Bill Shorten has been seen for the first time since losing the 'unloseable election' overnight, putting on a brave face for the cameras as he spoke about looking forward to spending more time with his family.
The former Labor Leader suffered a humiliating defeat against Prime Minister Scott Morrison, despite telling reporters on Saturday he would be 'hitting the ground running' on Sunday.
Instead he was left talking to the media about what the Labor party could take from the election result.
Bill Shorten (pictured) has been seen for the first time since losing the 'unloseable election' overnight putting on a brave face for the cameras as he spoke to the media
After his shock defeat Shorten announced he would step down as leader of the ALP but would continue to work for his Maribyrnong electorate.
'Lots of lessons for Labor to learn from yesterday's result, I know that my party will,' Mr Shorten said.
'I am now looking forward to spending some overdue time with my amazing wife, after all I am Chloe Shorten's husband, and to see the kids.
When asked what went wrong Mr Shorten was straight to the point: 'We didn't get enough votes'.
The timing of Mr Shorten's appearance was not great, clashing with Anthony Albanese's announcement that he would contend for the ALP leadership.
Opinion polls predicted the party would enjoy a comfortable win and be able to form majority government, but what should have been a night of triumph ended in one of defeat.
The former Labor Leader suffered a humiliating defeat against Prime Minister Scott Morrison , despite telling reporters on Saturday he would be 'hitting the ground running' on Sunday
In an emotional speech to supporters late on Saturday night, he said he was 'disappointed by the result' and that he wished he could have won 'for the true believers' and for the late Bob Hawke.
'Now that the contest is over, all of us have a responsibility to respect the result, respect the wishes of the Australian people and to bring our nation together,' he said.
'However that task will be one for the next leader of the Labor Party because while I intend to continue to serve as the member for Maribyrnong, I will not be a candidate in the next Labor leadership ballot.'
Mr Shorten's speech was praised by voters as 'inspiring' and 'graceful'.
As he spoke, his wife Chloe stood close by his side, gazing adoringly at her husband as he resigned from the leadership.
A Labor win was expected to be a sure thing, with a Newspoll held on the eve of the election showing Labor leading the Coalition 51.5 per cent to 48.5 per cent on a two-party-preferred vote basis.
But it was not meant to be.
As votes flooded in, there was an early swing to the Coalition and Labor never recovered.
While it will take days for the party to work out exactly what went wrong, political pundits are already speculating.
The Labor leader of six years has outlasted two Liberal Prime Ministers before calling it quits on Saturday
In an emotional speech, he told supporters he wished he could have won for the Party's true believers and Bob Hawke
ABC's Andrew Probyn said Labor sources told him they believed their chances were 'killed' by the Coalition's preference deals with Clive Palmer's United Australia Party and Pauline Hanson's One Nation.
Troy Bramston, a columnist for The Australian, said Labor sources had told him they were 'stunned and shocked, and it looks like a diabolical night for their party'.
Mr Shorten has led the Labor Party since October 2013, when he took over from former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
In 2016, Shorten led Labor to gain 14 seats in an election where Malcolm Turnbull was only able to form a Coalition government by a single seat.
He did not nominate a successor in his concession speech, but notably thanked Tanya Plibersek, Penny Wong and Chris Bowen - excluding Anthony Albanese.
Anthony Albanese will reportedly put his hand up for the the top job, having only narrowly lost the leadership ballot to Mr Shorten six years ago.
His decision to run was reported by Sky News' David Speers - while Mr Shorten was still on stage conceding the election.
Anthony Albanese, who previously put his hand up for the top job in 2013, will be a contender for future leader of the party
He comfortably won his seat in Sydney's inner-west against the Greens' Jim Casey on Saturday night, and addressed supporters with what appeared to be a bid for the leadership, noting he would work in 'whatever capacity' to return the party to power.
'The Labor Party doesn't seek to form government to change who sits in ministerial cars. We seek to form government to change the country,' he said to thunderous applause.
'Bill Shorten as the leader and our entire team have worked incredibly hard over recent times. I have been someone who has never put myself before the Labor Party as a whole.
'And as part of that team I must accept, as we must collectively, responsibility for the fact the many people who rely on us will be disappointed that the outcome tonight is uncertain.
'But what I am convinced about, and have been convinced about since I joined the Labor Party in school, is that this movement is bigger than any individual.'
He went on to slam the Coalition for running a 'campaign of fear', and said he would work in 'whatever capacity' to bring Labor to power.
'This movement, which has been in existence since 1891, standing up for the interests of working class people and standing up to change the power balance in society, whether that be economic power, political power or social power, that is our task and it is one that I will continue to pursue whether in Government or, if we aren't fortunate to be in Government, in whatever capacity over the coming days, weeks, months and years.'
Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek is another strong contender for the leadership, having taken a starring role in Mr Shorten's campaign.
Tanya Plibersek is another favourite for the leadership, with the Deputy Leader expected to put her hand up now Mr Shorten has stood down
Ms Plibersek was often seen by Mr Shorten's side, her smiling face often in stark contrast to Mr Shorten's wooden demeanor.
She became Deputy Leader of the party in 2013, when Mr Shorten became leader, and previously served as a cabinet minister in the governments of former prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.
The Member for Sydney also comfortably held on to her seat, but declined to say if Mr
