SYDNEY – Australians began voting on May 3 in a bitterly contested general election, deciding a contest shaped by living costs, climate anxiety and US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
From dusty desert towns to sun-splashed harbour cities, millions of Australians will choose between left-leaning incumbent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and conservative challenger Peter Dutton.
The almost universal consensus across a slew of opinion polls leading up to election day was that Mr Albanese’s governing Labor Party would win a second term.
“The holy grail is back-to-back wins that we’re aiming for today,” Mr Albanese told Channel Seven.
“I’ll leave nothing on the field over the next three years if I’m re-elected as Australia’s prime minister.”
Though trailing by a few percentage points in the polls, Mr Dutton said “quiet Australians” could yet deliver a surprise.
“I think they’re going to go into the polling booth and say: ‘You know what? I am not going to reward Anthony Albanese for the last three years’,” he told Channel Nine.
Asked if he would remain opposition leader if he loses, Mr Dutton said he was only talking about winning, but added: “I am 54. I am still very young, and I’ve just got a burning passion for this country.”
The first polls opened at 8am on Australia’s east coast, followed later by the country’s western cities and far-flung island territories.
A total of 18.1 million voters have enrolled for the election. More than a third of them have cast an early ballot, the election authority said.
Voting is compulsory, enforced with fines of A$20 (S$16.70), leading to turnouts that top 90 per cent.
A result could come as soon as the night of May 3, unless the vote is very tight.
Mr Albanese, 62, has promised to embrace renewable energy, tackle a worsening housing crisis, and pour money into a creaking healthcare system.
Posters of Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are displayed outside a polling station in the suburb of Marrickville in Sydney.PHOTO: AFP
Trump slump
Liberal Party leader and former police officer Dutton, 54, wants to slash immigration, crack down on crime and ditch a longstanding ban on nuclear power.
Some polls showed Mr Dutton leaking support because of US President Trump, whom he praised in 2025 as a “big thinker” with “gravitas” on the global stage.
Said voter Alan Whitman, 59, before casting his ballot on May 3: “I mean, Donald Trump is as mad as a cut snake, and we all know that. And we’ve got to tiptoe around that.”
As Australians soured on Mr Trump, both Mr Dutton and Mr Albanese took on a more pugnacious tone.
“If I needed to have a fight with Donald Trump or any other world leader, to advance our nation’s interest, I’d do it in a heartbeat,” Mr Dutton said in April.
Mr Albanese condemned Mr Trump’s tariffs as an act of “economic self-harm” and “not the act of a friend”.
Economic concerns have dominated the contest for the many Australian households struggling to pay inflated prices for milk, bread, power and petrol.
Human resources manager Robyn Knox told AFP in Brisbane: “The cost of living – it’s extremely high at the moment. So, taxes as well, is also another really big thing. Petrol prices, all the basic stuff.”
Small business owner Jared Bell had similar concerns.
“Our grocery shops are definitely way more expensive than they were a couple years ago,” he said.
People queueing as they wait to vote at a polling station in Sydney.PHOTO: AFP
Campaign stumbles
Both Mr Albanese and Mr Dutton tried to tout themselves as men of the people but were stumped when asked the price of eggs in a nationally televised debate.
Coal-mining superpower Australia will choose between two leaders with sharply contrasting ideas on climate change and emissions reduction.
Mr Albanese’s government has embraced the global push towards decarbonisation, warning of a future in which iron ore and polluting coal exports no longer prop up the economy.
Mr Dutton’s signature policy is a US$200 billion (S$260 billion) scheme to construct seven industrial-scale nuclear reactors, doing away with the need to ramp up renewables.
The 36-day campaign was a largely staid affair but there were a few moments of unscripted levity.
Mr Albanese tumbled backwards off the stage at a heaving campaign rally, while Mr Dutton drew blood when he hit an unsuspecting cameraman in the head with a stray football.
It remains to be seen whether Mr Albanese or Mr Dutton will command an outright majority, or whether they will be forced to cobble together a coalition with the support of minor parties.
Growing disenchantment among voters has emboldened independents pushing for greater transparency and climate progress.
Polls have suggested that 10 or more unaligned crossbenchers could hold the balance of power – making a rare minority government a distinct possibility. AFP
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