A superpower loomed large as Australians headed to the polls. It wielded trade barriers as a means of political coercion, imperiling Australia’s export-dependent economy.
Three years ago that country was China, which had imposed punishing restrictions on many Australian exports, sent spy ships lurking near Australia’s west coast and struck an alarming military pact with a regional neighbor, the Solomon Islands.
This time, as Australians cast ballots on Saturday, that external factor is the United States and President Trump.
“We’ve forgotten that China was introducing tariffs on Australian goods. What’s the difference, with what Trump is doing?” said Scott Prasser, a public policy analyst and a former civil servant.
This election has the most fraught geopolitical backdrop in recent memory for Australia. President Trump has stirred up questions on whether it can depend on its longstanding military alliance with the United States. At the same time, its biggest trading partner, China, is expanding its influence closer and closer to Australian shores.
But for most Australian voters, domestic issues like inflation have been the dominant concern. Early in the campaign, Prime Minister Anthony 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.
