Megan Jennaway, South Golden Beach
I am in Turkey. I arrive at my destination to find that we do not have a change of government in Australia.
Eight hours ago, when I boarded my bus, it was still possible. The pundits had all predicted a Labor victory. But Scott Morrison had done too good a job of mowing down all opposition with his winning formula of bluster and bombast.
This is the man who infamously desecrated our parliament by brandishing a lump of coal at the nation from within it; who disingenuously told us we had nothing to fear from this harmless little nugget.
This evangelical shape-shifter, this hard-nosed silencer of refugees turned Aussie good bloke who now leads the country, declared that God had worked a miracle last weekend. But the only miracle was that Australians, usually so quick to detect and ridicule hubris, and humbug, fell for it. We’ve sleep-walked into at least another four years – perhaps more (!) – of dangerous climate-change denialism and dullard government.
I am in Turkey. I’m ashamed to tell people I’m an Australian. And I’m dreading going home to a country I don’t recognise; a country to which I fear I no longer belong.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
