Australian PM Anthony Albanese projected to win re-election

Anthony Albanese has won a second term as Australia's prime minister, with Labor claiming victory in the country's federal election.

While it is unclear whether the Australian Labor Party will be able to govern in its own right or be forced to seek a minority arrangement with the crossbench, the centre-left party is the only one able to form a government.

The ABC, Sky News, Nine and Seven have all projected an Albanese win.

With tonight's victory, Albanese is the first prime minister to win two elections in a row since John Howard in 2004.

Trailing in the polls going into the start of year, Labor regained ground on the coalition throughout 2025 following global uncertainty triggered by US President Donald Trump and his tariffs on trading partners.

Campaigning on reducing living costs, Albanese made health a focal point during the election, frequently brandishing his Medicare card and pledging to expand access to bulk billing and urgent cares clinics.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton was considered the frontrunner going into the election, but a lack of detail surrounding key policy costings and a voter association with the policies of Trump caused his poll numbers to plummet.

Dutton urged voters throughout the election to ask themselves if they were better off now compared to three years ago, but the public has opted for a second term of the status quo.

The election was dominated by issues on the cost of living, following several interest rate rises and high inflation, with the prime minister also going on the attack of Dutton's record as health minister during the previous coalition government.

Despite being ahead throughout the campaign, Albanese still sought to play the underdog card, with Labor still scarred by its 2019 election loss, which polls predicted it would win easily.

But with Saturday's win, Labor has exorcised its demons of the electoral past and will look to implement its second-term agenda.

Meanwhile, Peter Dutton could be on track to lose his seat as early counting in the federal election shows a swing against the opposition.

Expectations of a coalition victory were already low after opinion polls showed a dive in support over the campaign.

But the mood in Liberal HQ at the W Hotel in Brisbane turned definitively dour as the first numbers began to trickle in on Saturday night.

Only about 50 attendees were in the room at 8pm (local time).

Conservation was sparse, with Liberal supporters largely watching the results come in on the big screens in stunned silence.

With over 15% of the vote counted, the coalition had suffered a 2.6% two-party preferred swing away from it.

ABC election analyst Antony Green said it was hard to see the coalition winning.

"Whether this is going to translate into Labor having a win or a big win, it is going to take a lot more to go," he said.

The opposition leader projected confidence as he voted in his electorate of Dickson earlier on Saturday.

"I think a lot of quiet Australians would come out today to support the coalition and I'm looking forward to the outcome tonight," Dutton told reporters at Albany Creek State School in Brisbane's north.

But he was much less optimistic after early counting showed him trailing Labor's Ali France in his own electorate of Dickson

"We believe in miracles. But it's tough," he told Channel Nine.

The coalition was behind in 14 seats it held and was not on track to win any seats from the government.

A lone bright spot for the Liberals was opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan, who looked to have seen off a challenge from independent Alex Dyson in his regional Victorian seat of Wannon, with a swing towards him of 0.9%.