When Anthony Albanese took the stage in front of almost 1000 party faithful in his seat of Grayndler he acknowledged the Traditional Owners of the land he stood on, then announced his first major policy announcement.
“On behalf of the Australian Labor Party, I commit the Uluru Statement from the Heart,“ he said.
“We can answer its patient, gracious call for a voice enshrined in our Constitution because all of us ought to be proud, that amongst our great multicultural society, we count the oldest living continuous culture in the world.”
The Prime Minister-elect then told the packed room that Wiradjuri woman Linda Burney would be the government's Indigenous Affairs minister.
She takes over from the Coalition’s Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt who lost his seat of Hasluck in an electoral wipeout in Western Australia, that helped hand Labor victory in the 2022 federal election.
Ms Burney, whose commitment to Aboriginal affairs spans more than 30 years, was the first Aboriginal person to be elected to the NSW Parliament and the first Aboriginal woman to serve in the House of Representatives.
Incoming Federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Linda Burney (R) and Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe on NITV's The Point election special last week. Source: NITV
While Albanese is set to be sworn into the top job on Monday, less clear is whether Labor will be able to govern in their own right, or need the help of an expanded crossbench.
"No matter how you voted ... the government I lead will will respect everyone of you every day," he told the crowd.
"We can have an even better future if we seize the opportunities that are right there in front of us."
He said his rise from humble upbringings to prime minister said a lot about the nation's equality.
"I hope there are families in public housing watching this ... because I want every parent to be able to tell their child no mater where you live or where you come from, in Australia the doors of opportunity are open to us all."
Outgoing prime minister Scott Morrison took responsibility for the Liberals' defeat. Source: Getty Images AsiaPac
'A terrible day': Liberals
Meanwhile, Scott Morrison stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party after conceding defeat, saying he accepted responsibility for the result.
Mr Morrison says he will hand over the leadership at the next party meeting.
"To my colleagues who have had to deal with very difficult news, and have lost their seats tonight, I as leader take responsibility for the wins and the losses," he told supporters at Liberal headquarters in Sydney.
"That is the burden and that is the responsibility of leadership."
Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who is tipped to take Morrison's place, also expressed sorrow for his Liberal colleagues as he claimed victory in his Brisbane-based seat of Dickson.
"We have, as a Liberal family, suffered a terrible day today. There are some amazing people who supported the Liberal Party day in, day out. Through good times and bad," he said.
"They are hurting tonight. I want to acknowledge them. I want to acknowledge the work of the prime minister and Josh Frydenberg."
