Voting has commenced in Australia’s general election, where soaring living expenses and a lack of affordable housing are key topics in the political discourse.
As of now, approximately half of the possible votes have been submitted through early and mail-in ballots, which started being accepted from April 22nd; however, these votes remain uncounted.
Australia is among the few countries where voting is compulsory, a system that leans toward creating centrist governments. At the last election in 2022, 90 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party aims for a second consecutive three-year term.
His rival, conservative opposition head Peter Dutton, aims to be the first politician to unseat a debut-term administration since 1931.
The election is occurring amidst a situation where all political factions characterize it as a cost of living crisis.
The peak of annual inflation reached 7.8 percent, occurring roughly one year following Labor’s election in 2022.
The rate has been increased twelve times since then, reaching its highest point of 4.35 percent in November 2023.
Both elections have centered around shifts in Australia’s population trends. This vote marks the first time in Australian history where Baby Boomers, individuals born from the post-World War II era until 1964, are less numerous than more recent generations of voters.
Each campaign pledged strategies aimed at assisting first-time homebuyers enter a real estate market that remains unaffordable for numerous individuals.
The key distinction lies in energy policy. The opposing party has pledged to construct seven state-sponsored nuclear power facilities throughout Australia, which would start producing electricity by 2035.
The Labor party aims to generate 82% of Australia’s energy grid from renewable sources such as solar and wind power by 2030, reducing dependence on natural gas.
With Associated Press
