Parliamentary elections in Australia 2022: Prime Minister describes himself as a "bulldozer" - opponent as "master builder"

Created: 05/20/2022Updated: 05/20/2022 18:06

By: Delia Friess

General elections are taking place in Australia this weekend.

The focus is on economic policy, the coal industry and dealing with China.

Canberra - Ironically, an octopus in the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium acted as the oracle for the parliamentary elections in Australia on Saturday, May 31, 2022: According to dpa, the octopus in its tank was set to "blue" - the color of the conservative Liberal Party - typed, as announced by a spokeswoman for the amusement park.

Australia's compulsory general election will be held on Saturday 31 May 2022.

The race for prime minister is likely to be decided between Liberal incumbent Scott Morrison, who governs in a coalition with the Conservative Nationalists, and his Labor opponent, Anthony Albanese.

The following topics dominate the election campaign: the expansion of the coal industry and ongoing climate change as well as the tense economic situation.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (right) and opposition leader Anthony Albanese attend the second pre-election front-runners debate at Nine Studios.

© James Brickwood / dpa

Election campaign in Australia: Morrison and Albanese go head-to-head

The Australian Labor Party and its lead candidate, Anthony Albanese, are currently ahead in the polls.

However, the opposition also led in the polls in 2019 and in the end the conservative Morrison emerged victorious, who has now been in power for nine years.

The 54-year-old incumbent recently said he would change his style of government if re-elected.

His character is "a bit like a bulldozer".

Apparently this was meant as a positive self-description and is meant to characterize him as purposeful and effective.

Albanese countered: "A bulldozer breaks things.

A bulldozer knocks things over.

I'm a builder, that's what I am.

I will build something in this country." The 59-year-old Albanian also has many years of experience in key roles in politics,

however, an official image is attached to him.

The Tagesspiegel reported on this first.

A kangaroo flees bushfires in Australia.

(Archive image) © Abc Tv

Elections in Australia 2022: coal mining despite climate change

Despite the fact that climate change is becoming increasingly noticeable in Australia, incumbent Morrison is banking on fossil fuels - above all on coal mining.

According to Statista, Australia regularly tops the list of countries that are the world's top coal exporters.

Morrison wants to expand the coal industry in Australia even further.

Morrison also approved the construction of Carmichael, the world's largest coal mine in the state of Queensland.

Environmental organizations such as Greenpeace and WWF criticize the project because it endangers the world's largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef, which is already threatened by climate change.

Australia: Prime Minister called climate change warnings 'alarmist'

Morrison has also described warnings about climate change as "alarmist" in the past and has aggressively promoted coal mining.

Australia is one of the countries in the world that is severely affected by climate change - be it due to flooding in the east of the country or the devastating bushfires of 2019. Although Morrison is now planning climate neutrality by 2050, Australia is also regularly one of the countries with the highest CO2 emissions per capita, as studies by Statista show.

His opponent Albanese announced that they want to reduce emissions by 43 percent at least by 2030.

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General elections in Australia 2022: China and the economic situation are topics in the election campaign

The cost of living in Australia is high due to rising inflation.

That's why affordable housing is another dominant issue in the election campaign, as reported by The Guardian.

Accordingly, the Labor Party wants to raise the minimum wage, close the gender pay gap and invest in a home ownership program.

Photo released by Paul's Place Animal Welfare Station (2020) shows cattle on Kangaroo Island with a fire raging in the background.

The bushfires in Australia are also having devastating consequences for Kangaroo Island, a holiday destination in the south of the country.

"It's really bad," said Adelaide-based German Kai Linke of the German Press Agency.

His sister Katja lost her house there last weekend, an animal protection station called "Paul's Place".

Many animals died as a result.

(Archive image) © dpa

Australia Elections 2022: Growing Chinese Influence in the Region

Another issue on the campaign trail ahead of Australia's 2022 general election is China's growing influence in the region.

Intelligence adviser Andrew Shearer warned of a Russia-China alliance and Beijing's ambitions to gain further authority in the region by buying ports and dealing with smaller island nations like the Solomon Islands, according to the editorial network (rnd).

It is feared that China will now station troops in the Solomon Islands.

China only sees the Pacific region as a way station on its way to replacing the United States as a world power.

China's skepticism in the country is also being used in the election campaign: according to the Handelsblatt, a conservative lobby group even paid for an election poster - a photomontage - that shows Chinese President Xi Jinping,

how he votes for Labor and calls on Australian voters to do the same.

The Labor Party's Albanese, on the other hand, accused the Australian PM of "massive foreign policy failures" in that PM Morrison failed to prevent the China-Solomon Islands deal.

(df)