Peter Dutton, leader of the conservative Liberal party, conceded defeat and the loss of his own seat - echoing the fate of Canada's conservatives and their leader whose election losses days earlier were also attributed to a Trump backlash.

Polls have closed in Australia in a national election dominated by cost-of-living concerns that’s being closely watched abroad for signs of a Donald Trump-inspired swing against conservative candidates.

For the second time in a week, voters in a prominent US ally angered by President Donald Trump punished conservatives and re-elected a left-leaning incumbent.

Australia will hold a general election on Saturday, May 3. Opinion polls indicate Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's ruling centre-left Labor party is ahead of the conservative Liberal-National coalition led by Peter Dutton,

The BBC's Australia Correspondent Katy Watson explains the key players and issues this election, as well as the important role played by "democracy" sausages.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to the media during a press conference with New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra, Australia,