Australia elects new prime minister
On 21 May, Australia held an election to choose its government and prime minister. The Labor Party’s Anthony Albanese was voted in as prime minister, defeating Scott Morrison, who had the job from 2018 to 2022.
What were the results?
Anthony Albanese, leader of the Australian Labor Party, won the election. On 23 May, he became prime minister after Scott Morrison accepted defeat. At the time The Week Junior went to press, the Labor Party had won 74 seats (places) out of 151 in Australia’s House of Representatives and 26 out of 76 in its Senate (the two parts of the Australian parliament). The Labor Party needs to win at least 76 seats in the House of Representatives to form a government on its own, otherwise it will need to join forces with other parties in a “coalition government” (where different parties agree to share power).
Who were the main candidates?
Albanese was competing against Scott Morrison, leader of the Liberal Party. Australia’s Liberal Party campaigned with the National Party as partners. At the time The Week Junior went to press, the LiberalNational coalition (partnership) had won 55 seats in the House of Representatives and 31 in the Senate. The Liberal Party had been in power since 2013.
What does Albanese want to do?
Albanese’s election campaign focused on several issues, including doing more to tackle climate change (long-term changes in world weather patterns, including rising temperatures and global warming). Albanese has said that his government will focus on renewable energy (energy made from sources such as wind, sunlight and water, which do not cause climate change). In 2020, Australia had lots of bushfires (fires that start in forests and spread rapidly), which many people believe were partly caused by climate change. Morrison had been criticised for not doing enough to reduce Australia’s use of fossil fuels, which are known to make climate change worse. People’s worries about climate change also meant success for the Australian Greens (see boxout). Albanese also plans to give Australia’s Aboriginal population (people who have been in Australia from the earliest times) more say in how the country is run.
What was the reaction?
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated Albanese on his victory, saying, “I look forward to working with you.” Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of neighbouring New Zealand, also spoke to Albanese, saying, “I have no doubt we’ll have a strong working relationship that will serve both countries.” Australian voters also reacted to the victory. Jordan Neville, who was voting for the first time in his life, told AFP News agency, “I grew up in a community that’s been really heavily affected by the fires and the floods over the past five years. To see something be done about that and stop that happening again would be amazing.”