Australia’s New Cabinet Sworn In as Labor Celebrates Landslide Victory

Australia’s newly re-elected center-left government was officially sworn into office on Tuesday, following the Labor Party’s sweeping victory in the May 3 general election, as per The AP.

The landslide result has positioned Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a strengthened second term with a commanding majority in Parliament.

The latest projections show Labor poised to secure between 92 and 95 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives, a significant gain from the 78 seats it held previously. Vote counting continues, but the outcome already ranks as one of the most decisive electoral wins in recent Australian history.

In stark contrast, the conservative opposition — an alliance of right-leaning parties led by the Liberal Party — is on course to claim just 41 seats, marking one of the worst results for the coalition since its founding.

Following the swearing-in ceremony at Government House, the new Cabinet held its first official meeting, setting the stage for a busy international agenda.

Prime Minister Albanese is scheduled to travel to Jakarta on Wednesday for talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. From there, he will fly to Rome to attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV on Sunday. During his visit to the Italian capital, Albanese also plans to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders, including Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney.

Meanwhile, the opposition Liberal Party elected former minister Sussan Ley as its new leader on Tuesday, marking a historic moment for the party. Ley becomes the first woman to lead the Liberal Party since its formation in 1944. She replaces Peter Dutton, who lost his own parliamentary seat in the election — the first opposition leader in Australian history to suffer such a defeat.