Anthony Albanese is likely to continue as Australia's prime minister. His Labor Party has won the federal election. Even Opposition leader Peter Dutton faced a major blow. He lost his seat of Dickson in Brisbane to Labor’s Ali France. Earlier, ABC News confirmed that the Liberal-National Coalition had lost the election. Later, Dutton admitted defeat. He also said he called Albanese to congratulate him. He acknowledged, “The Liberal Party did not do well in this campaign. We didn’t have the night we hoped for.”

Labor Could Form Majority Government

If Labor wins enough seats, Albanese will stay as prime minister. He will also pick new ministers from the elected Labor MPs. Before the election, he said that if re-elected, he planned to visit Washington soon to meet Donald Trump.

Minority Government Still a Possibility

However, Labor might fall short of a majority. That outcome would match what the polls predicted before voting day. Even so, Albanese made it clear he won't make a deal with the Greens or independents. But he could still ask for support from crossbench MPs. These politicians are not part of the main parties.

Labor May Seek “Confidence and Supply” Support

He might seek “confidence and supply” deals. This means some MPs would promise to support the government in important votes. These include budget bills and votes of no confidence. Ideally, these deals would not involve policy promises.

Cost of Living Drove Voters

Clare O’Neil, the Minister for Housing, explained the Labor win. She said the election focused on everyday financial struggles. She stated, “The biggest thing that has been going on in this election is the cost of living. This was a cost of living election.”

She also criticized Dutton’s campaign. She said, “Peter Dutton did a good job through the term exploiting grievances. But when it actually came to the moment for him to explain how he was going to address the concerns that he was raising, he had nothing to say.”

Labor’s Strong Past Performance

In the 2022 election, Labor had already shown its strength. It won 77 out of 151 seats in the House of Representatives. The Liberal-National Coalition secured 58 seats. The Greens took four.