling his story about why Labor won. This is his right and perhaps duty: to trash the memory of the vanquished party and play with their mind. As Andrew Robb did so effectively in 1996 with, among other things, the spurious “Howard’s battlers” tale.

On Insiders yesterday, Andrew Bolt marvelled at the embarrassment of talent coming onto the Labor front bench: Shorten, Combet etc. This time last year these very people were seen as part of the reason the ALP would never be elected again. Such are the fruits of victory.

The Liberals now take their turn in the wilderness, where you don’t know what you stand for and neither does anyone else, the party organisation is a terrible problem and no-one takes you seriously.

Out of office and a million miles away from the action. A miserable place to be.