Australia’s new Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese won an absolute majority in the House of Representatives, allowing him to do without the support of elected independents to some extent, according to projections from the Electoral Commission released on Monday.
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The Labor leader’s party, whose victory in the May 21 poll ended nine years of Conservative government, is credited with at least 76 seats out of 151, according to these official projections.
Labor is thus well ahead of the outgoing conservative coalition, considered responsible for Australia’s inaction against global warming and support for fossil fuel industries.
In the Senate, the distribution of seats has not yet been fully clarified and the Labor Party could need the support of elected officials with environmental tendencies, including the former rugby star David Pocock, to legislate, in particular on the objectives of greenhouse gas emissions.
