Australia PM Anthony Albanese wins second three-year term

Labor Party leader becomes the first Australian prime minister to win a second consecutive three-year term in two decades.

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

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

In his victory speech, left-leaning Albanese pledged to steer the nation through a rough patch of global uncertainty.

“Australians have chosen to face global challenges the Australian way, looking after each other while building for the future,” he told supporters in Sydney. “We do not need to beg or borrow or copy from anywhere else. We do not seek our inspiration overseas. We find it right here in our values and in our people.”

Albanese, third from left, celebrates with his partner Jodie Haydon, right, son Nathan Albanese and Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong, left, at the Labor Party election night event in Sydney [Saeed Khan/AFP]

He said the Australian people have voted for “Australian values”.

“For fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all,” he said amid a loud cheer. “In this time of global uncertainty, Australians have chosen optimism and determination.”

Dutton of the main opposition Liberal Party accepted full responsibility for poor election results on what he called “an historic occasion” for the party.

Dutton also lost the race for his own Dickson seat in Australia’s parliament to Labor’s Ali France, a former journalist and communications manager who has pushed for easing the cost of living through tax cuts, cheaper medicine, and investment in public healthcare and education.

Dutton stands with his family at the Liberal Party election night event in Brisbane [Patrick Hamilton/AFP]

Senator James Paterson, a Liberal spokesperson, suggested “the Trump factor” was in play in Australia, in reference to United States President Donald Trump. Trump had cast a long shadow over the six-week election campaign, sparking keen global interest in whether his tariff-induced economic chaos would influence the result.

For Australian voters, the high cost of living, healthcare, housing prices and clean energy were some of the top issues in this federal election.

Reporting from Sydney, Al Jazeera’s Jessica Washington said it was an historic win for the Labor Party.

“There was certainly a message of unity by the prime minister. There was also a short moment during his speech when the crowd began to boo Peter Dutton, and he immediately hushed them and said that wasn’t the Australian way,” she said.

“Labor has pledged to make it easier for young people to buy homes and has also made promises, including a 20 percent cut to student debt. This makes the loss doubly embarrassing for the opposition coalition because they are often seen as the economic managers, but they lost in an election held largely around those issues.”

The election is completing the party’s return to power after it had also managed to secure a parliament majority with 77 seats out of 151 in the House of Representatives in 2022.

After the 2022 election, Labor also secured 25 seats in the Senate while the coalition working against it secured 30, and the Greens took 11.

To form a government, a party needs to win a majority – at least 76 seats – in the House of Representatives. If no party wins an outright majority, the party with the highest number of seats forms a minority government by collaborating with smaller parties or independent members.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies