Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia secured a historic second consecutive three-year term on Saturday after making a dramatic comeback against the conservative opposition. Voters pushed back against the conservatives due in part to their concerns about the influence of US President Donald Trump.

Peter Dutton, leader of the conservative Liberal Party, admitted defeat and also lost his own seat. His defeat echoed the recent loss of Canada’s conservatives, which analysts similarly linked to a backlash against Trump.

At Labour’s election party in Sydney, supporters hugged and cheered as Albanese delivered his victory speech. He said the party would form a majority government.

“Our government will choose the Australian way, because we are proud of who we are and all that we have built together in this country,” Albanese told the crowd. “We do not need to beg or borrow or copy from anywhere else. We do not seek our inspiration from overseas. We find it right here in our values and in our people.”

For the first time in two decades, an Australian prime minister won a consecutive term. Albanese said Australians had voted for fairness and “the strength to show courage in adversity and kindness to those in need.”

The Australian Electoral Commission projected that Labour would win 81 out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives. With 68 percent of the vote counted, that result would expand their parliamentary majority.

Dutton, whose party had been leading in polls as recently as February, accepted the loss. He said, “We didn’t do well enough during this campaign. That much is obvious tonight, and I accept full responsibility for that.” He also said he had spoken to Labour’s candidate in the seat of Dickson, which he had held for two decades, and congratulated her on her win. Dutton pledged that the Liberal Party would rebuild. He added, “We have been defined by our opponents in this election which is not the true story of who we are.”

Polls showed that cost-of-living pressures and concerns over Trump’s volatile policies were among the top issues for voters.

Liberal Senator Jacinta Price from the Northern Territory said, “If you sling enough mud it will stick.” Her previous comments that her party would “make Australia great again” had sparked comparisons with Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

Price added, “You made it all about Trump.” Dutton had said he would appoint Price to a ministry of government efficiency, which echoed aspects of Trump’s platform. She said, “Losing Peter Dutton is a huge loss.”

Liberal Party spokesperson Senator James Paterson defended the conservative campaign. He said the “Trump factor” had negatively affected them. “It was devastating in Canada for the conservatives... I think it has been a factor here, just how big a factor will be determined in a few hours' time,” he said earlier on ABC.

Earlier, as the vote counting began, Labour Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government had been “in all sorts of trouble” at the end of 2024. He credited Albanese’s strong campaign, Labour’s policies addressing the cost of living, and the Trump effect for their recovery.

As the results came in, Chalmers told ABC the projected victory was “a win for the ages.” He said Albanese “has pulled off one of the great political victories since federation.”

Labour supporter Melinda Adderley, 54, cried tears of joy at the election party and called the result “absolutely unbelievable.”