The recently victorious Labor Party wants to change the environmental policies of their country, which is seen as a laggard in the fight against climate change.
Labor Party’s Anthony Albanese, who is set to become Australia’s prime minister after winning Parliament, pledged on Sunday to improve the image of his country, widely seen abroad as lagging behind in the fight against climate change. “I really want to change the country,” said Mr. Albanese, who is due to take office on Monday and fly to Tokyo shortly after. He will attend the Quad Summit (US, Japan, India, Australia) there on Tuesday and meet separately with his Indian counterparts Narendra Modi and Japanese Fumio Kishida, as well as US President Joe Biden.
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“It allows us to let the world know that there is a change of government,” he told reporters. “There will be some policy changes, particularly around climate change and our engagement with the world on these issues,” he added, as he pledged to cut emissions by 43% by 2030. His predecessor had been criticized for sticking to a target of -28% in 2030 compared to 2005.
But two days before this first official trip abroad, the head of government was still waiting on Sunday to see whether his Labor Party would have an absolute majority in the Australian Parliament or whether he would have to find allies to govern. According to the official partial results, Labor could already count on 74 seats in the House of Representatives on Sunday and had a slight lead in a 75th constituency.
An absolute majority (76 seats) in the chamber of 151 MPs seemed within reach, and the outcome in more than ten constituencies was still uncertain.
Outburst of “teals”
“The Australian people voted for change,” said 59-year-old Anthony Albanese on Sunday, whose victory ended nine years of Conservative government. Outgoing Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Liberal coalition lost many seats across the country. However, she suffered her worst defeats in constituencies previously reserved for her, against a handful of independent candidates.
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These candidates are nicknamed “Teals,” a term meaning “teal” but also denoting the color between blue (the conservative) and green (the environmentalist). Most of them are women who have been elected to environmental protection, anti-corruption and gender equality programs.
Outgoing Treasury Secretary Josh Frydenberg was particularly humiliated in his Melbourne stronghold by “blue-green” Monique Ryan. She said she is ready to support Anthony Albanese’s government if it commits to a 60 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and if it spends six months creating a strong federal anti-corruption agency. “I’m really looking forward to working with him,” she said in a television interview on Sunday.
“Superpower” of renewable energies
The “Teals” have tapped into the anger of the affluent Sydney and Melbourne suburbs over Scott Morrison’s steadfast support for the coal industry, despite three years of fires, droughts and floods, exacerbated by global warming, that have transformed the lives of millions.
In his victory speech, Anthony Albanese pledged to make Australia a renewable energy “superpower”. But he has so far remained deaf to calls for an end to coal, which remains a driving force in the country’s economy and has many Labor supporters. His victory was celebrated by the leaders of several Pacific island nations, many of which are threatened by climate change.
“Of your many pledges of support for the Pacific, none is more welcome than your plan to prioritize climate. The common future of our people depends on it,” said Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. The former Australian PM’s climate skepticism has soured ties between Canberra and its neighbors and allies in the Pacific, a region where China is trying to expand its influence.
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