Welcome to our live blog for the 2025 Australian federal election! We’ll be updating this page all day with what’s happening at polling places, what the leaders are saying, and the results as they come in.
Whether you’re a politics nerd or just here for the sausage sizzle updates, we’ve got you covered!
10:32pm – That’s a wrap!
And that’s a wrap for tonight, folks! The sausage sizzles are done, the votes are (mostly) counted, and I’m sure the group chats are going off. Thanks for sticking with us through every twist, turn, and surprise result.
Don’t worry we’ll be back with more updates throughout this week on the rest of our site as the dust settles — there are still seats yet to be called.
But for now, go get some sleep-you’ve earned it.
Catch you next election!
10:27pm – Dr Monique Ryan keeps Kooyong seat
Sydney Morning Herald says teal MP Monique Ryan has retained Melbourne seat of Kooyong, and thereby defeated Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer.
Turns out getting poo-ed on by a bird the day of the election is good luck!
10:20pm – PM wants to do things the Aussie way
“Australians have chosen the Australian Labor Party as their government. Our government will choose the Australian way, because we are proud of who we are and all that we have built together in this country. We do not need to beg or borrow or copy from anywhere else,” Albanese said.
Ending his speech, Albanese said: “Tomorrow, we dedicate ourselves to your service. We renew the great responsibility and the opportunity of government and with pride and purpose, optimism and determination, with faith in the fair go and faith in each other, we return to the work of building Australia’s future. Thank you all.”
As you can expect, the crowd at Labor HQ goes BONKERS.
10:19pm – Albanese thanks his son and fiancée
In a V wholesome moment, Albo took a moment to get all mushy and thank his son Nathan and his fiancée Jodie Haydon.
“To my son, Nathan. Who’s grown into a fine young man who I am just so proud of, thank you,” he said.
When Albo thanks Jodie, the crowd erupts in an applause and shots, “Jodie, Jodie, Jodie!!”
10:16pm – Albanese thanks his constituents from his seat of Grayndler
We love a shout out to the OGs!! “I want to thank the people of Grayndler, most of whom are here tonight,” he says.
10:14pm – Albanese congratulates Ali France for winning her seat of Dickson
Albanese congratulates Ali France for winning her seat of Dickson in her third try. France has taken the seat from former Opposition leader Peter Dutton.
The crowd goes wild, chanting, “ALI, ALI, ALI!”
10:12pm – Albanese brought props! AKA his Medicare card
When talking about Medicare, Albanese whips out his own card and TBH I love a prop!!
“This card is not Labor red or Liberal blue, it is green and gold. It is a declaration of our national values in our national colours. Medicare belongs to all Australians,” he said.
10:09pm – Albanese reiterates multiple campaign promises
Albanese reiterates that he will make do on his multiple campaign promises:
“Australian who wants a fair go at work, fair wages, fair wages for their work and the right to disconnect when they are done with work. Every Australian who deserves the security of a roof over their head or dreams of owning their own home, every woman who wants her contribution to our economy and society to be valued equally.”
10:05pm – Albanese says it’s time to “work together” and he wants to repay “your trust”
Albanese says all Australians belong “no matter who you voted for”, and implores everyone to reflect on what we “have in common”.
“No matter who you voted for, no matter where you live, no matter how you worship or who you love, whether you belong to a culture that has known and cared for this great continent for 65,000 years or you have chosen our nation as your home and enriched our society with your contribution, we are all Australians,” he says.
“So let all of us work together to build our national unity on the enduring foundations of fairness, equality and respect for one another.”
He continues to say, “”Repaying your trust will drive my government each and every day of the next three years.”
10:02pm – Albanese asks for respect from the crowd when talking about Dutton
Albanese mentioned that he had spoken to Dutton after the results for the federal election came in. When Dutton’s name was mentioned, the crowd started to boo prompting Albo to do some gentle parenting.
“No. No. What we do in Australia is treat people with respect,” he said to the crowd.
“I thank Peter for his generous words at the end of what has been a very hard-fought campaign.”
10:00pm – Albanese claims majority government
Albanese says “Australians have chosen a majority Labor government” to look “after each other while building for the future”.
9:58pm – Anthony Albanese addresses Australians for the first time after winning the federal election
My fellow Australians, serving as your Prime Minister is the greatest honour of my life,” Albanese starts.
He goes on to say thank you to the Australian people for supporting him and goes on to perform a Welcome To Country.
“Today the Australian people have voted for Australian values.”
9:54pm – Penny Wong opens for Anthony Albanese’s victory speech
Penny Wong is now speaking at Labor HQ as we wait for Anthony Albanese’s Prime Ministerial address.
“Thank you for believing in Labor,” Penny says.
Penny also thanks supporters for “believing in the power of this great nation”.
9:46pm – Tributes come in for Peter Dutton
Liberal frontrunner Michaelia Cash acknowledges Peter Dutton following his speech.
“As you would expect from a great leader, that was a great speech. What I liked about Peter was there was no bitterness, no recrimination, but more than that he looked at the Australian people, looked at the Liberal Party and the people who voted for us in particular and said, ‘I take full responsibility’,” Cash said.
“That, to me, defines the leadership of Peter Dutton. That is a true leader. And I think it is a great loss for us.”
9:45pm – Western Australia finally joins the party
Results are only just starting to come in from Western Australia, and unfortunately it seems like they are late to the party. The early swings in that area are going both ways and don’t point to many seats changing hands.
9:38pm – Peter Dutton thanks his former electorate of Dickson
Dutton thanked the people of Dickson for their support: “Dickson had a one-term curse. It was only ever held for one term at a time and we have held it for 24 years, which is amazing,” he said.
9:34pm – Peter Dutton congratulates Labor’s Ali France
Peter Dutton wished the new Labor member for Dickson, Ali France, all the best and congratulates her on her win.
“She will do a good job as a local member for Dickson and I wish her all the very best,” he says.
9:33pm – Peter Dutton speaks now
Peter Dutton thanks the millions of supporters throughout the campaign.
“It’s not our night tonight,” he said.
9:24pm — The Greens have lost some ground in Brisbane
After a spectacular performance at the last election in Brisbane, the Greens look to be losing both Brisbane and Griffith to the Labor Party.
Griffith MP Max Chandler-Mather is currently behind Labor’s Renee Coffey, who leads with 57 percent in the two-party preferred vote.
9:22pm — Dan Tehan isn’t sure he’ll be the next leader of the Liberal Party
Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan is playing coy when it comes to whether or not he wants to put up his hand to be the next leader of the Liberal Party.
“I haven’t had any time to think about the future because I’ve been calling the wonderful volunteers and supporters, over 1,700 of them,” he says, per the ABC.
9:17pm — Albanese is on the way to Labor HQ
Anthony Albanese is in the car on the way to Labor HQ where he is expected to give his victory speech. It remains unclear if he has spoken to Peter Dutton.
8:43pm — Dutton has lost his seat
To rub salt in the wounds for Dutton, he has also lost his seat.
James McGrath, still on the ABC panel, is in denial. But in the interest of informed political coverage, we’re going to stick with Antony Green’s callings on this one.
8:28pm — LABOR WINS
Antony Green, in his final election, has called it for Labor before 8:30pm on election night.
Labor will retain government, with Anthony Albanese as PM. It remains unclear if that will be a majority or minority government, but it’ll definitely be Labor.
Albanese (provided he doesn’t somehow lose his own seat) will be the first PM to win back-to-back elections since John Howard in 2004.
8:24pm — Antony Green says he can’t see how the Coalition wins
Antony Green (who is sadly retiring after this election) said he “can’t see how the Coalition wins from here”.
It’s obviously too early to call entirely, but when asked if he is “categorically” ruling out a Coalition win he says “probably”.
8:19pm — Liberal Senator on the ABC is telling everyone to “calm down”, while showing not one single crumb of calmness
Liberal Senator James McGrath is on the ABC panel alongside Labor’s Jim Chalmers and seems very stressed.
He is adamant that Peter Dutton will retain his seat and has repeatedly told everyone to wait for the pre-poll. It remains unclear why he is on the panel to discuss rolling votes, if he does not want to speculate on the votes as they come in. Weird choice, in my opinion.
“Yes, and everybody is saying, ‘James, remind the panel, remind everybody in the room, that they’re early figures, and let’s wait until pre-poll comes in’,” he said when asked about the texts he was receiving.
“I think everybody should just calm down a little bit and just wait for pre-poll figures to come in.”
8:10pm — Alex Dyson’s team are feeling optimistic
Independent candidate, former Triple J host and Ratdog Alex Dyson‘s campaign in Wannon is looking “cautiously optimistic”, according to one supporter.
The independent has been campaigning for the last few elections in the Liberal safe seat that has been held by Dan Tehan and even if he doesn’t win, he has certainly put the pressure on the Liberals moving forward.
“If Dan does get back in, it will make them work harder,” another supporter in Wannon said.
8:00pm — POLLS ARE CLOSED
It’s 8pm which means polls nationwide have officially closed. Seats to watch in WA (when they eventually roll in) are: Bullwinkel, Curtin, Tangney, Fremantle, Moore, and Canning.
7:45pm — It’s not looking good for the Coalition
The ABC is reporting that it is not looking good for the Coalition.
Not only are all states reporting Labor’s primary vote being up, but Liberal leader Peter Dutton’s own seat is looking questionable.
Speaking today, Dutton said he expected a lot of support in the pre-polls, which “traditionally… favour us quite significantly”.
“So I think the early numbers you see will be distorting if they’re just from today,” Mr Dutton told Nine.
“Look I think the feedback from our marginal seat members over the course of the day has been that there’s been a very positive response and certainly a positive response through the week.”
Obviously, I must add the caveat that we are SUPER early in the count and it could completely turn around from here — especially with all of the early votes — but it is not looking too hot for the Libs currently.
7:30pm — The parties have started (except for the Libs)
Greens leader Adam Bandt is speaking to the ABC from his party in Melbourne, which looks like an absolute hoot.
Meanwhile, the Liberal party is yet to begin. They are currently steaming the flags, which is genuinely the most exciting part of the fun so far.
Will Peter Dutton do a shoey? Only time will tell.
7:10pm — First seats called
A number of seats have been called by Sky News, but we will be following the ABC’s call for the sake of our live blog.
The ABC has officially called its first seat — and the safest seat in the country — with Nationals leader David Littleproud retaining the seat of Maranoa. It’s the safest Coalition seat on the map, but this marks the start of the calling.
I do not mince my words when I say we are SO on tonight fellas. Let the counting continue!
6:00pm — WE’RE DONE!!
The polls across the eastern seaboard have officially closed! We did it, Joe!
5:45pm — 15 minutes til polls close
We’re nearly there, guys!
5:09pm — Labor and the Greens are fighting
Labor national secretary Paul Erickson has sent out a mass text to voters after discovering that the Greens are not giving preferencing instructions in two marginal seats.
“The Greens have made a decision NOT to preference Labor in the critical seat of Deakin held by the Liberals by 375 votes and other critical marginal seats,” the text reads.
“Preferences are critical in keeping Dutton out and this decision by Adam Bandt will put in jeopardy Labor forming government.”
Labor also took to social media to slam the Greens for the move.
“Adam Bandt and the Greens are helping Peter Dutton become Prime Minister. The Greens’ open ticket in Deakin is helping Michael Sukkar win, taking Dutton one step closer to the Lodge and keeping ultra-conservative Sukkar in his seat,” the Labor Party’s social media accounts said.
“Adam Bandt needs to explain his decision. The Greens should be embarrassed.”
The party also called out the Greens in Menzies.
“The Greens have done it again — this time in Menzies,” a tweet from Victorian Labor read.
“Adam Bandt & Victorian Greens, and Greens are helping Peter Dutton become Prime Minister in Victoria’s two most marginal seats by running open tickets in both.”
A Greens spokesperson has defended the move, saying “Labor is trying to create a scare campaign”.
“On a few booths in Deakin and Menzies, the local group are also handing out a Vote 1 Greens leaflet, just like the independent and teal candidates do and like Labor is doing in Macnamara. This is not unusual; it happens every election and Labor is trying to create a scare campaign.
“The Greens continue to recommend people vote 1 Greens and preference Labor ahead of Liberals to keep Dutton out.”
5:04pm — Speaking of sport…
While we’re on the topic of sport, Anthony Albanese’s beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs had an unfortunate loss up in Brisbane for NRL Magic Round.
I’m sure those closest to the PM are hoping this is the only loss Albanese has to face tonight because honestly, losing an election AND watching your footy team lose on the same day is a sick twist of fate I would not wish on my worst enemy.
4:50pm — GIO Stadium will broadcast the election
If you thought you could escape the wrath of politics by heading to the rugby tonight, you are sadly out of luck because the election will be live-streamed during the Brumbies and Waratahs game tonight in Canberra.
In a statement, the Brumbies called the broadcast “Canberra’s biggest election watch party”, featuring vote counts from 7pm, and live crosses to the election coverage at half-time.
According to Brumbies GM Gavin Hunt, the club was “keen to ensure members and fans are able to keep track of the election results without missing the game, should they wish to”.
Name something more Canberra-coded than watching the election during a game of rugby union.
4:20pm — The Liberals can’t get their trucks in a row
A Liberal Party campaign truck has seemingly driven off without closing its back doors on the morning of the election, marking the second truck-related gaff for the party in as many weeks.
A video shared on Facebook shows a truck branded with Greenway Liberal candidate Rattan Virk pulling out of a driveway without having shut the back door.
In the footage, a person can be seen chasing down the car trying to get the driver’s attention, to no avail.
“Oops what happened here? Hahaha Rattan Virk election day off to a good start,” the video is captioned.
The incident comes after another Rattan Virk truck accidentally crashed into a portico at an early voting centre on the first day of pre-polling.
“Yesterday, a truck delivering materials to Quakers Hill Community Hall dislodged a portico,” the spokesperson said in a statement to NewsWire after the first incident.
“We sincerely regret any inconvenience this has caused for the local community.
“The local campaign proactively contacted the appropriate authorities and fully co-operated, following instructions when they arrived to assist at the hall.”
3:50pm — Tony Abbott supports Peter Dutton
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott says that Australia “absolutely needs a change of government”.
“I hope Peter Dutton is the prime minister come tomorrow because I think if we want to have a stronger economy, cohesive society, if we want to be militarily and strategically more confident, Peter Dutton is the man,” Abbott said while promoting Liberal candidate Scott Yung in the marginal seat of Bennelong.
3:30pm — Albanese pledges lower “tacos”???
Antohony Albanese has been mocked on social media after a handwritten election note promised “lower taxes, stronger Medicare, 20% off student debt, free TAFE and 5% deposits for first home buyers”.
However, his doctor-esque handwriting has social media users convinced he’s promising lower “tacos”.
Honestly, cheaper tacos would have my vote.
2:10pm — Dutton delivers his final message to voters
After Coalition leader casted his vote in his home electorate of Dickson in Queensland, he delivered a final speech to voters outside the booths.
“I am confident that Australians have seen through a bad government and confident that Australians cannot afford three more years of what we have experienced,” he said.
“I think people are voting and there are a lot of us — the quiet Australians — out there today.
“A lot of quiet Australians have come out today to support the Coalition, and looking forward to the outcome tonight.”
2:05pm — Dutton casts his vote in home electorate seat of Dickson, QLD
Alongside his family, Dutton has cast his vote in his home electorate of Dickson in Queensland at Albany Creek State High School.
He later made a speech outside the voting booths to voters.
1:50pm — Albo casts his vote in his home electorate seat of Grayndler, NSW
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has just voted in his home electorate of Grayndler in New South Wales at Marrickville West primary school.
He was joined by partner Jodie Hayden and — of course — his pup Toto, who was politely waiting outside.
Albo casting his vote. (Source: ABC/Brendan Esposito)
Talking to ABC, Albanese stated that he is confident that he’ll win his electorate.
“It’s my local booth, if we don’t win this booth we’re in real trouble,” he told reporters.
12:40pm — Peep the election puppers
Let me interrupt our election coverage with an important update about the lovely doggos that have been spotted at voting centres around the country.
12pm — PM hopefuls wrap up campaigning in Victoria
In case you missed it, both Albo & Dutton kicked off their days in Victoria, whether it was a showing at the MCG (with plenty of sports analogies to go around) or visiting petrol stations (weirdly enough, marking Dutton’s 17th petrol station appearance, according to The Guardian.)
But now they’re headed back to their own seats. Albo’s headed over to Grayndler and Dutton’s jetting off to his seat of Dickson in Queensland.
11:40am — More than half of Australia’s electorate roll voted before election day
Early bird gets the… democracy? Early voting finished last night, with around 8.5 million people (that’s nearly half the total electoral roll, BTW) cast their ballot before election day today, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.
This means that more than 6.77 million people cast a pre-poll vote, with 1.64 million postal votes being returned as of last night and 155,000 people who voted with a mobile team.
“With more completed postal votes to come back, there is no doubt that more than half of everyone who will cast a vote in this federal election has done so before the day,” AEC said.
We might see some pre-poll centres finishing still counting all votes later tonight.
10:40 am — When can we expect results?
Fair question!! We’ve been hearing a lot about May 3, but now that the day is here, when will we know who won?
Well, early numbers from counting are expected to come in shortly polls close at 6pm AEST on the east coast.
According to ABC News, we could learn later tonight which party will be able to form government, but the individual results of Senate seats and electorates could take a bit longer.
I was pretty curious, so I looked this up too — back in the 2022 federal election, the result for Labor was called a little after 9pm.
10:05am — Albo & Dutton post some throwbacks
In another fresh pitch this Saturday morn, it looks like Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition leader Peter Dutton decided to dive into the archives on election day.
While Albo opted for an old headshot, Dutton’s posted an old picture with his wife Kirilly.
9:45am — What policies will change regardless of who wins?
Look, there’s been a whole bunch of election pledges rolled out in the last few months and it can be pretty hard to keep up with it all. But there’s actually a couple of things that will definitely change post May 3, regardless of which party wins.
Healthcare is going to be a big one, with Labor pledging $8.5 billion towards more bulk-billed GP visits and supporting more doctors and nurses joining the workforce. The Coalition quickly confirmed it intended to match this, throwing in a further $500 million.
When it comes to those darn energy bills, Labor has committed to rebates of $75 in quarterly instalments till the end of the calendar year, starting July 2025, and the Coalition has indicated it will not “stand in the way” of this much-needed energy relief.
Beer is also an unlikely winner, with both parties opting to freeze the alcohol excise on draught beer for two years, starting from August 1, 2025.
If you’d like the full lowdown on what Labor, the Coalition, and the Greens are promising, we do have a quick guide HERE.
9:08am — Voting’s underway on the east coast
The polling booths are officially open in Australia’s eastern states and will be till 6pm (but hey, if you’re planning head down today, don’t leave it too late!)
From Canberra and Sydney down to Melbourne, we’re seeing plenty of folks lining up to cast their vote and snag that ol’ democracy sausage. (For a quick refresher on what’s going down this election, you can check out our last-minute guide HERE).
8:30am — What are the 2025 federal election polls saying?
Today’s the day y’all! Folks all around the country are putting in their votes, while opposition leader Peter Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese await their political fates.
The latest Newspoll published in The Australian has put Labor ahead of the Coalition with 52.5 per cent, while Coalition is currently sitting at 47.5 per cent. But everything can change when the votes actually start getting counted, so keep an eye on this space for any and all updates.
Albanese has begun his day today in Melbourne, before heading home to Sydney to vote in his seat, Grayndler, alongside partner Jodie Hayden and pup Toto.
Dutton started his day in Melbourne’s Brighton and spoke to Liberal candidate Tim Wilson, as well as talking to residents on rising crime rates in Victoria and the country’s economy. Dutton said he’ll be having “a beer or two” when the final results come in later today, per the Sydney Morning Herald.
The post Election Day 2025 Live: Results, Turnout And All the Big Moments As Australia Votes appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
