Australians voted in a national election on Saturday, and polls showed Prime Minister Anthony Albanys Labor Party’s Labor Party rather than conservative opposition because of fears that U.S. President Donald Trump’s volatility obligations have masked calls for change.
Both Australia’s major political parties are committed to alleviating the cost of living, but polls show that Trump’s stop-starting tariff-driven global uncertainty quickly became a major issue for voters during the campaign.
Albanis said in a television commentary in Melbourne that his left-wing government “has established a real firm foundation”.
“Our wages are rising, our inflation is falling,” the prime minister said.
Albanese, who ended the five-week campaign, has pledged to increase housing affordability and strengthen Australia’s universal health care system during his second term.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton also started his day in Melbourne, urging voters to choose his Liberal coalition to “put our country back on track” before heading to his hometown of Queensland.
“I think there are a lot of quiet Australians coming to support the league today,” Dutton said after the vote in the Brisbane area.
The election came less than a week after the Canadian Liberal Party returned to power in a major political comeback, a strong opposition to Trump’s tariffs and his remarks about making Canada the 51st state in the United States.
Labor is trying to play the role of former Dutton, who promises to significantly reduce immigration and lay off thousands of public service jobs, as Trump-Lite conservatives, hoping that some Australians’ negative feelings towards the U.S. president will cause opposition leaders to be rubbed.
Dutton tried to keep a distance from the agency cut-off of Trump adviser Elon Musk, but Labour lags behind the party after the U.S. imposes tariffs on Australia. Dutton led the poll in February.
Australia is a close security ally of the United States and usually encounters a trade deficit with the United States. Even so, it cannot exempt Trump from tariffs, with Australian exports imposing 10% responsibility.
Polling stations in Australia – Among the few democracies that have mandatory votes, it opens at 8 a.m., although 8 million votes have been voted by Saturday, among the 18 million qualified voters.
Trump effect?
Volunteers from local poll centers shot barbecue and some beachfront voters arrived at ballots wearing tight swim trunks.
Voter Ben McCluskey said in Sydney’s Sydney suburb of Bondi that he was optimistic that Labor won a second term.
“I’m a little positive. Hopefully this will be a minority government and the Greens will get a balance of power,” said the 41-year-old engineer.
Nearby, Lucy Tonagh, a 28-year-old child care worker, said that it was her mind that it was her rising cost of living in the ballot box.
“I feel like the cost of living and the cost of parenting, because that’s the key issue I’ve found. More teachers are needed,” Toner said.
Political strategists say Trump is unlikely to be a decisive factor in the election – Albanese has carried out a strong campaign and Dutton made mistakes, including a brief proposal to ban civil servants working from home. But Trump’s influence increases reservations for risk-averse voters, they say.
Matthew Smith, 49, said in the Canberra capital that he had been a liberal all his life but voted for independence this time.
“I feel like over the last few years, Dutton has transformed him into a very populist one. I do think he’s a bit like Trump,” Smith said.
“I think he’s taken the freelance brand away,” he added.
