Updated on: May 3, 2025 / 12:56 PM EDT / AP
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has become the first Australian prime minister to win a second consecutive three-year term in 21 years.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton conceded defeat in Saturday's election, saying, "We didn't do well enough during this campaign, that much is obvious tonight, and I accept full responsibility for that."
"Earlier on, I called the prime minister to congratulate him on his success tonight. It's a historic occasion for the Labor Party and we recognise that," he added.
The Australian Electoral Commission's projections gave Albanese's ruling center-left Labor Party 70 seats and the conservative opposition coalition 24 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, the lower chamber where parties need a majority to form governments. Unaligned minor parties and independent candidates appeared likely to win 13 seats.
Australian Broadcasting Corp. respected election analyst Antony Green predicted Labor would win 76 seats, the coalition 36 and unaligned lawmakers 13. Green said Labor would form a majority or minority government and that the coalition had no hope of forming even a minority government.
Energy policy and inflation have been major issues in the campaign, with both sides agreeing the country faces a cost-of-living crisis.
Dutton's conservative Liberal Party blames government waste for fueling inflation and increasing interest rates, and has pledged to ax 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, Dutton argues that relying on more nuclear power instead of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind turbines would deliver less expensive electricity.
The ruling center-left Labor Party has branded the opposition leader "DOGE-y Dutton" and accused his party of mimicking U.S. President Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency.
Labor argues Dutton's administration would slash services to pay for its nuclear ambitions.
"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," Albanese said.
Albanese also noted that his government had improved relations with China, which removed a series of official and unofficial trade barriers that had cost Australian exporters 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year since Labor came to power in 2022.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Albanese on his election to a second three-year term.
"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,' Rubio said in a statement.
"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," he added.
The election is taking place against a backdrop of what both sides of politics describe as a cost-of-living crisis.
Foodbank Australia, the nation's largest food relief charity, reported that 3.4 million households in the country of 27 million people experienced food insecurity last year.
That meant Australians were skipping meals, eating less