The 2025 Australian federal election was a resounding win for the Australian Labor Party. Labor won 94 seats in the House of Representatives and a commanding majority. The Liberal-National Coalition was reduced to just 43 seats in the House of Representatives, more than 30 seats short of a majority and the lowest seat share on record for the combined Coalition parties.

The Australian Election Study is a comprehensive survey of voters fielded after every Australian federal election since 1987. The newly released 2025 Australian Election Study provides insights into what shaped the election result.

A combination of short-term and long-term factors explain this historic win for Labor, and major loss for the Coalition. Short-term factors including the policy issues and leadership are important during the election campaign. Long-term factors, including partisan dealignment, gender influences on the vote, and generational change are gradually reshaping politics in Australia, and having an impact on the relative fortunes of the two major parties.

The policies in the election campaign set the two major parties apart for voters. In 2025, Labor had the preferred policies on nine of 10 issue areas examined. The only exception being national security, which was not a salient issue in the election.

It is unprecedented for a single party to dominate almost all policy areas. Usually, Labor has the lead as........

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