Liberal Labor Party sweeps Australia election

The Australian Labor Party won the most seats in Parliament on Saturday, giving party leader Anthony Albanese another term as prime minister. Counting will continue for several days, but the Labor Party already appeared to have won over half the seats in the 151-seat House of Representatives and about one-third of the 76 Senate seats. Leader of the opposing Liberal–National Coalition, Peter Dutton, formally conceded the election on Saturday and claimed full responsibility for the loss. It's a historic night for the Labor Party and the opposition recognizes that, he said. Dutton lost his seat in Parliament after nearly 25 years of public service.

What is the Labor Party’s platform? The party campaigned heavily on the promise to strengthen Medicare, specifically by adding $8.5 billion in funding over the next four years. The funding would go towards incentivizing doctors against charging patients out-of-pocket costs and training thousands of nurses and medical staff. The party also campaigned on a platform to provide affordable housing and promised to use $10 billion to build 100,000 homes to be sold exclusively to first-time homebuyers. Labor leaders also promised to lower the cost of living for Australians by cracking down on grocery store price gouging, namely with a task force setting standards on what’s considered excessive pricing.

The party promised to lower electricity costs for private homes and small businesses with a $1.8 million energy bill, and promised to forgive 20% of all student loans as a one-time act to combat rising inflation. Commentators around the world noted the similarities between the recent Australian and Canadian elections, with the liberal parties of both countries winning major victories after America’s sweeping conservative victory in November.

What have American leaders said about the election? President Donald Trump described Albanese as friendly and respectful when asked about the election on Sunday, adding that the pair held a good friendship. Albanese told reporters that he had a warm conversation with Trump on Monday. The pair discussed tariffs and planned to meet in person soon, Albanese said. Former President Joe Biden congratulates Albanese in a Saturday afternoon statement. America and Australia’s alliance is anchored in shared values that Albanese will continue to uphold, he wrote.