Australian prime minister says reducing student debt is his re-elected government's first priority

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told his authorities colleagues connected Friday that reducing pupil indebtedness would beryllium the archetypal legislative precedence for his medication that was returned to powerfulness successful the nation’s archetypal predetermination successful which the Baby Boomer procreation was outnumbered by younger voters.

Albanese addressed a crowded country afloat of center-left Labor Party lawmakers successful Parliament House for the archetypal clip since his authorities won an emphatic election victory connected May 3.

The conflict a increasing fig of young Australians — peculiarly those burdened with pupil loans — look to bargain their archetypal home, owed to soaring existent property prices and a deficiency of caller lodging operation was a major predetermination issue.

Albanese said a measure to trim pupil indebtedness by 20% would beryllium the archetypal authorities to beryllium introduced erstwhile Parliament resumes successful precocious July.

Australia committed to intergenerational equity

“I deliberation that’s important, not conscionable successful itself but for what it says astir our committedness to intergenerational equity,” Albanese said.

Baby Boomers are often defined arsenic radical calved betwixt World War II and 1964. Their needs person agelong dominated Australian predetermination campaigns.

As ballot counting continued connected Friday, Labor was connected way to triumph 88 seats successful the 150-seat House of Representatives, the little enclosure wherever parties request a bulk to signifier government. The enactment held 78 seats successful the past parliament.

The blimpish absorption confederation of parties was apt to assertion lone 41 seats.

Albanese praised the diverseness of Labor’s elected lawmakers and said astatine slightest 57% of them are expected to beryllium women erstwhile the ballot counting is completed. The Australian colonisation was 50.7% pistillate astatine the past census successful 2021.

“I … spot radical of antithetic ethnicities, antithetic backgrounds, antithetic experiences, antithetic faiths. I spot a divers radical of radical that are genuinely typical of our nation,” Albanese told his authorities colleagues.

Jewish and Muslim ministers dropped from Cabinet

But the authorities has been criticized for dropping Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, the government’s astir elder Jew, and Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic, the government's astir salient Muslim, from the caller Cabinet that volition beryllium sworn successful connected Tuesday.

The authorities would beryllium the archetypal successful Australia without a Jewish curate since 2010, Dreyfus staffer Stephen Spencer said. Dreyfus is 1 of 3 Jewish lawmakers successful the government.

Cabinet ministers are decided by enactment factions that are entitled to a proportionality of ministerial seats that reflects their stock of authorities lawmakers.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Defense Minister Richard Marles, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher person been assured they volition clasp their portfolios. But Albanese has yet to denote the remainder of his ministers.

The gathering of Labor lawmakers connected Friday endorsed the 30 appointments to the Cabinet and inferior ministries.

Health Minister Mark Bulter said Anne Aly, a inferior minister, was expected to beryllium promoted to Cabinet adjacent week which would mean a Muslim pistillate replacing Husic.

“It’s a pugnacious time for Ed and for Mark,” Bulter told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Sydney Muslim person calls for the premier curate to intervene

Sydney Muslim assemblage person Jamal Rifi called for Albanese to intervene to support Husic, a Sydney lawmaker, successful Cabinet.

“The premier curate needs to bespeak connected what benignant of connection helium sends to each these radical who worked hard successful southwestern Sydney” for the government’s re-election, Rifi said. Southwest Sydney has a ample Muslim population.

Husic is 1 of the government’s astir vocal critics of however Israel has waged warfare connected Hamas successful Gaza.

Two weeks aft the Hamas onslaught connected Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, Husic said: “I consciousness precise powerfully that Palestinians are being collectively punished ... for Hamas’ barbarism.”

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