Australian Labor Party Projected to Win Election as Cost-of-Living and Trump Policies Sway Voters
- Victor Nwoko
- May 3
- 2 min read
Australia's center-left Labor Party, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, is projected to win over the conservative opposition in the federal election, with early vote counts placing Labor in a strong position to potentially regain a majority government. The Liberal-National coalition, led by Peter Dutton, is not expected to secure enough seats to form a government, according to early projections based on vote counts from across the country.
Defense Minister Richard Marles stated that the initial results were “encouraging” and confirmed that securing majority government “remains a possibility and it is what we are trying to achieve.” The vote comes amid heightened cost-of-living pressures and growing concerns over the global influence of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies, both of which dominated voter sentiment during the campaign.
Voting officially closed at 6 p.m. in Australia’s eastern time zone, with polls in Western Australia closing later at 10 a.m. GMT. Final results remain pending, but early indicators suggest a swing toward Labor, which had trailed earlier in 2024 but regained support in the lead-up to the election.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers credited Labor’s turnaround to a strong campaign by Albanese, policies aimed at easing financial pressures on households, and a favorable shift in economic conditions. The Reserve Bank of Australia cut interest rates in February, reversing a series of 13 consecutive rate hikes that had placed strain on mortgage holders, turning economic sentiment into an advantage for the incumbent party.
Chalmers also pointed to the international political climate, particularly American politics, as playing a role in shifting voter sentiment. “The sense of the influence of American politics” was a factor in Labor’s resurgence, he said.
Opposition Liberal Party Senator James Paterson acknowledged that the “Trump factor” may have contributed to their campaign’s struggles. Drawing parallels with recent conservative losses in Canada, he said that the effect of Trump’s policies and rhetoric had potentially swayed Australian voters, particularly on issues of sovereignty and trade.
Australia’s ranked-choice voting system means preferences from minor parties and independent candidates will be critical in determining the final outcome. In the 2022 federal election, support for major parties was nearly evenly split, with a significant portion of votes going to independents and smaller parties. Analysts predicted a similar pattern this year, with around one-third of voters expected to support non-major party candidates.
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