Australia’s left-leaning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese triumphed Saturday in national elections, crushing his conservative rival in a contest swayed by economic upheaval and US President Donald Trump.
Albanese’s slow-but-steady leadership resonated at a time of global tumult, analysts said, with voters deserting hard-nosed opposition leader Peter Dutton in droves.
Not only was Albanese’s Labor Party on track for an unexpectedly large parliamentary majority, but former police officer Dutton endured the rare humiliation of losing his seat.
Projections by national broadcaster ABC pointed to a landslide, with Labor taking 85 seats so far in the 150-member parliament. Dutton’s coalition had 41, other parties nine, and another 15 were in doubt.
“Today the Australian people have voted for Australian values. For fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all,” Albanese told a raucous crowd in his victory speech.
“In this time of global uncertainty, Australians have chosen optimism and determination.”
Elated Labor supporters swigged craft beers emblazoned with Albanese’s face at an election party in Sydney, chanting his “Albo” nickname as results were declared on television.
Albanese has promised to embrace renewable energy, tackle a worsening housing crisis, and pour money into a creaking healthcare system.
Dutton wanted to slash immigration, crack down on crime and ditch a longstanding ban on nuclear power.
Trump cast a shadow over the six-week election campaign, sparking keen global interest in whether his tariff-induced economic chaos would influence the result.
Congratulations for Albanese came from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called Australia a “valued ally, partner, and friend of the United States”.
Sydney politics lecturer Henry Maher told AFP that “in times of instability, we expect people to go back to a kind of steady incumbent”.
Dutton’s policy to slash the public service rankled many as similar cuts, led by billionaire Trump advisor Elon Musk, brought chaos in the United States.
His flagship proposal to dot Australia with nuclear reactors was also widely seen as a liability.
“Our government will choose the Australian way,” Albanese said late Saturday.
“We do not need to beg, or borrow, or copy from anywhere else. We do not seek our inspiration from overseas.”
– ‘Mad as a cut snake’ –
Hungry voters munched on barbecued “democracy sausages” after casting ballots — a polling day rite of passage — while others in bright swimwear crammed into voting booths after taking an early morning plunge.
Before the first vote was even counted, speculation was mounting over whether Dutton could survive an election loss.
“We didn’t do well enough during this campaign. That much is obvious tonight and I accept full responsibility,” Dutton told supporters in a concession speech.
Some pre-vote polls showed Dutton leaking support because of Trump, whom he praised this year as a “big thinker” with “gravitas” on the global stage.
“I mean, Donald Trump is as mad as a cut snake, and we all know that,” voter Alan Whitman, 59, said before casting his ballot.
“And we’ve got to tiptoe around that.”
Voting is compulsory, enforced with fines of Aus$20 (US$13), leading to turnouts above 90 percent.
– High prices –
As Australians soured on Trump, both Dutton and Albanese took on more pugnacious tones.
Albanese condemned Trump’s tariffs as an act of “economic self-harm” and “not the act of a friend”, while Dutton said in April he would “in a heartbeat” fight any world leader, including Trump, to advance Australia’s interests.
Economic concerns have dominated the contest for the many Australian households struggling to pay inflated prices for milk, bread, power and petrol.
“The cost of living — it’s extremely high at the moment… Petrol prices, all the basic stuff,” human resources manager Robyn Knox told AFP in Brisbane.
– Campaign stumbles –
Albanese’s government has embraced the global push towards decarbonisation, warning of a future in which iron ore and polluting coal exports no longer prop up the economy.
The 36-day campaign was a largely staid affair but there were moments of unscripted levity.
Albanese tumbled backwards off the stage at a heaving campaign rally, while Dutton drew blood when he hit an unsuspecting cameraman in the head with a stray football.
Rubio said that Washington hoped to “advance our common interests and promote freedom and stability in the Indo-Pacific and globally” — sentiments echoed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
An unnamed Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Beijing was “ready to work” with Australia’s new government to further a “more mature, stable and productive” partnership, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv “sincerely values Australia’s unwavering support and its principled stance on ending Russia’s war”.
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