Australian voters head to vote on Saturday, the third major US ally behind Germany and Canada.
Two men who are fighting to lead Australia (center left Labour Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and conservative coalition opposition leader Peter Dutton) agree that the country is in the most challenging environment of its generation. It relies heavily on the US for its security, but draws much of its prosperity from trade with China.
But the most pressing for voters is the crisis of living and the affordability of worsening housing, further dampening years of optimism that Australia is a country withstanding a recession, blessed with rich resources, high wages and a stable, functional government.
Recent polls show that Albanese’s party is a shift from the beginning of the year led by opposition, with most of its seats in the House of Representatives. Australia has a Westminster-style council system.
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It’s economy, friends
Dutton went to more than 15 gas stations on the campaign trail (counted by the Guardian) and made the party’s proposal to cut taxes to reduce payments at the pump. Albanese highlights his commitment to flashing cards from Australia’s universal healthcare system Medicare multiple times, reducing out-of-pocket costs.
Just as the global turmoil that originates from Washington have dominated the news cycle in recent months, voters say their biggest concern is the bread and butter (bread and bigemit, if any) that stretches the average household. However, both major parties pledge only small measures to alleviate economic pressure, rather than bold and ambitious ideas for the direction of the country.
During the final discussion lightning, the two candidates were asked to price a dozen eggs for sale for more than $8 or nearly $6 in Australia. Dutton was quite apart, leaving the price in about half. Albanese was closer but still lower with Australia’s $7 answer.
Egg prices rose 13.5% in the year ended March 2025, after a 6.8% increase in the previous year. Another classic, vegemite, is also slower, but more expensive.
“It’s the nerve of the hip pocket. Under which government are you better?” said Shaun Ratcliff, a political scientist and poller at Accent Research. “I don’t think they’re sure they’ll get better,” he said, despite economic dissatisfaction that should have reduced Albanese’s approval rating and helped conservative opposition.
Cultural War
For Albanese, the political understanding of his three-year term was the failure of the 2023 referendum, which failed to embarrass the Parliament’s Aboriginal Australian representation. When he was elected the previous year, it was his main campaign pledge. His Labour Party gained control in 2022 after the Central Right Union was in power for nine years.
Dutton, a former Queensland police officer, opposed the measure and continued to take an stance against other iconic perceptions of Indigenous peoples. He said he was not standing in front of the flags of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and said giving the first Australian approval at a public event was “overdoing.”
Opposition leaders had adopted several buzzwords or policies that listened to President Trump and his pet causes. The strategy appeared to be aimed at riding the global right-handed anti-power current that dominated last year. But when President Trump’s first months unfolded, the association began cutting back on Dutton.
“To be considered a Trumpian now is not a good thing for the median voter,” said Ben Laue, an independent election analyst who runs the political tracking site Talley Room.
Shift from key stakeholders
Australia, one of the few places in the world with mandatory votes, fines people who don’t appear in polls. That is, politicians don’t have the option of catering narrow and extreme foundations to vote, making politics more central.
However, in recent elections, Australian voters have separated from two long-dominated major parties, instead turning to independent candidates and minor parties. The trend also makes the prospects of minority governments more likely, which forces both parties to win the most seats to negotiate with smaller parties.
Chris Wallace, a political historian at the University of Canberra, said the shift was a clear signal to complaints about the proposals provided by the two key players and the candidate’s slate.
“Major parties don’t listen to voters’ views, particularly in search of deeper solutions to today’s deeper problems,” she said.
