In Australia, the executive has officially changed hands. Labor Anthony Albanese was sworn in as the new Prime Minister on Monday, hours before leaving for Japan where he will attend an international summit. The ex-leader of the centre-left opposition, who says Canberra is ready to commit to the fight against climate change, will indeed take part in a summit of the Quad (United States, India, Japan, Australia ) on Tuesday in Tokyo.
The 59-year-old new prime minister was sworn in in a brief ceremony. Other members of his team who have taken office include Foreign Secretary Penny Wong, who will join Anthony Albanese at the top of the Quad, Budget Minister Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher.
Charcoal production divides all camps
The Prime Minister wants to take advantage of his first official trip abroad to “let the world know that there is a change of government”. “There will be some changes in policy, particularly around climate change and our engagement with the world on these issues,” he added in his victory speech on Sunday. He also promised to turn Australia into a renewable energy “superpower”.
However, Anthony Albanese has so far remained deaf to calls to end coal, which remains a driving force in the country’s economy and has many Labor supporters. During the tenure of his predecessor Scott Morrison, Australia experienced major disasters: fires, record floods and the Covid-19 pandemic.