Left-leaning PM triumphs in Australian election

(AFP): Australia’s left-leaning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese triumphed on Saturday in national elections, crushing his conservative rival in a contest swayed by economic upheaval and Donald Trump.

Albanese’s slow-but-steady leadership resonated at a time of global tumult, analysts said, with voters deserting hard-nosed opposition leader Peter Dutton in droves.

Dutton said he had called the prime minister to congratulate him on the win.

“We didn’t do well enough during this campaign. That much is obvious tonight and I accept full responsibility,” he told supporters.

Elated Labour supporters swigged craft beers emblazoned with Albanese’s face at an election party in Sydney, chanting his “Albo” nickname as results were declared on TV.

“This could be a big win for Labour,” said respected election analyst Antony Green from national broadcaster ABC.

Albanese has promised to embrace renewable energy, tackle a worsening housing crisis, and pour money into a creaking healthcare system.

Dutton wanted to slash immigration, crack down on crime and ditch a longstanding ban on nuclear power.

US President Trump cast a long shadow over the six-week election campaign, sparking keen global interest in whether his tariff-induced economic chaos would influence the result.

“In times of instability, we expect people to go back to a kind of steady incumbent,” University of Sydney politics lecturer Henry Maher told AFP.

Dutton’s policy to slash the public service rankled as similar cuts, led by Elon Musk, brought chaos in the United States.

And his flagship policy to dot the country with nuclear reactors was also widely seen as a liability.

‘Mad as a cut snake’

Hungry voters munched on barbecued “democracy sausages” after casting their ballot — a polling day rite of passage — while others in bright swimwear crammed into booths after taking an early morning plunge.

Before the first vote was even counted, speculation was already mounting over whether Dutton could survive an election loss.

Some pre-vote polls showed Dutton leaking support because of Trump, who he praised this year as a “big thinker” with “gravitas” on the global stage.

“I mean, Donald Trump is as mad as a cut snake, and we all know that,” said voter Alan Whitman, 59, before casting his ballot on Saturday.

“And we’ve got to tiptoe around that.”

Voting is compulsory, enforced with fines of Aus$20, leading to turnouts that top 90 per cent.