Observation
Foreign policy does not often figure heavily in Australian federal election campaigns. However, global disruptions in 2025 focused public attention on Australia’s relationships with its main security ally, the United States under President Donald Trump, and main trading partner, China under President Xi Jinping.
In March, Australians were almost evenly split on whether Peter Dutton (35%) or Anthony Albanese (34%) would be better as prime minister at managing Australia’s relationship with the United States and Donald Trump.
By contrast, Anthony Albanese (45%) enjoyed a 20-point lead over Peter Dutton (25%) in Australians’ confidence in him to manage the relationship with China and Xi Jinping.