An update on the Australian election. Last night the preliminary count indicated that the conservatives would not be able to form a new government and the PM conceded defeat. It is not yet clear whether the new government will have a majority of seats in the House or whether it will have to do deals with the independents or the Greens to pass legislation. The Senate will be very interesting when the count is finalised.
Everything went smoothly and the transition will begin to take place immediately. The AUKUS meeting that will take place in a few days will have new faces at the table. The new PM is the son of a single mother who survived on an invalid pension and he grew up in social housing. His name is Anthony Albanese and he never knew his Italian father. His deputy PM will be a woman of Asian descent who came to Australia as a 3yo from Singapore. She is a lesbian Christian who is married and she and her partner are raising a child together. Her name is Penny Wong and she will be the new Foreign Minister.
The political landscape in Australia is a lot different to both the US and the UK.
Edit - Penny Wong will not be the Deputy PM because she is a senator and cannot therefore serve as acting PM. She will be the Leader of the Government in the Senate and the Deputy PM will be a man - Richard Marles.
My niece was a candidate for the Greens in a Queensland electorate and although she never really had a chance she campaigned strongly and raised awareness of important issues. I am proud of her effort. Here she is campaigning. She is a very unique individual with a passion for the environment, social justice and animals.
