Will’s Word: Australian election results hint at shifting political winds

Anthony Albanese has won another term as Australia's Prime Minister with his Labor Party, holding off the Liberal National Coalition, in a result that we'll arguably notice here in New Zealand, especially by the Labour Party.

Albanese's win was perhaps steady, but also spectacular, and it showed that many Aussies still trust his leadership. He focused on familiar issues, like the cost of living, health care, and renewable energy.

While not all of Labor's first term goals were achieved, including that failed referendum to give Indigenous Australians greater constitutional recognition, voters clearly chose to give the government more time.

On the other side, the Liberal Party, led by Peter Dutton, struggled frankly, to get its message across. Even from here in New Zealand, their campaign looked messy, unfocused, with no clear vision for the future.

It's likely there'll be some tough conversations within the party about what went wrong. Some commentators are asking whether this result reflects a wider rejection of more aggressive Trump-style political tactics.

I'm not saying Dutton's approach was identical to Trump's, but he did have a hardline position on issues like immigration and energy policy, which didn't seem to resonate with enough voters. That is clear from the election result.

For New Zealand Labour watching from across the ditch, there may be some lessons here. I think Albanese won, not by promising the world, but by focussing on stability and staying connected with everyday concerns: a climate position, the cost of living.

He was laser-focused on that throughout the election and so perhaps voters were looking for calm, consistent leadership over sharp rhetoric or big political swings.

Of course, no two elections are the same, and I'm not going to say that New Zealand's election, come next year, will mirror that of Australia's.

Listen to Will’s Word on Facebook below.

But with Aotearoa heading to its own general election next year, this result will no doubt be studied closely by both parties on both sides of the spectrum in this country.

Plenty to learn from Australia's election on Saturday. Where to next, though is the big question, as always.

That's Will’s Word.