Australia state broadcaster ABC projects opposition leader Dutton to lose seat

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton speaks with the media after casting his ballot at the Albany Creek State School in Albany Creek, Brisbane, Australia, May 3, 2025. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas/via REUTERS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said on Saturday it was projecting opposition leader Peter Dutton is set to lose his seat in a nationwide federal election.

Dutton held the seat of Dickson in the northern state of Queensland with a margin of 1.7% at the last federal election in 2022.

The ABC has already forecasted Dutton's opposition coalition has lost the election to the incumbent centre-left Labor Party.

Liberal Party leader Dutton, a former policeman with a reputation for being tough on crime and immigration, has been dogged by his perceived ideological closeness to U.S. President Donald Trump throughout the campaign.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Praveen Menon)