Anthony Albanese returns as Prime Minister: Labor secures historic victory in Australian elections

03 May 2025 , 21:48

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Labor Party supporters react as national broadcaster ABC projected a win for the party, while votes are still being counted, in the general election at the party’s election night event in Sydney on May 3, 2025. Picture: Getty

Australia’s Labour Party has won re-election, local broadcasters are reporting.

Anthony Albanese will return as Prime Minister, Australia’s national broadcaster ABC reports. 

With this victory, Mr Albanese becomes the first Australian PM to win successive elections in 21 years.

In a disappointing night for the conservative Liberal Party, its leader, Peter Dutton, has been projected to lose his seat amid an unexpected swing to Labour.

Both Mr Albanese and Mr Dutton, who is opposition leader, began Saturday in the electorally crucial city of Melbourne. Mr Albanese later returned home to Sydney to vote and Mr Dutton headed to his home city of Brisbane.

Energy policy and inflation have been major issues in the campaign, with both sides agreeing the country faces a cost-of-living crisis.

Mr Dutton’s conservative Liberal Party blames government waste for fuelling inflation and increasing interest rates, and has pledged to axe more than one in five public service jobs to reduce government spending.

While both say the country should reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Mr Dutton argues that relying on more nuclear power instead of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind turbines would deliver less expensive electricity.

Labour has branded the opposition leader "Doge-y Dutton" and accused his party of mimicking US President Donald Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency.

The cost of living crisis and Trump’s controversial policies have been among top concerns for voters in Australia.

Mr Albanese’s Labour Party had argued under Mr Dutton’s Liberal party, services would be cut to pay for the party’s nuclear ambitions.

Mr Albanese said: "We’ve seen the attempt to run American-style politics here of division and pitting Australians against each other and I think that’s not the Australian way."

The Liberal Party leader had said he hoped to become the first political leader to drive out a first-term government since 1931 - a time when Australians were reeling from the Great Depression.

However, based on current projections, Mr Dutton’s ambitions have seemingly not come to fruition.

Labor Party Supporters Wait For Election Results. Picture: Getty

Emily Hughes