Albanese secures historic second term in Australian election

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reacts as he addresses the party faithful after winning a second term following the general election in Sydney, on Saturday —AP

Agencies Melbourne

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has become the first Australian prime minister to win a second consecutive three-year term in 21 years. Opposition leader Peter Dutton conceded defeat in Saturday's election, saying, "We didn't do well enough during this campaign, that much is obvious tonight, and I accept full responsibility for that."  "Earlier on, I called the prime minister to congratulate him on his success tonight. It's an historic occasion for the Labour Party and we recognise that," he added.

The Australian Electoral Commission's projections gave Albanese's ruling centre-left Labour Party 70 seats and the conservative opposition coalition 24 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, the lower chamber where parties need a majority to form governments.  Unaligned minor parties and independent candidates appeared likely to win 13 seats.

Australian Broadcasting Corp's respected election analyst Antony Green predicted Labour would win 76 seats, the coalition 36 and unaligned lawmakers 13. Green said Labour would form a majority or minority government and that the coalition had no hope of forming even a minority government. Energy policy and inflation have been major issues in the campaign, with both sides agreeing the country faces a cost of living crisis. Opposition leader branded DOGE-y Dutton'  

Dutton's conservative Liberal Party blames government waste for fuelling inflation and increasing interest rates, and has pledged to ax more than one in five public service jobs to reduce government spending.

While both say the country should reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Dutton argues that relying on more nuclear power instead of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind turbines would deliver less expensive electricity.

The ruling centre-left Labour Party has branded the opposition leader "DOGE-y Dutton" and accused his party of mimicking US President Donald Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Labour argues Dutton's administration would slash services to pay for its nuclear ambitions.