Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has clinched a historic second three-year term, the first in over two decades, following Saturday’s election.
The leftwing Labor Party is projected to secure at least 70 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, with respected analyst Antony Green forecasting up to 76 seats. The conservative/libertarian Liberal-National Coalition, led by Peter Dutton, trails with 24-36 seats, while minor parties and independents may hold 13.
Dutton, conceding defeat, accepted responsibility for the Coalition’s poor performance. From a conservative New Zealand perspective, this result is a setback for sensible, market-driven policies.
Dutton’s pledge to cut one in five public service jobs to curb government waste and inflation was a bold move to prioritise fiscal discipline. His push for nuclear power over unreliable renewables like solar and wind aimed to deliver affordable energy—a pragmatic approach for a resource-rich nation like Australia.
Labor’s campaign, however, leaned on divisive tactics, branding Dutton “DOGE-y” and accusing him of aping US-style politics.
Albanese’s government also claimed credit for easing trade tensions with China, restoring $13 billion in exports, but conservatives here might see this as pandering to a regime that increasingly demands caution.
With both sides acknowledging a cost-of-living crisis—3.4 million Australian households faced food insecurity last year—Labor’s focus on big-government solutions contrasts with the Coalition’s call for leaner governance.
The election highlights Australia’s shifting demographics, with younger voters outnumbering Baby Boomers for the first time. Both parties dangled promises to first-home buyers grappling with a runaway property market, a challenge familiar to Kiwis. If Labor’s seat count dips below a majority, Albanese may need to court independents for a minority government, a scenario last seen in 2010.
Law Professor and Rhodes Scholar Dr Joanna Howe gave her take:
“Tonight’s loss for @LiberalAus is devastating. Going forward, the party must decide: is it the party of John Howard or the party of Malcolm Turnbull?
In Dutton it was neither and in a presidential contest between Albo versus Dutton, he just couldn’t measure up. Albo’s not even charismatic (like a Hawke) but Dutton was just woefully bad. Neither conservatives nor moderates were passionate about getting him elected. He wasn’t prolife, he didn’t oppose vax mandates and he failed to connect with ordinary Australians over their cost of living issues.
We know which way the media pushes the Liberals to go (towards Turnbull not Howard).
But I honestly believe that for the Liberal Party to comeback it needs TRUE and COURAGEOUS leadership like what we see from an @JNampijinpa or an @SenatorAntic who are both prepared to actually stand for something.
Unfortunately both are in the Senate.
The Liberal Party has a long way to go before it can be a genuine alternative government.”
For New Zealand conservatives, this election underscores the risks of progressive policies winning at a time when economic pressures demand restraint.
