Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that Australians have voted for “unity over division”, after his center-left Labor Party secured a rare second term with an expanded majority in Parliament. Greeted by supporters at a bustling café in Leichhardt—his childhood suburb in Sydney—Albanese told reporters:
The Australian people voted for unity rather than division. We’ll be a disciplined, orderly government in our second term, just like we have been in our first.
Albanese, 61, recalled visiting the café as a child with his late mother, Maryanne Albanese, a single parent and invalid pensioner who raised him in nearby public housing. “I did certainly think of her last night as well. She would be very proud,” he said.
Labor was on track to win at least 85 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives, up from 78 in the last Parliament. Gains during a second term are uncommon in Australian politics, where voter discontent often drives early turnover.
The opposition suffered a dramatic collapse, with conservative leader Peter Dutton losing his parliamentary seat. His coalition was reduced to just 37 seats.
A rare second term
Albanese is the first leader to secure back-to-back election wins since conservative John Howard in 2004. Howard’s 11-year rule ended in 2007 when he, like Dutton now, lost both his seat and his government—ushering in a period of political instability that saw six prime ministers in less than two decades.
Among the first to congratulate Albanese was Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape. He also spoke with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and received messages from British PM Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
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Calls with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were scheduled for later Sunday.
Who is Albanese?
Albanese joined the Labor Party in his 20s and was elected to Parliament in 1996. A veteran of internal party battles and factional disputes, he is one of Australia’s longest-serving MPs. He served in senior roles under Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard before becoming party leader in 2019.
Albanese rose to power in 2022 with promises to tackle climate change, repair global alliances, and offer economic relief post-Covid. His early moves included legislating more ambitious climate targets and repairing strained ties with Beijing and Paris—two major diplomatic wins.
During the five-week election campaign, Australia was hit with an unexpected tariffs on exports to the US—a significant blow given the countries’ long-standing free trade deal. Now, protecting Australia from the “dark shadow” of a US-China trade war is the first priority for Australia’s re-elected Labor government, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Sunday.
(With inputs from AP)
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