PM candidates disrupted by protesters on first day of Australian election campaign

Canberra, March 29 (IANS) Australia’s two candidates for Prime Minister have spent the first day of the general election campaign in the battleground state of Queensland where they were both disrupted by protesters.

Incumbent PM Anthony Albanese, leader of the governing Labor Party, and Peter Dutton, leader of the opposition Coalition, both made multiple stops in Queensland on Saturday at the start of a five-week campaign before the election on May 3.

Despite the leaders’ events being carefully planned and subject to strict security, both Albanese and Dutton faced protesters on Saturday, reports Xinhua news agency.

A Labor event in Brisbane focused on the party’s plan to boost spending on healthcare was interrupted when an audience member accosted Albanese with questions about the impact of immigration on healthcare and housing pressure before he was escorted away by security.

Hours later, an anti-coal and gas protester from a climate activist group interrupted Dutton’s first official appearance of the day at a Brisbane brewery.

The female protester carried a sign carrying the message “no new gas or nuclear” referring to Dutton’s proposal to build nuclear power plants.

It was the first of two disruptions of the day for Dutton, whose second event of the day in Brisbane was again interrupted by a protester from the same climate action group.

Also campaigning in Brisbane on Saturday was Adam Bandt, leader of the Greens – Australia’s third-largest political party.

The presence of the three leaders on the first day of the campaign confirms the status of Brisbane – and Queensland – as a key battleground in the election.

Of the 150 electorates that make up the House of Representatives — the lower house of parliament where the government is formed — 30 are in Queensland.

Labor enters the election holding 77 seats in the lower house but only five in Queensland, traditionally considered a Coalition stronghold.

Both major parties are targeting three Brisbane seats that were surprisingly won by the Greens in 2022.

If neither Labor nor the Coalition can make gains in Queensland it would increase the likelihood of a minority government — an eventuality where neither party wins a clear majority of seats in the house and must negotiate with minor parties and independents for their support.

–IANS

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