New Australian PM says climate action "shouldn't be controversial"
New Australian PM says climate action "shouldn't be controversial"

Australia election: Anthony Albanese signals climate policy change

Australia's new leader has vowed to take the country in a new direction, with a big shift in climate policy.

Anthony Albanese, who won Saturday's election with the opposition center-left Labor Party, said Australia could become a renewable energy superpower.

He is to be sworn in as PM on Monday, but it is not clear whether his party will have a majority in parliament.

Climate change was a key concern for voters, after three years of record-breaking bushfire and flood events.

Outgoing PM Scott Morrison, the leader of an ousted Liberal-National coalition, thanked the "miracle of the Australian people" after conceding.

Vote counting is still going on, and it is unclear whether Labor can get 76 seats to secure a majority in the 151-member lower house of parliament.

Final results may not be known for several days, as electoral officials have just started counting nearly three million postal votes.

If the election results in a hung parliament, Greens and independents - who have been campaigning for radical climate change action - could wield greater influence in framing the new government's policies on the issue.

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