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Post by Admin on May 22, 2022 1:02:24 GMT
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s center-left opposition party toppled the conservative government after almost a decade in power, and Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese in his Saturday election victory speech promised sharper reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while he faces an early foreign policy test. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he quickly conceded defeat despite millions of votes yet to be counted because an Australian leader must attend a Tokyo summit on Tuesday with U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Albanese, who has described himself as the only candidate with a “non-Anglo Celtic name” to run for prime minister in the 121 years that the office has existed, referred to his own humble upbringing in the Sydney suburb of Camperdown. “It says a lot about our great country that a son of a single mom who was a disability pensioner, who grew up in public housing down the road in Camperdown can stand before you tonight as Australia’s prime minister,” Albanese said. “Every parent wants more for the next generation than they had. My mother dreamt of a better life for me. And I hope that my journey in life inspires Australians to reach for the stars,” he added. Albanese will be sworn in as prime minister after his Labor party clinched its first electoral win since 2007. Labor has promised more financial assistance and a robust social safety net as Australia grapples with the highest inflation since 2001 and soaring housing prices. The party also plans to increase minimum wages, and on the foreign policy front, it proposed to establish a Pacific defense school to train neighboring armies in response to China’s potential military presence on the Solomon Islands on Australia’s doorstep. It also wants to tackle climate change with a more ambitious 43% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. Morrison’s Liberal party-led coalition was seeking a fourth three-year term. It held the narrowest of majorities — 76 seats in the 151-member House of Representatives, where parties need a majority to form a government. In early counting on Saturday, the coalition was on track to win 51 seats, Labor 72, 10 were unaligned lawmakers and 18 were too close to call.
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Post by Admin on May 22, 2022 21:53:51 GMT
In 2019 Scott Morrison said he "believed in miracles" when he won an election that he had been projected to lose. This time around, it seems he ran out of them. Voters turned on his conservative coalition on Saturday, flipping key seats to Labor and independents. After conceding to Anthony Albanese, Mr Morrison said he would step down as Liberal leader. "I always believed in Australians and their judgement, and I've always been prepared to accept their verdicts and tonight they have delivered their verdict," he said. Mr Morrison has been the more experienced "image builder" and campaigner of the two major party leaders. He has projected this persona of the "typical Australian dad" - someone you can trust, someone who has seen the country through the pandemic and whose governing Liberal-National coalition has been the better economic manager of Australia. "They're all going to lie," one voter told the BBC. "It's about who you like." This has really stayed with me. It's been clear from the campaign that many voters didn't like Mr Morrison. That image of the trustworthy family man has been eroded over the past three years, mainly because more people have felt that this image was just that - an image - not genuine and certainly not to be trusted. Aidan Rickets, a resident in the town of Lismore that has recently been devastated by the floods told the BBC that Mr Morrison "loved to tell us how resilient our communities are and that he knows we'll rebuild… Well how about helping us?" And course there are the infamous pictures of Scott Morrison on vacation in Hawaii, set against families fleeing their burning homes under smoky orange red skies during the Black Summer bushfires. When he eventually went to the fire-ravaged areas, he was heckled by angry locals and video of people refusing to shake his hands went viral. They are images that will haunt him long after this election.
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Post by Admin on May 23, 2022 6:11:44 GMT
Scott Morrison concedes on 2022 federal election night | 7NEWS 21,013 views May 21, 2022 Scott Morrison congratulates Anthony Albanese.
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Post by Admin on Jul 17, 2022 22:07:26 GMT
Cameron Smith wins The 150th Open Championship | Final Round Highlights 15,163 views Jul 18, 2022 Cameron Smith put together one of the great rounds in major history to become Champion Golfer of the Year at The 150th Open.
The Australian started the final day four strokes back from Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland but shot an incredible 64, which featured five birdies in a row at the beginning of the back nine and another on 18, to overhaul McIlroy and fend off Cameron Young by a stroke.
His finishing score of 20-under-par matched Henrik Stenson’s winning number from Royal Troon six years ago and is the joint-best score to par in Open history, and the lowest at St Andrews.
Smith is also the first Australian to become Champion Golfer since Greg Norman in 1993 and in the process shot the lowest fourth round by a champion in St Andrews history, surpassing Zach Johnson’s 66 in 2015.
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Post by Admin on Jul 18, 2022 4:14:38 GMT
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- Cameron Smith charged his way into history on the Old Course, a Sunday stunner at St. Andrews that sent the Australian to his first major title by overcoming Rory McIlroy to win the Open Championship.
The stage was set for McIlroy to end his eight-year drought in the majors and cap off a week of celebration at the home of golf in the 150th Open.
Instead, Smith stole the show by running off five straight birdies to start the back nine and delivering more clutch moments at the end. His 8-under 64 was the lowest final round by a champion in the 30 times golf's oldest championship has been played at St. Andrews.
Smith won by 1 shot over Cameron Young, who holed a 15-foot eagle putt on the final hole to ever-so-briefly tie for the lead.
It wasn't enough, and neither was anything McIlroy could muster.
McIlroy couldn't make a putt early. He couldn't hit it close enough late. His last good chance was a 15-foot birdie attempt on the scary Road Hole at No. 17, and it narrowly missed to the left.
Smith, who saved par on the 17th with a 10-foot putt, was at the front of the 18th green with his tee shot. From 80 feet away, his pace up the slope and toward the cup was close to perfect, leaving him a tap-in birdie to finish at 20-under 268.
Smith matched the major championship record to par, last reached by Dustin Johnson in the 2020 Masters held in November.
McIlroy needed eagle to tie him, and his chip through the Valley of Sin had no chance. He missed the birdie and wound up with a 70 to finish third.
Even with the silver Claret Jug in his hands, it was hard to believe.
"All the names on there, every player that's been at the top of their game has won this championship," Smith said. "It's pretty cool to be on there. It really hasn't sunk in yet. I don't think it will for a few weeks. Yeah, it's just unreal."
Smith is the first Australian to win at St. Andrews since Kel Nagle in 1960, when he topped a rising American star named Arnold Palmer, the people's choice.
That's what McIlroy is now, and all day there was an energy along the humps and hollows of the Old Course, all of the fans waiting to celebrate McIlroy as an Open champion at St. Andrews.
He gave them little to cheer for -- two birdies, 16 pars, more disappointment.
"The putter went cold on me," McIlroy said. "When both Camerons -- especially Smith -- went on that run on the back nine, I had to dig deep to make birdies. And I just couldn't. I got beaten by the better player this week. To go out and shoot 64 to win the Open Championship at St. Andrews is a hell of a showing. Hats off to Cam."
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