Letter from Australia: Labor victory positive for CCS

Australia’s upstream industry could be poised to benefit from the election of a Labor government for the first time in almost a decade

The Australian federal election on 21 May removed the Liberal-National government that had held power since 2013, the past four years of which under Prime Minister Scott Morrison. As of 26 May, the Australian Electoral Commission had called Labor as the winner with 75 seats and votes still being counted. The party needs just 76 seats to form a majority government, and it appears almost certain to gain the numbers needed to govern without the support of crossbenchers. Climate change was a key issue for voters. The outgoing government only last year reluctantly committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and reiterated its 2030 target of 26-28pc below 2005 levels in the face of strong dom