Australia finds out who will be the next prime minister
Andrew Brown |
Anthony Albanese has won a second term as prime minister, with Labor claiming victory in the federal election.
While it is unclear whether Labor will be able to govern in its own right or be forced to seek a minority arrangement with the crossbench, the centre-left party is the only one able to form a government.
With Saturday’s victory, Mr Albanese is the first prime minister to win two elections in a row since John Howard in 2004.
Trailing in the polls going into the start of year, Labor regained ground on the coalition throughout 2025 following global uncertainty triggered by US President Donald Trump and his tariffs on trading partners.
Campaigning on reducing living costs, Mr Albanese made health a focal point during the election, frequently brandishing his Medicare card and pledging to expand access to bulk billing and urgent cares clinics.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was considered the frontrunner going into the election, but a lack of detail surrounding key policy costings and a voter association with the policies of Mr Trump caused his his poll numbers to plummet.
Mr Dutton urged voters throughout the election to ask themselves if they were better off now compared to three years ago, but the public has opted for a second term of the status quo.
The election was dominated by issues on the cost of living, following several interest rate rises and high inflation, with the prime minister also going on the attack of Mr Dutton’s record as health minister during the previous coalition government.
Despite being ahead throughout the campaign, Mr Albanese still sought to play the underdog card, with Labor still scarred by its 2019 election loss which polls predicted it would win easily.
But with Saturday’s win, Labor has exorcised its demons of the electoral past and will look to implement its second-term agenda.
AAP
