Australian voters elected Anthony Albanese as the next prime minister and the fourth leader to win a government for the Labor party since World War II.
Albanese thanked voters for the "extraordinary honor" of becoming Australia's 31st prime minister shortly before midnight on Saturday. He promised to work in government to unite Australians, who "voted for change."
"I am humbled by this victory and I'm honored to be given the opportunity to serve as the 31st prime minister of Australia," he said.
With 60% of the vote counted, Labor was ahead in 73 seats and on track to win enough seats to form a majority government, with huge swings in Western Australia likely to flip at least three seats to Labor, as per a report from The Guardian.
Albanese said his leadership would respect all Australians, including those who had not voted for him, saying he would "seek to get your vote next time."
What To Expect From Albanese' Leadership
He encouraged everyone to come together and promote optimism instead of fear and division and seize opportunities for Australia, which he called "the greatest country on earth."
"It is what I have sought to do throughout my political life and what I will bring to the leadership of our country," Albanese said.
His top priorities as prime minister include reconstructing relations with foreign heads, including Pacific Island leaders, like the Solomon Islands, whose leader signed a security pact with China, sparking concerns that Beijing would construct a military base in the Pacific. According to Albanese, Morrison has neglected this matter in recent years.
Albanese plans to travel to Tokyo with Foreign Minister Penny Wong to attend the summit with Quad members of the United States, India, and Japan, which will discuss priorities for security and protect free passage in the Indo-Pacific Region. US President Joe Biden will also attend the talks.
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According to polls, the climate crisis was one of the defining subjects of the election, serving as one of the few areas of disagreement between the coalition and Labor.
Labor has pledged to bring down emissions by 43% by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050, which would partially involve improving the systems designed to force companies to reduce emissions.
According to a CNN report, though he has no authority to implement it, Albanese supports a 5.1 % increase in the minimum wage. Instead, he could propose to the Fair Work Commission that the minimum wage keep pace with inflation.
Scott Morrison Concedes
Outgoing Prime Minister Scott Morrison congratulated Albanese on his win. Following his defeat, Morrison would step down as a Liberal leader, per BBC.
Morrison remarked that his term had been "a time of great upheaval" for the country.
"What Australians have endured over these past few years has shown a tremendous depth of character and resilience and strength," he noted.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated Albanese. He said he looks forward to working with the new Australian PM to "tackle shared challenges and demonstrate the importance of our shared values."
Voting is mandatory in Australia. This year's elections saw 17 million cast ballots to vote for members of the Parliament in both chambers of Congress.
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