Australia PM Anthony Albanese wins second three-year term

In a dramatic comeback for his Labor Party in a general election dominated by the cost-of-living crisis, Anthony Albanese becomes the first Australian prime minister to win a second three-year term in a decade.

As conservative Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton conceded defeat and the loss of his own seat, Albanese’s Labor Party was on track for an unexpectedly large parliamentary majority on Saturday.

Left-leaning Albanese pledged to guide the country through a difficult period of global uncertainty in his victory speech.

He told Sydney supporters, “Australians have chosen to face global challenges the Australian way, looking after each other while building for the future.” We don’t need to beg, borrow, or copy anywhere else. We don’t look for inspiration abroad. Our values and people reflect this directly in our culture.

At the Labor Party election night event in Sydney, Albanese, third from left, celebrates with his partner Jodie Haydon, right, son Nathan Albanese and foreign minister Penny Wong, left.

He claimed that Australians had voted for “Australian values.”

He remarked, “For fairness, aspiration, and opportunity for all,” while clapping. Australians have chosen optimism and determination in this time of uncertainty.

On what he called “an historic occasion” for the main opposition Liberal Party, Dutton, accepted full responsibility for the party’s poor election results.

Labor’s Ali France, a former journalist and communications manager who has advocated for lower healthcare costs and investment in public healthcare and education, defeated Dutton in the race for his own Dickson seat in Australia’s parliament.

Australia vote — Dutton and his family attend the Brisbane Liberal Party election-night gathering.

In reference to US President Donald Trump, Liberal spokesperson Senator James Paterson suggested “the Trump factor” was present in Australia. Trump’s six-week election campaign had a long shadow cast, which sparked a ferocious debate over whether his tariff-induced economic chaos would have an impact on the outcome.

The high cost of living, healthcare, housing costs, and clean energy were some of the main concerns for Australian voters during this federal election.

Jessica Washington, a journalist from Sydney, described it as a historic victory for the Labor Party.

The prime minister sent unmistakably a message of unity. Peter Dutton’s audience began to boo him shortly after his speech, and he immediately retorted and said that wasn’t the way it was,” she said.

“Labor has made promises, including a 20% reduction in student debt, as well as pledges to make it easier for young people to buy homes. Because they are frequently portrayed as the economic managers, the opposition coalition’s defeat in an election largely centered on those issues makes the defeat doubly embarrassing.

With 77 out of 151 seats in the House of Representatives in 2022, the party’s return to power comes to an end with the election.

Labor also seized 25 seats in the Senate after the 2022 election, while the Greens seized 11 and the coalition that opposed it seized 30.