Anthony Albanese said he wanted to "change the country and change the way that politics operates in this country". "It's an opportunity for us to send a message that there is a change of government and that there will be a change of policies on things like climate change. (Photo from Yahoo News) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] Australia's new leader has vowed to take the country in a new direction, with a big shift in climate policy. Anthony Albanese, who won Saturday's election with the opposition center-left Labor Party, said Australia could become a renewable energy superpower.
He is to be sworn in as PM on Monday, but it's not clear whether his party will have a majority in parliament. Climate change was a key concern for voters, after three years of record-breaking bushfires and flood events. Outgoing PM Scott Morrison, the leader of an ousted Liberal-National coalition, thanked the "miracle of the Australian people" after conceding. Vote counting is still going on and he is still a few seats short of the 76 that Labor needs to secure a majority in the 151-member lower house of parliament.
Final results may not be known for several days, as electoral officials have just started counting nearly three million postal votes. Speaking to the BBC's Shaimaa Khalil shortly after his election victory, Mr. Albanese, 59, said: "We have an opportunity now to end the climate wars in Australia. Mr. Albanese, who will be heading Australia's first Labor government in almost a decade, also promised to adopt more ambitious emissions targets. However, he has so far refused calls to phase out coal use or to block the opening of new coal mines.