Australian Federal election 2025 recap: Anthony Albanese wins landslide, hails ‘profound opportunity’
Scroll down for to recap the day’s events as they happened.
Key events
03 May 2025 - 09:21 PM
Ali France thanks the people of Dickson
03 May 2025 - 09:15 PM
Abbott says Liberal party will rebuild
03 May 2025 - 09:13 PM
Sarah Henderson: Peter Dutton is a great loss
03 May 2025 - 09:01 PM
Tom White tells supporters the count is not over
03 May 2025 - 08:21 PM
PM: Tomorrow the work begins
03 May 2025 - 08:20 PM
PM pays tribute to son and fiancee
03 May 2025 - 08:14 PM
Albo whips out the Medicare card
03 May 2025 - 08:13 PM
State of play: Victoria
03 May 2025 - 08:12 PM
PM: Govt will tackle climate change and close the gap
03 May 2025 - 08:10 PM
PM: This is time of ‘profound opportunity’
03 May 2025 - 08:07 PM
PM makes pledge to Australians
03 May 2025 - 08:07 PM
PM makes pledge to Australians
03 May 2025 - 08:05 PM
PM pays tribute to Peter Dutton
03 May 2025 - 08:03 PM
PM addresses global challenges
03 May 2025 - 08:02 PM
PM: Australia voted for Australian values
03 May 2025 - 08:00 PM
Albanese: Serving as PM ‘greatest honour’
03 May 2025 - 07:58 PM
Wong: Tonight a ‘new chapter’ for Australia
03 May 2025 - 07:55 PM
Penny Wong introducing the PM
03 May 2025 - 07:51 PM
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about to take stage for victory speech
03 May 2025 - 07:46 PM
Jubilant scenes at Labor HQ ahead of PM’s speech
03 May 2025 - 07:41 PM
Dutton signs off with a word about his love for Australia
03 May 2025 - 07:40 PM
Dutton pays tribute to family
03 May 2025 - 07:37 PM
Dutton: ‘It’s been a great honour to lead’
03 May 2025 - 07:35 PM
Dutton: ‘We didn’t do well enough during the campaign’
03 May 2025 - 07:34 PM
Peter Dutton begins concession speech
03 May 2025 - 07:28 PM
Labor re-elected for a second term with a majority
03 May 2025 - 07:25 PM
Joyce defends Dutton after he loses Dickson
03 May 2025 - 07:17 PM
Chalmers, McGrath comment on Dutton loss
03 May 2025 - 07:10 PM
Price: Labor campaign built on lies
03 May 2025 - 07:10 PM
Labor gains two in Queensland from the Greens
03 May 2025 - 07:05 PM
Chalmers: Albanese to serve full term and run for third
03 May 2025 - 06:58 PM
Labor ahead in early counting in Bullwinkel
03 May 2025 - 06:47 PM
Murray Watt: Liberal party will need to front up
03 May 2025 - 06:46 PM
Hanson says voters ‘not happy’ with Dutton
03 May 2025 - 06:46 PM
Peter Dutton loses seat: 7NEWS
03 May 2025 - 06:45 PM
Jason Clare says its been a bitter battle for Blaxland
03 May 2025 - 06:45 PM
Kate Chaney arrives at count party
03 May 2025 - 06:28 PM
South Australia swings towards Labor
03 May 2025 - 06:25 PM
Labor picks up three seats from Liberals
03 May 2025 - 06:18 PM
Anthony Albanese wins second term as Prime Minister
03 May 2025 - 06:14 PM
Guests slow to filter in at Dutton HQ
03 May 2025 - 06:02 PM
No path to Government for the Coalition: 7NEWS
03 May 2025 - 06:00 PM
Polls close in WA
03 May 2025 - 05:49 PM
Victoria holds steady, but Nationals challenge Labor MP in Bendigo
03 May 2025 - 05:37 PM
Peter Dutton faces challenge in his own seat
03 May 2025 - 05:22 PM
Liberals under threat in blue-ribbon Bradfield, and independent challenges minister
03 May 2025 - 05:17 PM
Queensland Greens fading
03 May 2025 - 05:13 PM
Early trend favours Labor in Tassie
03 May 2025 - 05:09 PM
NSW - An hour in to counting
03 May 2025 - 04:57 PM
Labor under threat in Canberra seat
03 May 2025 - 04:48 PM
Adam Bandt labels election ‘battle of the band-aid’
03 May 2025 - 04:32 PM
McGrath: Result tonight unlikely
03 May 2025 - 04:21 PM
First seats called
03 May 2025 - 04:09 PM
Where are Albanese and Dutton?
03 May 2025 - 04:00 PM
Polls close
03 May 2025 - 03:52 PM
Early voting proves popular
03 May 2025 - 03:48 PM
What to watch for: Tasmania, NT and … Canberra
03 May 2025 - 03:44 PM
What to watch for: Western Australia
03 May 2025 - 03:37 PM
What to watch for: Queensland
03 May 2025 - 03:32 PM
What to watch for: Victoria
03 May 2025 - 03:28 PM
What to watch for: New South Wales
03 May 2025 - 03:24 PM
What to watch for: South Australia
03 May 2025 - 03:03 PM
Labor volunteer ’hip and shoulders’ Liberal volunteer
03 May 2025 - 02:43 PM
Ex-WA Labor premier Mark McGowan handing out flyers
03 May 2025 - 02:40 PM
Democracy sausages in short supply
03 May 2025 - 01:43 PM
The moments that have shaped the election campaign
03 May 2025 - 01:18 PM
Tight contest: Curtin may come down to just a few hundred votes
03 May 2025 - 01:11 PM
Ultimate election guide: How it works, key seats to watch and what it all means
03 May 2025 - 12:41 PM
‘Albo, Albo’: Chants greet PM as he makes third polling booth stop
03 May 2025 - 12:10 PM
Dutton banking on ‘quiet Australians’ as he casts ballot Dickson
03 May 2025 - 11:59 AM
Anthony Albanese casts his vote in Federal election
03 May 2025 - 11:50 AM
How is voting go around Australia? Let’s take a look
03 May 2025 - 11:34 AM
Gaza conflict an issue among some voters in PM’s Grayndler seat
03 May 2025 - 11:18 AM
What voters are saying in the PM’s electorate
03 May 2025 - 11:17 AM
Voters in PM’s Grayndler seat cite housing, climate crisis as major issues
03 May 2025 - 11:10 AM
Wilkie highlights Australia’s voting system
03 May 2025 - 11:03 AM
Where is Hanson during the WA how-to-vote debacle?
03 May 2025 - 10:50 AM
One Nation how to vote error in WA
03 May 2025 - 10:48 AM
Sunny skies in Brisbane as Watt supports local Labor
03 May 2025 - 10:33 AM
Steggall votes, pleads for voters to keep seat Independent
03 May 2025 - 10:23 AM
Ben Small’s final push for Forrest
03 May 2025 - 10:16 AM
Tom White arrives to vote in Curtin’s close race
03 May 2025 - 10:14 AM
Coalition divide denied as Bullwinkel race goes down to the wire
03 May 2025 - 09:59 AM
Forrest’s independent cast her vote, says attacks on her have no truth
03 May 2025 - 09:56 AM
Sage sausage advice from Madeleine King
03 May 2025 - 09:49 AM
Roger Cook, Madeleine King enjoy a democracy sausage variant
03 May 2025 - 09:33 AM
Madeleine King's royal entrance with the Premier
03 May 2025 - 09:31 AM
Albany voters heading to the polls at Mt Lockyer Primary School
03 May 2025 - 09:30 AM
Queensland premier throws support behind Dutton as he heads home
03 May 2025 - 09:17 AM
Albo, Dutton wrap up campaigning in key state
03 May 2025 - 08:45 AM
‘See you in caucus’: PM eyes Labor win in Liberal founder named seat
03 May 2025 - 08:40 AM
Dutton shares very long handshake at Melbourne petrol station
03 May 2025 - 08:37 AM
Dutton stops off at 17th petrol station
03 May 2025 - 08:05 AM
Polling booths now open across all of Australia
03 May 2025 - 07:58 AM
WATCH: Albanese, Dutton make final pitch to voters
03 May 2025 - 07:42 AM
‘No way in the world that Labor can form a majority’: Dutton
03 May 2025 - 07:36 AM
Dutton admits politics ‘comes at price’ personally
03 May 2025 - 07:19 AM
Everything you need to know about the democracy sausage
03 May 2025 - 07:11 AM
Dutton’s campaign completes 1.5 laps of Earth’s equator
03 May 2025 - 06:54 AM
Albo and Dutton break it down on social media
03 May 2025 - 06:28 AM
Dutton warns of disaster while making case to become PM
03 May 2025 - 06:14 AM
Voting booths open on Federal election day
03 May 2025 - 06:08 AM
Dutton’s election day morning in photos
03 May 2025 - 06:04 AM
Albanese’s election day morning in photos
03 May 2025 - 05:55 AM
Final poll points to historic election outcome
03 May 2025 - 05:40 AM
Dutton tells Melbourne he ‘can reduce crime’
03 May 2025 - 05:35 AM
Albanese reveals his secret election weapon
03 May 2025 - 05:30 AM
What nice thing Albanese has to say about Dutton
03 May 2025 - 05:27 AM
What nice thing Dutton has to say about Albanese.
03 May 2025 - 05:23 AM
Albanese says he has been ‘working very hard’ and wants to do ‘better’
03 May 2025 - 05:19 AM
Albanese says he has left ‘nothing on the field’
03 May 2025 - 05:09 AM
‘I want to win today’, says Dutton
03 May 2025 - 05:05 AM
Dutton ‘humble’ after ‘hectic’ campaign
03 May 2025 - 04:59 AM
‘You should never give up’, says Dutton on election day
03 May 2025 - 04:56 AM
Where is Anthony Albanese of election day?
03 May 2025 - 04:44 AM
How to win the Federal election
03 May 2025 - 04:41 AM
Where is Peter Dutton on election day?
03 May 2025 - 04:31 AM
The one Aussie state that could hold the keys to the entire election
03 May 2025 - 04:20 AM
Final poll shows Labor on track for Federal election win
Dutton ‘humble’ after ‘hectic’ campaign
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has spoken from Melbourne for the first time on election day.
“It’s been a hectic five weeks and it’s always a roller coaster ride, but ultimately it’s grand final day and it’s an opportunity to get out and meet more people,” Mr Dutton told Sunrise.
“I’ve just been amazed by the stories and the number of people, just the amazing Australians that we’ve met over the last five weeks, which is really humbling.
“I mean, some people in really difficult circumstances, some people who have got amazing stories to tell and some people who are defending our country, really (it) just makes you feel very humble about being in this job and having the opportunity to meet people who are just really inspiring.”
‘You should never give up’, says Dutton on election day
Peter Dutton has stopped for a tea and to fuel up his election day morning south of Melbourne.
At cafe Carter Lovett in Elsterwick, he joined Liberal Macnamara candidate Benson Saulo and supporters to talk about the campaign and wish him well at the ballot box.
Asked by a journalist at the stop if the Opposition Leader thought he could win, Mr Dutton responded: “I think you should never give in.”
“Absolutely, I do”.
Where is Anthony Albanese of election day?
Anthony Albanese is starting his day at the MCG for a slate of breakfast television interviews as the first fingers of dawn creep above the iconic stands.
The Prime Minister is fond of explaining his political strategy as seeking to kick with the wind in the fourth quarter.
He’s expected to greet voters in a Melbourne seat later on this morning.
At some point, Mr Albanese will head to his hometown of Sydney to vote.
How to win the Federal election
Need a bit of a refresh on how Federal election day works? Well, here is what you need to know.
- A political party needs 76 seats in the House of Representatives to form a majority government
- A net loss of just three seats will leave Labor needing to negotiate with the crossbench to form a minority government
- The coalition requires a net gain of 19 seats to govern in its own right, or a uniform swing of about 5.3 per cent
- If neither party makes it to the requisite 76 seats, whichever has the most would enter into negotiations with the crossbench first
- Published polls suggest Labor is most likely to win government but could fall short of a majority, while the coalition claims its internal data paints a vastly different picture
- A minority parliament would be the first since 2010 and only the third since 1943
Where is Peter Dutton on election day?
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will start his election day campaign in Melbourne this morning.
It comes after Mr Dutton campaigned in four Perth electorates and one Adelaide seat on Friday.
The Liberal leader is expected to travel to Brisbane later today where he will likely campaign in his own marginal Queensland electorate of Dickson and where he will hold his election night event.
Mr Dutton on Friday said he was still confident he could win despite poor polling, calling on the “quiet Australians” who delivered Scott Morrison to victory in 2019 to vote out a “bad Labor government”.
The one Aussie state that could hold the keys to the entire election
Victoria will likely hold the key to Labor and Liberal fortunes on election night.
The Liberals are desperate to make up ground on Saturday in the state once dubbed the “Massachusetts of Australia” by John Howard because of its progressive leanings.
The coalition holds just 10 seats in Victoria after voters in the Melbourne seats of Kooyong, Goldstein, Chisholm and now-abolished Higgins turned on the Morrison government in 2022.
Aston then fell in a once-in-a-century by-election loss to Labor following the resignation of former frontbencher Alan Tudge.
Political scientist Zareh Ghazarian said at least a dozen seats across the state were held by five per cent or less following boundary changes.
“This is a real battleground state this time around,” the Monash University political lecturer told AAP.
Dr Ghazarian reckons the Liberals must reclaim Kooyong, Goldstein, Chisholm and Aston to restore their previous base, while picking up at least one outer suburban seat like McEwen.
Final poll shows Labor on track for Federal election win
Labor is on track for victory on Saturday but is unlikely to get the majority government Anthony Albanese is still aiming for.
The final Newspoll ahead of polling day showed Labor with 52.5 per cent of the two-party preferred to the Coalition’s 47.5 per cent. Labor won the May 2022 election with a single-seat majority on a two-party preferred vote of 52.1 per cent.
Labor’s primary was at 33 per cent — just above what the party achieved in the 2022 poll — while the Coalition’s was lower than the last election on 34 per cent.
If repeated at Saturday’s poll, it would represent a 1.7 point decline from the 35.7 per cent recorded in May 2022 and a record low for the Coalition.
The poll also showed the combined primary vote of the major parties has also fallen to a new low of 67 per cent, compared to 68.3 per cent at the last election.
Both Mr Albanese and Peter Dutton suffered declines in personal support in the final week of the campaign. The Opposition Leader’s approval rating slid a further three points to 32 per cent, with a negative rating of minus 28.
The popularity of Mr Albanese, meanwhile, fell by one point to a record a net negative approval rating of minus 10.
However, Mr Albanese still leads Mr Dutton 51-35 per cent as the preferred prime minister.
