Anthony Albanese, leader of the Labor Party, during a ceremony at Government House in Canberra, Australia, on Monday, May 23, 2022. Albanese, sworn in as the country’s 31st prime minister on Wednesday Two, promised to bring the country together after an unsuccessful election campaign when he vowed to tackle climate change and inequality.
Brendon Thorne | Bloomberg | beautiful pictures
Australia’s Labor Party leader, Anthony Albanese, was sworn in as the country’s 31st prime minister on Monday, promising to bring the country back together after a difficult election campaign as he pledged to unseat the country. address climate change and inequality.
Labor returns to power after nine years in opposition to an unprecedented wave of support for the Greens and climate-focused independents, mainly women, that helped end nearly a decade in power. of the conservative coalition in Saturday’s general election.
“I look forward to leading a government that makes Australians proud, one that does not seek to divide, does not seek to patch things up, but seeks to bring people together,” Albanese said at a news conference. his first after receiving the mission. prime minister.
Although the votes are still being counted and the formation of a government is yet to be finalized, Albanese was sworn in by Governor-General David Hurley at a ceremony in the nation’s capital Canberra so he could attend. important meeting of the “Quad” security group in Tokyo on Tuesday.
India, the United States, Japan and Australia are members of the Quad, an informal group that Washington is pushing to act as a potential bulwark against today’s political, commercial and military activity. China’s growth in the Indo-Pacific.
Mr Albanese said the country’s relationship with China would remain “a difficult one” ahead of the summit with US President Joe Biden and the prime ministers of Japan and India.
Deputy Labor Secretary Richard Marles and three key ministers – Penny Wong for foreign affairs, Jim Chalmers as treasurer and Katy Gallagher for finance – were also sworn in, with Wong joining Albanese on his trip. The quartet.
Working class card
The Labor Party campaign has highlighted working-class standards of Albanese – a boy raised by a single mother in a public home with a disability pension – and his image is a pragmatic unifier.
Center-left Labor is still four seats short of a 76-seat majority in the 151-seat lower house, with about a dozen races too close to call, according to TV channels.
ABC election analysts predict that the Independent or the Greens will win at least 15 seats.
The so-called campaign for the rich, held by the Liberals on a platform of climate, integrity and equality, can have a significant impact.
Monique Ryan, an independent who looks like she’s not hiding Outgoing Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, said climate is the most important issue for voters in her seat.
“We listen to what people want, we listen to their values and desires, and together we create a platform that reflects those things.”
Albanese said he hoped Labor would get enough seats to self-manage but added he had signed agreements with several independents in which they would not support no-confidence motions against the government. his government. He said that the swearing-in of the whole would take place on June 1.
Official results could be days away, with a record tally of 2.7 million mail-in ballots underway.
Australian financial markets gave a muted reaction to Monday’s election ruling, with the outcome already priced in and no fundamental change in economic developments expected.
“Our economic projections and calls for (the Reserve Bank of Australia) remain unchanged despite a change in national leadership,” said economists at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
