Australia this weekend rejected the most Left-wing Labor Party in a generation, led by the low-energy Bill Shorten, and re-elected the Liberal-National coalition, led by the good friend of Britain, Scott Morrison.

This is a shock to the pollster and pundit class – every poll for years, even the exit polls on election night, pointed to a Labor victory. The Australian people had a different idea. The Shy Liberal Voter came out in droves.

There was simply no mood for change. “In 2007, when Labor took power, we felt a massive mood for change at Australia House in London [the largest voting booth in the world]. Turnout was down [this year], showing a lack of enthusiasm for a Shorten Labor government,” says Jason Groves, of Australian Liberals Abroad in the UK.

The result is reminiscent of Britain’s 2015 general election result, in which a disciplined campaign led by Aussie election whizzes Lynton Crosby and Mark Textor unexpectedly beat the front-runners.

It is a huge turnaround. Just six months ago the Liberal Party was on the path to defeat until they changed leader – an important lesson for the Conservative Party.