Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s centre-left Labor Party was projected to win the election on Saturday, reversing conservative momentum amid concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump’s influence.
Supporters at Labor’s election party in Sydney cheered and hugged as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Sky News Australia announced Labor was likely to form a government based on early results, though it was too early to tell if it would keep its overall majority.
The ABC also projected that Peter Dutton, leader of the conservative Liberal party, would lose his seat of Dickson.
‘Absolutely Unbelievable’
The results coming in were “absolutely unbelievable”, Labor supporter Melinda Adderley, 54, said through her tears at the election party.
The Australian Electoral Commission website published early results showing Labor ahead of a coalition of the Liberal and National parties, 55.94%-44% on a two-party preferred basis.
Cost-of-living pressures and concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump’s volatile policies had been among the top issues on voters minds, opinion polls had shown. “Trump had a massive effect in changing people’s perception of risk,” election analyst Tony Barry told the ABC.
Trump Factor
Opposition Liberal Party spokesman, Senator James Paterson, defended the conservative campaign, which he said was negatively affected by “the Trump factor”.
“It was devastating in Canada for the conservatives … I think it has been a factor here, just how big a factor will be determined in a few hours’ time,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The bounce in the centre-left Labor Party’s fortunes mirrors those of Canada’s Liberal Party, which returned to power this week in a come-from-behind victory after Trump’s tariffs and remarks on Canadian sovereignty sparked a backlash from voters.
‘A Huge Loss’
“If you sling enough mud it will stick,” said Liberal Senator for the Northern Territory Jacinta Price, whose comments that her party would “make Australia great again” had fuelled comparisons to Trump.
“You made it all about Trump,” she said on the ABC on Saturday evening. Dutton had said he would appoint Price to a ministry of government efficiency, one of several echoes of Trump’s policies.
“Losing Peter Dutton is a huge loss,” she added.
As counting got underway, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the Labor government had been “in all sorts of trouble” at the end of 2024 but got back into the contest because of Albanese’s strong campaign performance, policies that addressed concerns about the cost of living, and the Trump effect.
Interest Rate Cut
“The economy became a positive from a negative – the interest rate cut was part of the story,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The central bank cut rates in February, on the eve of the election being called, reversing course after 13 interest rate rises that had ratcheted up home mortgage repayments for households.
“The sense of the influence of American politics” had also helped, he added.
“The nuclear stuff was bad for Peter Dutton,” said Chalmers, referring to comments by Dutton that he would be happy to have a nuclear power plant in his electorate as part of his pledge to introduce nuclear energy to Australia.
Defence Minister Richard Marles told broadcaster Seven that early results were encouraging and Labor regaining majority government “remains a possibility and it is what we are trying to achieve”.
(With inputs from Reuters)
