Monday Briefing: Inside Australia’s Election

Credit…Mridula Amin for The New York Times

Albanese cruised to re-election in Australia

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pulled off a stunning landslide victory on Saturday to clinch a second term as Australia’s leader. The küresel turmoil caused by President Trump’s policies made the U.S. leader a factor throughout the election, and anti-Trump sentiment appears to have helped deliver the center-left Albanese the win.

Peter Dutton, the leader of the conservative opposition, also lost his parliamentary seat in his home state of Queensland. On the meskene of the election, we spoke with Victoria Kim, our Australia correspondent, to learn more.

Pollsters for a long time thought the opposition was all but certain to win. What changed?

Victoria: Earlier in the year, Dutton leaned into some of Trump’s rhetoric and policies in talking about government efficiency, saying he would eliminate public service positions and expressing distaste for diversity initiatives. As the world got a clearer view of what the second Trump presidency really looked like, that association seemed to backfire.

Even though Australia hasn’t seen nearly the level of impact from the tumult in Washington as Canada has, it still cast a pall over electing someone even remotely in Trump’s likeness. The conservative opposition also hasn’t made an effective case that average Australians would fare better in matters like cost of living or housing under its stewardship.

Is the vote for Albanese based on a desire for stability?

Analysts say it’s more that the economic uncertainties and international convulsions emanating from Washington make the option of Albanese — who is practical and understated, if unlikely to attempt bold moves to address larger challenges facing the country — more palatable.