Focus on renewable energies in Australia. Conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison was ousted from power in the general election held on Saturday. The results of the vote reflected a scathing rejection by voters of his inaction on climate change.
According to projections published by the ABC channel after counting half of the votes, Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party won the most seats in the House of Representatives. But with only 72 seats secured so far, he was not yet certain of winning the absolute majority – 76 deputies – necessary to form a government without having to find an ally.
“This evening, I spoke to the leader of the opposition and the new Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and I congratulated him on his electoral victory”, nevertheless declared the head of the outgoing government, acknowledging his defeat. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “impatient” to work with Anthony Albanese. Some 17.2 million voters were called upon to choose the 151 seats in the House of Representatives for a three-year term. Forty of the 76 seats in the Senate were also renewed for six years.
The climate crisis at the center of concerns
After three years marked by major natural disasters and the pandemic, Australians have voted in an unusual number of “small” pro-environment candidates who could hold the keys to power. The Green Party and independent candidates nicknamed “teals” – mostly highly qualified women advocating environmental protection, gender equality and the fight against corruption – were on their way to conquering a series of urban constituencies traditionally devolved to the Conservatives.
“People have said the climate crisis is something they want to do something about,” exulted Green Party leader Adam Bandt. “We just had three years of drought, then fires and now floods and more floods. people can see it, it’s happening, it’s getting worse.”
The defeat of Scott Morrison puts an end to nine years of reign of the conservatives on the immense country-continent. The electoral campaign focused on the personalities of Morrison and Albanese, the candidates of the traditional parties, relegating political ideas to the background. Yet young Australians are increasingly critical of the government’s pro-coal policies, angered by difficulties finding affordable housing or the misuse of public money.
“I grew up in a community that has been very badly affected by fires and floods over the past five years,” Jordan Neville, who was voting for the first time, said at a Melbourne polling station. “If anything could be done to prevent this from happening again, that would be amazing.” In recent years, Scott Morrison has resisted many calls to cut Australia’s carbon emissions faster by 2030. He has also been a wholehearted supporter of the coal industry, one of the driving forces of the country’s economy.
Focus on renewable energy
“The Australian people voted for change,” said Anthony Albanese in his victory speech. The Labor leader has promised to turn Australia into a renewable energy “superpower”. He also pledged to end the country’s backwardness in the fight against climate change, to help people facing soaring prices and to strengthen the participation of indigenous peoples in the development of national policy. .
However, to govern he may have to cut deals with candidates demanding tougher climate action, risking the ire of pro-coal and mining union factions in his party.
Towards a new international policy?
While his term was marred by immense disasters – devastating forest fires, the Covid-19 pandemic and record floods – Scott Morrison suffered, during the campaign, from low personal popularity. Lagging behind in the polls, the 50-year-old tried to highlight his foreign policy, in particular the signing of the AUKUS security pact with the United States and the United Kingdom, which will allow Australia to acquire sub- nuclear-powered sailors. This alliance had, a few months ago, provoked cold anger in France, by leading to the termination of an important bilateral arms contract.
“The defeat of the Prime Minister suits me very well”, also commented on Saturday the former French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian. “The actions taken at the time they were taken were brutal and cynical, and I would even be tempted to say notorious incompetence,” he added.
With the arrival of the new head of government, should we expect a radical change in international politics? “On the form, we can expect a change in tone and style. On the other hand, I do not think that we should expect a significant change on the substance”, answered in the world journalist Paul Kelly, author of the book Morrison’s Mission on the foreign policy of the head of government. Case to follow.