EditorialCost of living, climate change have final say in Australian election
- Not even Scott Morrison’s apparent strength in foreign affairs and national security could save his Liberal Party from defeat, but new PM Anthony Albanese faces a daunting challenge
Foreign affairs and national security were seen as a strength for the government that has just lost the Australian election, despite the country’s worst relations with China for decades.
However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was blindsided by a security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands that seemed to catch him off guard and leave him on the defensive for the rest of the campaign.
Focus on Australia-China relations has now shifted to his successor, Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese, during his first overseas trip for the Quad nations’ leaders’ meeting. It remains to be seen whether his priorities include a meaningful improvement in relations with China.
Economic management and the cost of living, as inflation outstrips wages, were always going to be the prevailing issue of election campaigning, despite record low unemployment. That embraced related matters such as child care and retraining.
What no one was fully prepared for when the votes were counted was the emergence of climate change as a make-or-break issue, and the role of independent women – unaligned with any party – in mobilising it.
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Australia’s new PM Albanese vows to rebuild unity and trust after Labor Party election win
A single example, a blue-ribbon Liberal (conservative) electorate in Melbourne, once held by longest-serving prime minister Robert Menzies, suffices to illustrate it.