Scott Morrison concedes defeat in Australian elections

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had conceded defeat in a national election, saying that while vote counting was incomplete the opposition Labor party looked likely to form a government. Morrison said at a televised speech in Sydney on Saturday night that he had spoken to the Leader of the Opposition and the incoming Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and congratulated him on his election victory. Morrison added that he would stand down as leader of the Liberal party. The capitulation ends eight years and nine months in power for Morrison’s conservative coalition. Morrison became prime minister in 2018 after several leadership changes. "I believe it's very important that this country has certainty. I think it's very important this country can move forward," Morrison said.

Albanese will be sworn in as prime minister, with his centre-left Australian Labor Party getting its first electoral win since 2010, when Julia Gillard began a three-year term as prime minister. Albanese said he wanted to bring Australians together as he made his first comments after Morrison's announcement and nine years in opposition. "I want to unite the country," Albanese told reporters as he left his home late on Saturday night to attend a Labor Party celebration in Sydney. Labor had promised more financial assistance and a robust social safety net as Australia grapples with its highest inflation since 2001 and soaring housing prices.The party also said it would increase minimum wages — and on the foreign policy front, it proposed to establish a Pacific defence school to train neighbouring armies in response to China's potential military presence on the Solomon Islands, on Australia's doorstep.