Australian voters deliver strong message on climate, ending conservative government’s 9-year rule

Australian Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese appeared certain to form a minority government, though it was unclear as counting continued if the party would have enough seats for a majority, according to projections from three news networks.Parties need a majority of 76 seats to form a majority government. Labor is currently sitting on around 70, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.Early counting showed a strong swing towards Greens candidates and Independents who demanded emissions cuts far above the commitments made by Morrison’s coalition.Amanda McKenzie, CEO of the research group the Climate Council, declared climate action the winner of the vote.”Millions of Australians have put climate first. Now, it’s time for a radical reset on how this great nation of ours acts upon the climate challenge,” she said in a statement. Albanese served as a minister in the previous Labor government under prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, before taking over as Labor leader after the party’s most recent election loss in 2019.That loss knocked the wind out of Labor and they returned to this election campaign with more modest promises to avoid scaring off voters worried about radical change.Other than climate, this election focused on the character of the leaders. Morrison was deeply unpopular with voters and seemed to acknowledge as much when he admitted during the last week of the campaign that he had been a “bit of a bulldozer.” He was referring to making hard decisions during the pandemic and severing a submarine deal with France, but it reflected claims about his leadership style as being more authoritarian than collaborative.Speaking to his supporters late Saturday night, Morrison said he had called Albanese and congratulated him on his election victory. “I’ve always believed in Australians and their judgment, and I’ve always been prepared to accept their verdict,” he said.Just before midnight, Albanese walked out to to cheers from his supporters and said he would seek to unite the nation. “I will work every day to bring Australians together. And I will lead a government worthy of the people of Australia.”He added: “I can promise all Australians this no matter how you voted today, the government I lead will respect every one of you every day.”A modest upbringing to PMAlbanese often refers to his background as the son of a single mother to demonstrate his commitment to making life better for struggling Australians.His mother, Maryanne, suffered rheumatoid arthritis and lived on disability benefits while she raised him alone in council housing in the 1960s.”It gave me a determination each and every day to help the people like I was growing up to have a better life. And I think that’s what Australians want,” he told the National Press Club in January.Albanese repeatedly credited his mother for her strength during his campaign, most recently on Friday when he paid tribute to a “incredible woman.””She’d be proud as punch because she made the courageous decision in 1963 to keep a child that she had out of wedlock,” he said.Albanese’s father was a steward on a cruise ship, and the new Australian Prime Minister was born of a brief liaison that was scandalous at the time for a single Catholic woman.So she told him that his father had died to spare him the truth, he said.”That was a tough decision,” he said. “It says something about the pressure that was placed on women and pressures that are still placed on women when faced with difficult circumstances. The fact that that young kid is now running for Prime Minister says a lot about her and her courage, but it also says a lot about this country.”Albanese may have won over Australians, but one of his challenges as Prime Minister will be to unite the factions of his party, said Zareh Ghazarian, a lecturer in politics at Monash University.”He’s presented himself as someone who’s going to be a level-headed leader. The challenge that he will have is getting on top of and keeping on top of the Labor party caucus,” he said.Paul Williams, a political scientist with Griffith University, said Albanese lacked experience in major portfolios but predicted he would “grow into the job.””I think it will be a steep learning curve for Albanese because he hasn’t had a very senior portfolio like treasurer or foreign affairs minister. And he’s going to be thrown into the mix of the Quad meeting next week. So it’s going to be baptism by fire,” he said.Albanese said he hoped his win would show young Australians that “the doors of opportunity are open to us all.” “Every parent wants more for the next generation than they had. My mother dreamt of a better life for me. And I hope that my journey in life inspires Australians to reach for the stars.”