Category: Australian federal election 2022

Climate Action Independents Split Ruling Party Vote: Former Australian Minister

Independent candidates could have a huge say on the makeup of Australia’s next parliament. A number of “teal” independents backed by Climate 200 funds could be looking at successfully snatching seats from sitting Liberal MPs predominantly in inner-city seats, with more Australians voting to prioritise climate action and a federal anti-corruption agency which were centrepieces…


Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg Facing Possible Election Loss to Climate Action Independent

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has all but conceded he will lose the blue-ribbon seat of Kooyong to independent Monique Ryan. Frydenberg suffered a swing against him in excess of 10 percent, with more than half of votes counted in the inner-east Melbourne seat late on Saturday. Alongside his wife Amie, the deputy Liberal leader admitted prospects of…


Labor’s Kristina Keneally ‘Out of Touch’ With the Challenges of Western Sydney: Local Independent

Western Sydney independent candidate, Dai Le, says Labor’s choice for the multicultural seat of Fowler is “out of touch” with locals in the area. Sen. Kristina Keneally was parachuted by the Labor Party into the electorate after concerns from party leaders that she might not hold her Senate seat in the upcoming election. Dai Le,…


Hung Parliament Will Benefit Authoritarian Regimes: Australian MP Warns

A hung Parliament will cause division and hand an advantage to Australia’s adversaries, Tim Wilson, the federal MP for Goldstein has warned. “Authoritarian governments want our country to turn inward, so they could advance their interests. While we are distracted and a hung Parliament would deliver just that distraction,” the MP said in a video…


Australian Voters ‘Gearing for Change’ From Major Parties Post-COVID: Live Streamer

Two years of government-mandated lockdowns has left a permanent mark on how suburban and regional Australians approach elections, with voters disillusioned with the major parties and keen for change, according to live streamer Rukshan Fernando. Fernando was a permanent fixture during months-long protests against COVID-19 regulations in Melbourne in 2021. His live streams of the…


Labor Commits $1.5 Billion to Domestic Medical Manufacturing

Australian Labor party’s leader Anthony Albanese has announced his plan to create a new $1.5 billion (US$105 billion) fund to secure Australia’s medical goods supply chains. The money would be used to boost domestic medical manufacturing capability, such as creating medical technologies, producing rapid antigen tests, and creating vaccines. The investment, which is part of Labor’s…


Election Housing Policies, Getting Close but Still No Cigar

Commentary The Australian election campaign has seen a flurry of new proposals for dealing with the problem of housing affordability. There are some good elements, but mostly these proposals are bad. The most promising idea is the Coalition’s proposal to allow first home buyers to borrow up to 40 percent of their superannuation balance. The…


Labor Treating Medicare Like ‘Frankenstein’s Monster’: Former Howard-Era Advisor

The Labor Party is simply “throwing money” at Australia’s universal healthcare program Medicare with its near $1 billion (US$700 million) election funding pledge, which one Howard-era advisor says will do little to reform the system despite the hefty price tag. In an announcement on May 14, the centre-left Labor Party followed up its pledge to…


Concerns Coalition Housing Policy Could See Prices Rise, Yet Long-Term Solutions Nowhere in Sight

The incumbent centre-right Coalition government’s recently announced housing policy—that will allow first home buyers to access their superannuation funds—has been criticised by the opposition, financial sector, and unions over concerns it will cause a spike in residential real estate prices. Yet in early May, one economist told The Epoch Times that the centre-left Labor Party’s…


Labor Deputy Leader Claims ‘Transparency’ Over Chinese Embassy Visits

The Australian opposition’s deputy leader Richard Marles has been forced to explain his high number of visits to the Chinese Embassy over the past five years—more than the foreign minister—despite not holding the shadow foreign policy portfolio. Marles is alleged to have engaged with Chinese diplomats at least 10 times from 2017 despite deteriorating bilateral…