Albanese re-elected in anti-Trump bump

Australia’s Anthony Albanese clinched a historic second term as prime minister on Saturday, with his centre-left Labor party boosted by anti-Trump sentiment.

Albanese is the first prime minister for more than two decades to win back-to-back elections. Just five weeks ago, polls suggested he was facing defeat to the conservative opposition.

In a victory speech, Albanese, 62, said his country had “turned a corner” and his majority Labor government would proceed with “new hope, new confidence and new determination”.

“Australians have chosen to face global challenges the Australian way,” he said. “Looking after each other while building for the future.”

Keir Starmer congratulated Albanese on X, saying: “The UK and Australia are close as ever. Which goes to show that long-distance friendships can be the strongest.”

Opposition leader Peter Dutton, 54, a former police detective, lost his own seat of 24 years in Dickson in Queensland. He said he accepted “full responsibility” for the defeat of his Liberal-National Coalition.

A cost of living crisis dominated the election campaign, with energy costs and inflation featuring heavily. Dutton campaigned on cutting prices at the fuel pumps while Albanese pledged his government would deliver affordable healthcare.

Foodbank Australia, the nation’s largest food relief charity, reported 3.4 million households in the country of 27 million people experienced food insecurity last year. It meant Australians were skipping meals, eating less or worrying about running out of food before they could afford to buy more.

Labor’s victory has also been credited to the “anti-Trump bump”. US tariffs were initially set at 25% on Australian steel and may have cost the Conservative opposition significant votes.

Dutton had pledged to cut 41,000 public service jobs, prompting warnings that people might have to wait weeks, or even months, for social service payments. He was dubbed “DOGE-y Dutton” by Labor, which accused him of mimicking Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Tesla boss Elon Musk.

The Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price would have been tasked with cutting “wasteful spending” in the event of victory, as the head of a government efficiency unit. She announced at a campaign rally that she wanted to “make Australia great again”, and she was pictured on social media wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat on Christmas Day.

“You made it all about Donald Trump,” Price told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “We really couldn’t care less about the way Donald Trump is governing for America.”

Dutton’s dramatic loss parallels that of Canada’s opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, who lost his seat and the Canadian election last week after Trump declared economic war on Canada and described it as the “51st state”.

Labor had held a narrow majority of 78 seats in the 151-seat House of Representatives, the lower chamber where parties form government. It is on track to increase its majority in its second term.

Congratulating Albanese on his election to a second three-year term, Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, said: “Australia is a valued ally, partner, and friend of the United States. Our shared values and democratic traditions provide the bedrock for an enduring alliance and for the deep ties between our peoples.

“The United States looks forward to deepening its relationship with Australia to advance our common interests and promote freedom and stability in the Indo-Pacific and globally.”