Australia has a new left-leaning government

By Dilip -

Australia's new leaders are yet to be sworn in following the Labor Party's victory Saturday, but the nation is already dissecting what seems to be a seismic shift in its politics. After almost a decade of conservative leadership, voters turned their back on the ruling coalition, instead backing those who campaigned for more action on climate change, greater gender equality and political integrity.

For much of its history, Australian politics has been dominated by the two major parties: the Liberals on the center-right and Labor on the center-left. But this election threw all the balls up in the air, tossing more than a few to minor parties and Independents who were fed-up with the two-party system. Election results showed a strong swing towards Independents who campaigned on issues relating to the climate.

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The candidates - many first-time entrants to politics - were seeking cuts to emissions of up to 60% - more than twice as much as promised by the ruling conservative coalition (26-28%) and also more than Labor (43%). Known as teal candidates, they targeted traditionally blue Liberal seats with more green-leaning policies. "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," said Amanda McKenzie, CEO of the research group the Climate Council, on Saturday's election result.

Australia has long been known as the "lucky country," partly due to its wealth of coal and gas, as well as minerals like iron ore, which have driven generations of economic growth. But it's now sitting on the frontier of a climate crisis, and the fires, floods and droughts that have already scarred the country are only expected to become more extreme as the Earth warms….

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/22/australia/australia-election-results-new-government-explainer-five-things-intl-hnk/index.html


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