Who's to blame for the Coalition's electoral meltdown? Almost everyone, apparently.

The Coalition’s crushing loss over the weekend has triggered an avalanche of finger-pointing.

The Peter Dutton-led Opposition slipped up big time, with Albanese’s Labor Government only strengthening its hold on the nation’s parliament.

With Labor project to sit at 85 seats in the house while the Coalition are staring down the barrel of just 36.

And after suffering the worst election trouncing since the party was formed in the 1940’s, Coalition MPs (including the ones who had just lost their jobs) were all being asked the same question: whose fault was it?

From media conspiracies to party missteps, everyone — and everything — seems to be under suspicion.

Why play the blame game? A party in crisis, the Coalition didn’t just lose the election – it lost its leader and a host of future leadership hopefuls. What’s more, many of them came from the more “moderate” side of the party. The Nationals, who now seem to be making up at least the consistent part of the deal, all managed to keep their seats. 

Now, the Coalition needs to answer not just “what happened” but “what should we do next?”

Why it matters: Many of these claims around who to blame have largely focused on the public, the Labor government, and the media, and are disconnected, conspiratorial or just plain confusing — signalling a party and supporters still searching for answers rather than learning from the data.

In the weeks leading up to the election, internal polling reportedly gave Peter Dutton false confidence, with numbers showing him tracking to win — even as the ground was shifting beneath him.

Economic planning also came under fire, with shadow treasurer Angus Taylor unable to present a compelling national economic vision.

Current Australian Treasurer, Labor’s Jim Chalmers, has taken great pleasure in highlighting what he believes were massive shortcomings from Taylor.

🗣️ I think Angus Taylor has been one of the biggest reasons why we have outperformed expectations, and I say that as his direct opponent. – Jim Chalmers on ABC TV.

Taylor, depending on who you believe, is one of a small handful of candidates set to potentially lead the Coalition into the future.

Policy confusion became a hallmark of the campaign’s final stretch. Three examples stood out:

A push for nuclear energy — seen as a major policy pivot — failed to gain traction with voters.

There were a few issues with the plan, including… 

👨‍🦲 Dutton accepts fault

Dutton himself is under scrutiny, publicly taking responsibility in his concession speech:

“I accept full responsibility for that."

Another Liberal MP told News.com.au “Our media strategy was bloody terrible.” 

Nicole Chant reportedly directed the Liberal Party's media strategy, a contribution acknowledged by Mr. Dutton on election night, referring to her work as "amazing."

But not everyone agrees Dutton’s solely at fault. 

On the Sky News Australia Facebook page, one commenter blamed the media for perpetuating the idea that Dutton “looks like Voldemort”.

Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes didn’t hold back post-election, slamming the party for going into the contest with “a complete lack of policy.”

Another Senator, Dave Sharma has been in damage control across the media

“We clearly failed to sell an alternative vision to the voting public,” said Sharma.
“That’s on us, including on me.”

Why it matters: Criticism from within the tent suggests deep disunity — and a leadership vacuum that could shape the next phase of Coalition politics.

The Liberal Party is in crisis — and the blame game is only beginning. Rebuilding trust with voters may require more than finding scapegoats. It may take a full ideological reckoning.