CANBERRA, Australia –
Australia’s center-left opposition party overthrew the Conservative government after nearly a decade in power, and newly elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in his election victory victory promised a sharper reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while facing an early foreign policy.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was quick to admit defeat, despite millions of votes not yet counted because an Australian leader is due to attend a summit in Tokyo on Tuesday with US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. .
Olbanese, who described himself as the only non-Anglo-Celtic candidate to run for prime minister in the 121 years since he took office, cited his own modest upbringing in the Sydney suburb of Camperdown.
“It speaks volumes about our great country that the son of a single mother who was a disabled pensioner who grew up in public housing down the road in Camperdown may stand before you tonight as Prime Minister of Australia,” Olbanese said. .
“Every parent wants more for the next generation than they had. My mother dreamed of a better life for me. And I hope that my journey in life inspires Australians to reach for the stars,” he added.
Albanese will be sworn in as prime minister after his Labor party won its first election victory in 2007.
Labor has pledged more financial aid and a strong social security network as Australia struggles with the highest inflation since 2001 and rising house prices.
The party also plans to raise minimum wages, and on the foreign policy front it has proposed setting up a Pacific Defense School to train neighboring armies in response to China’s potential military presence in Solomon Islands on Australia’s doorstep.
He also wants to tackle climate change with a more ambitious 43% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.
Morrison’s Liberal-led coalition was running for a fourth three-year term. He had the smallest majority, 76 seats in the 151-member House of Representatives, where parties need a majority to form a government. At the start of Saturday’s count, the coalition was on track to win 51 seats, Labor 72, 10 non-attached and 18 too close to be announced.
The big parties bleed their votes for peripheral parties and independents, which increases the likelihood of a hanging parliament and minority government.
The last hanging parliaments in Australia were from 2010-13 and during World War II.
The small Australian Green Party seems to have increased its representation from one seat to three.
The Greens backed the Labor minority government in 2010 and are likely to back the Labor administration again if the party does not reach a 76-seat majority.
In addition to campaigning against Labor, Morrison’s conservative liberals have faced a new challenge from so-called blue-green independent candidates to the re-election of key government lawmakers to party strongholds.
At least four Liberal lawmakers appear to have lost their seats to independents, including Liberal Deputy Leader Josh Freidenberg, who was considered Morrison’s most likely successor.
“What we have achieved here is extraordinary,” said Zoe Daniels, a candidate for blue-green and former foreign correspondent, in her victory speech. “A safe liberal place. Two teams. “Independent,” she added.
Independent blue-greens are being sold as a greener shade than the Liberal Party’s traditional blue color, and they want stronger government action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Australia than the government or Labor have suggested.
Government Senate leader Simon Birmingham was worried about the big hesitations towards several blue-green candidates.
“The clear problem is that we are losing seats that are central to the Liberal Party for generations,” Birmingham said.
“If we lose these places – it is not certain that we will do it – but there is obviously a big movement against us and there is obviously a big message in it,” Birmingham added.
As a result of the pandemic, about half of Australia’s 17 million voters voted early or applied by mail, which is likely to delay the count.
Early voting for travel or work began two weeks ago and the Australian Electoral Commission will continue to collect votes by mail for another two weeks.
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