Brisbane and Sydney, Australia
CNN
—
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has secured a second term in office in what appears to be an election wipeout for the Liberal Party leader, as voters chose stability over change against a backdrop of global turmoil inflicted by a returning US President Donald Trump.
Albanese’s Labor Party was on course to secure a majority, and while votes were still being counted, early results showed a sharp swing towards his center-left party, according to projections from national broadcaster the ABC and CNN affiliate Sky News.
Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton, who had hoped to end the night as prime minister, lost the outer-suburban Brisbane seat that he’s held for more than 20 years, ending a brutal night for the veteran politician who held senior seats in the last Coalition government.
The Labor victory makes Albanese the first Australian Prime Minister to win re-election for two decades, since John Howard in 2004.
Australia’s return of a left-leaning government follows Canada’s similar sharp swing towards Mark Carney’s Liberal Party.
While Australia wasn’t facing the same threats to its sovereignty as Canada, Trump’s global tariffs and policy swings have undermined Australians’ trust in the US, according to recent surveys.
Dutton entered the five-week campaign on a strong footing. But analysts say his chances were badly damaged by policy misses and reversals, and weighed down by Trump’s wrecking-ball approach to the global order.
By contrast, Albanese’s Labor Party was able to demonstrate a steady hand – striking an authoritative tone in response to Trump’s decision to impose 10% tariffs on Australia, which were later paused, analysts said.
After Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement, Albanese called a press conference and, flanked by his foreign and trade ministers, said: “This is not the act of a friend.”
In contrast, Dutton struggled to shake off comparisons to Trump by his opponents.
Domestically, Albanese has promised to ease cost-of-living pressures after a long period of high inflation, provide a tax cut and short-term relief from higher energy bills, and build 1.2 million houses to ease the housing crisis.
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