Anthony Albanese and his Labor Party will govern Australia after their victory on Saturday over the Conservative Party of Scott Morrison, a signatory of what Paris described as a “stab in the back” with the United States.
It was not for nothing that the head of French diplomacy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, was delighted at the “concomitant” defeat of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday, before he left the Quai d’Orsay for good. Hoping France will be able to resume “an open and constructive dialogue” with Australia, he targeted Anthony Albanese, 59, winner of the election after a nine-year absence from power. As defense secretary, Jean-Yves LeDrian was the driving force in the 2016 sale of 12 Barracuda-class submarines to Canberra for €35 billion, a deal backed by Australia’s Labor Party.
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Torpedoing that treaty by signing a strategic pact called the Aukus with the United States and the United Kingdom, Scott Morrison had not even bothered to consult the opposition led by Anthony Albanese when the United States had specifically requested it.
From an Australian-Irish mother and Italian father of very humble origins, this veteran politician, two-time Minister and former Chamber of Deputies President, could be looking to mend the damage with France. It is also eagerly awaited by France on the climate side, while Australia, the world’s largest exporter of coal, is dragging its feet in this global struggle.
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