After nine years in power in Australia, the conservatives have lost the election. Labour is expected to bring changes, particularly on climate and rights.
After nine years in power in Australia, the liberal-conservative coalition was defeated in the elections held on Saturday 21 May. Scott Morrison, the outgoing head of government, is making way for Labour leader Anthony Albanese, who is of Italian origin. Along with the prime ministerial office, Morrison is also bequeathing him the results of a near-total disengagement on climate and environmental issues.
Fifty-nine years old and a member of parliament since 1996, Albanese comes from a modest family: "My story tells a lot about our great country. The son of a single mother who lived on a disability pension, raised in public housing, can today stand before you as prime minister. I hope this can encourage Australians to aim high," he declared on the night of his victory.
The policies the new prime minister has promised to implement are equally consequential. The Labour leader pledged to create "an economy that serves the people", starting with a plan to link the minimum wage to inflation, which in the first quarter of 2022 exceeded 5 per cent (its highest level in 20 years). Albanese's programme also includes lowering the costs of childcare, medicines and education-related expenses.
It is above all on the environment and rights, however, that a decisive change of course is expected from the new Labour government, even if the positions taken during the campaign leave some doubts. Among the promises made is a commitment to hold a constitutional referendum that could allow for the creation of a representative body for Indigenous peoples. This is one of the key demands of Aboriginal communities: the new body would serve as an advisory organ for parliament in cases where legislation affecting the minority is under discussion.
From a climate perspective, Labour is being called upon to address the consequences of a decade of substantial inaction. Morrison repeatedly sought to defend the fossil fuel industry, and in particular coal, which continues to represent a particularly thriving business for Australia. Despite this, environmental issues were not, in reality, at the centre of the electoral debate. And yet, in numerous constituencies in major urban centres, the conservatives paid the price for their regressive energy policies.
The beneficiaries were Labour, but also a number of independent candidates: essentially highly qualified women who campaigned for the protection of nature, the fight against climate change, gender equality and the battle against corruption.
To know whether the change of government in Australia will also coincide with a change of gear, it will nonetheless be necessary to verify one precondition and hope that Labour does not yield to the fossil fuel lobby. The precondition lies in the electoral result: the count — extremely slow due to postal voting — has not yet concluded and it is not yet known whether Labour will be able to count on an absolute majority in parliament.
Finally, Australia is today one of the most climate-damaging countries in the world. At the same time, it is already experiencing the severe consequences, with prolonged and extreme droughts, soaring temperatures, floods and devastating wildfires. Despite all this, the targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions have always been extremely modest: the conservatives had gone no further than a 28 per cent reduction by 2030. Labour has promised to reach 43 per cent, but has made it abundantly clear that it does not wish to abandon fossil fuels.
Far more ambitious were the pledges made by the group of independents and the Greens, who put forward plans to cut emissions by 60 and 74 per cent respectively. On Saturday, shortly after the victory, Albanese declared that he wants to make Australia a "renewable energy superpower". The hope is that he will do so by turning his back, at the very least, on the most climate-damaging businesses of all.
