More from the article ...

... Early in the campaign, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Albanese's center-left Labor Party was lagging behind the opposition in polls, reflecting frustration with a deepening cost-of-living crisis and ever-increasing housing prices.

Conservative Peter Dutton, who led the Liberal-National Coalition opposition, had blamed government waste for fueling inflation and pledged to ax more than one in five public service jobs. His opponents labeled him "DOGE-y Dutton" and accused his Liberal party of mimicking U.S. President Donald Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

An opposition spokesperson conceded the conservative campaign was negatively affected by the American president, adding: "I think it has been a factor here." ...