LOCAL STORIES

LABOR WINS

– what does that mean for Australia?

By Warren Strybosch

The Labor Party’s victory ends almost a decade of conservative government.

In a triumphant speech to supporters in Sydney, Labor leader Anthony Albanese boldly promised action on global warming, indigenous rights and sluggish wage growth. He said he wanted to “promote unity and optimism, not fear and division.”

In his victory address, Albanese said Australia – which currently relies on coal for most of its electricity - has the opportunity to make fundamental changes.

"Together we can end the climate wars. Together we can take advantage of the opportunity for Australia to be a renewable energy superpower," Albanese said. "Together we can work in common interests with business and unions to drive productivity, lift wages and profits.”

From humble beginnings living with just his mother in state-subsidized housing, Albanese will be his country’s 31st prime minister. He said he hoped his journey would inspire “Australians to reach for the stars.”

The 47th Parliament of Australia will be made up of 77 Labor seats, 58 Coalition seats, four Greens seats and 12 other crossbenchers.

Whilst Labor party only received about 33% of the primary votes from the more than 17 million Australians who were eligible to vote, Labor picked up a large percentage of preference votes from the Coalition who placed Labor ahead of Greens. It is estimated around a third of voters did not support either of the two main parties. Analysts have said non-aligned lawmakers, many of whom are women who are seeking action on climate change and integrity in politics, could wield significant power in the new parliament.

Australia’s outgoing center-right coalition government suffered a humiliating defeat in the polls and Scott Morrison has stepped aside as leader. The Liberals will need to take time to consider where they went wrong. Was it simply that they had been in government for 10 years and it was time to have a change or is there other greater underlining issues that the Liberals will need to combat before they return to the polls in four year’s time.

The final win for the Labor Party comes as Mr Albanese announces his ministry, following the first Labor caucus of the new government.

Labor had enough seats to govern in its own right, but with 76 it would have needed to find a speaker from the crossbench.

Several independents had been sounded out for the role.

The greatly expanded crossbench was one of the most significant results of the federal election, as several independent candidates successfully toppled established Liberal politicians on a promise to force government accountability and climate action. Independent MP Rebekha Sharkie told the ABC that Labor's majority would not diminish the influence of the crossbench.

"For the last two parliaments, for the majority of the time, the government, the previous government had the majority but they still needed to talk to the crossbench because they are very tight numbers and whether it is 76 or 77, in this parliament would still be tight," Ms Sharkie said.

Australians are now waiting to see what Albanese and his team will do to get Australian back on track. With a large Australian debt, an ever increasing cost of living, and an interest rate looking to rise significantly over the next 12 months, Labor will have plenty of challenges on their hands as they begin their time in government.