Canberra, May 18 (UNI) Australian opposition leader Bill Shorten has conceded defeat to Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the country's general election on Saturday.
Morrison had entered the election as an underdog, but after a hard-fought campaign defied the odds to extend the Liberal-National coalition's six-year rule, TRT World media said in a report.
"I have always believed in miracles!" he told jubilant supporters in Sydney. "How good is Australia!"?
"These are the quiet Australians who have won a great victory tonight!", he said.
Morrison declared victory in the country's federal elections after his Liberal-National coalition defied the opinion polls and secured a surprise win over the opposition Labor Party.
The PM also thanked to “pretty much the whole state of Queensland” for helping him sweep to victory. The crowd in Sydney chants “Queensland, Queensland, Queensland!”
Shorten made the announcement to supporters of his opposition Labor party late Saturday night in Melbourne.
Shorten said, "It is obvious that Labor will not be able to form the next government and so, in the national interest, a short while ago, I called Scott Morrison to congratulate him."

He also stepped down as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP).
Poll Predictions
Before the announcement, chief election analyst of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Antony Green had predicted that the Liberal-National Party Coalition, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, would win the election.
"Without wanting to hold out any false hope, while there are still millions of votes to count and important seats yet to be finalized, it is obvious that Labor will not be able to form the next government," said Shorten as ABC live report showed that about 68 per cent of the votes were counted.
"This has been a tough campaign. Toxic at times. But 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.
"I wish we could have formed a government for these Australians on this evening. I wish we could have won for the true believers, for our brothers and sisters in the mighty trade union movement. I wish we could have done it for Bob," he added.
Bob Hawke, Shorten's political hero and the longest-serving Labor PM in history, passed away only two days before Saturday's election, aged 89.
For Shorten himself, however, the road was bumpy. Chosen to lead the ALP after it lost the 2013 election in a landslide, he was defeated three years later when Malcolm Turnbull claimed victory.
"I leave the stage tonight but I encourage all Australians, particularly young Australians, never lose faith in the power of individuals to make a difference. Never give up. Never give up aiming for better," he said.
Voting in Australia
Australia has mandatory voting and a record 16.4 million enrolled voters.
Both leaders were out early at polling booths on Saturday, in a last-ditch pitch for votes.
Shortly after polls in the east of the country closed, a Nine-Galaxy poll showed Labor beating the Liberal coalition 52-48, with a parliamentary majority. The poll was based on 3,300 voters in 33 seats.
But live vote tallies and projections from Australia's national broadcaster, ABC News showed a small swing to the governing Liberal coalition - a result which if sustained across the nation would confound most pre-election opinion polling.
In such a close race, the final result of the election may not be known for some hours.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott conceded that he had lost his seat in Warringah to former Olympic skier Zali Steggall.
Saturday's vote is the first general election since political infighting ousted Australia's fourth leader in a decade.
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