
Reelected PM Anthony Albanese pledges student debt cut and green reforms
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to prioritize his government’s key election promises, beginning with a 20% reduction in higher education student debt for every Australian. The announcement came during a press conference at Parliament House, following the Labor Party’s sweeping victory in Saturday’s General Election.
Albanese outlined the major priorities for his second term, which include establishing a national environmental protection agency and increasing the availability of affordable housing.
Speaking to reporters, the Prime Minister confirmed that his first international visit of the new term will be to Indonesia—mirroring his diplomatic agenda after his initial election win in 2022. He also revealed that he has accepted an invitation to attend the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Alberta, Canada this June, extended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Since the landslide win, Albanese said he has spoken with several world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, with whom he discussed key trade issues such as tariffs, according to Xinhua news agency.
Vote counting continues, but the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has projected that the center-left Labor Party has secured 85 out of 150 seats in the lower house, with leads in seven more constituencies. If confirmed, a total of 92 seats would mark Labor’s largest lower house majority since the Coalition won 94 seats in 1996. It would also be just the third time in Australian history that any party has exceeded the 90-seat threshold.
In the upper house Senate, which is historically more divided, Labor is also gaining ground. The party is on track to hold at least 27 of the 76 Senate seats, up from 24, giving it legislative leverage when allied with the Greens, who are projected to win 11 seats, and one independent senator. This coalition would allow the government to pass legislation without relying on opposition support.