As strange as it might seem, the motley crew which is likely to make up the Senate is also a good outcome on two grounds. One it has highlighted flaws in the preferential voting system for the Senate and is likely to trigger changes which will improve our Democracy. And secondly, after being primarily responsible for the disruptive tone in the last parliament, Abbott will need to spend most of his time ensuring this parliament isn't equally disruptive for quite different reasons.
While a number of seats are still undecided, the idea of not having Sophie Mirabella in the next parliament is as encouraging as the idea that Mike Kelly can hold Eden Monaro. Time will tell as to how good the news is on those counts.
Despite the loss of some good members, such as David Bradbury, a great deal of Labor talent has survived and is ready to fight another day when parliament resumes. And soon they will be under the guidance of fresh new leadership which carries little or no baggage.
There are outstanding investigations and legal proceedings which will weigh heavily on Tony Abbott, Christopher Pyne and Mal Brough in relation to the James Ashby affair and Abbott's connection with the infamous slush fund he operated. The fall out from those two events will be played out over the final months of this year, and will likely be exacerrbated by Clive Palmer's presence in the House of Representatives.
It is encouraging that the size of Abbott's majority is smaller than predicted, small enough to realistically believe he may be a one term PM. The shortness of his tenure is now in the hands of Labor and how quickly we can heal and regroup.
Equally encouraging is the reputational and economic damage that has been inflicted on Murdoch's media empire by Rupert himself. While the numbers will not be revealed until the corporate reporting season, there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence to suggest that newspaper sales and Foxtel subscriptions have headed south as a result. There is also a growing consensus that the election just passed will mark the passing of major influence from the old media to the new media... sidelining Murdoch further.
Watching Q&A on Monday night a few other things were clear. The full extent of the Coalition plan was to get themselves elected. Brandis and Kroger demonstrated that beyond bleating about a mandate (which they don't have) and hanging their hat on repealing two taxes and facilitating a magical confidence boost, they have no plan for government. They will quickly be seen as a do nothing government, with no ideas, and not enough courage to call a double dissolution election.
As troubling as Abbott's election is, there is a great deal to be optimistic about... it is always darkest just before the dawn.
It appears the shoe may be on the other foot... We still live in interesting times.