March 19, 2024

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Australian Labor Party ousts the Conservatives; PM faces early tests

Australian Labor Party ousts the Conservatives;  PM faces early tests

CANBERRA, Australia (Associated Press) – Australia’s centre-left opposition party has ousted the Conservative government after nearly a decade in power, and Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese in his election victory speech on Saturday promised sharper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions as he faces a foreigner. early. Policy test.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he quickly conceded defeat despite millions of votes still to be counted because the Australian leader should attend Tuesday’s Tokyo summit with US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Albanese, who described himself as the only candidate with a “non-Anglo-Celtic name” to run for prime minister in the office’s 121 years in existence, recalled his humble upbringing in the Sydney suburb of Camperdown.

“It says so much about our great country that the son of a single mother who was a retired disabled person, who grew up in public housing on the road in Camperdown, can stand before you tonight as Prime Minister of Australia,” Albanese said.

“Every parent wants the next generation more than they did. My mother dreamed of a better life for me. I hope my journey in life will inspire Australians to reach for the stars.”

Albanese will be sworn in as prime minister after his Labor party won its first electoral victory since 2007.

Workers are promised more financial help and a strong social safety net as Australia grapples with the highest inflation since 2001 and rising house prices.

The party is also planning to increase the minimum wage and, on the foreign policy front, has proposed establishing a defense school in the Pacific to train neighboring armies in response to a potential Chinese military presence in the Solomon Islands on Australia’s doorstep.

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It also wants to tackle climate change with a more ambitious 43% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net emissions by 2050.

Morrison’s Liberal Party-led coalition was seeking a fourth three-year term. It occupied the smallest majority – 76 seats in the 151-member House of Representatives, where parties need a majority to form a government. In Saturday’s early count, the coalition was on course to win 51 seats, Labour’s 72, 10 non-aligned MPs and 18 were too close to call.

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The major parties bled votes for marginal parties and independents, raising the possibility of a hung parliament and a minority government.

The most recent parliaments were suspended in Australia from 2010 to 2013, and during World War II.

The small Australian Green Party appears to have increased its representation from one seat to three.

The Greens supported a minority Labor government in 2010, and are likely to support a Labor administration again if the party is below 76 seats.

In addition to campaigning against Labour, Morrison’s conservative Liberals faced a new challenge from so-called independent candidates to re-elect key government lawmakers in the party’s strongholds.

At least four Liberal lawmakers appear to have lost their seats to blocking the Independents including Deputy Liberal Party leader Josh Frydenberg, who was considered a potential successor to Morrison.

“What we’ve achieved here is extraordinary,” candidate and former foreign correspondent Zoe Daniels said in her victory speech. “Liberal safe seat. He held the position for two terms. independent.”

Teal independents are marketed as a shade of greener than the traditional blue of the Liberal Party and want stronger government action to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions than the government or Labor is suggesting.

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Government Senate leader Simon Birmingham was concerned about the ups and downs of several veteran candidates.

“It’s an obvious problem that we are losing seats that are seats at the heart, which have defined the Liberal Party for generations,” Birmingham said.

Birmingham added: “If we lose those seats – it’s not certain we will – but there is clearly a huge movement against us and there is clearly a big message in it.”

Because of the pandemic, nearly half of Australia’s 17 million voters have either voted early or applied for postal votes, which will likely slow the counting.

Early voting for travel or work reasons started two weeks ago and the Australian Electoral Commission will continue to collect votes by mail for another two weeks.