CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s opposition party officially launched its election campaign on Sunday, putting health care and climate change at the forefront of its bid for election within two weeks. Shorten also highlighted Labor’s pledge to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 45% below 2005 levels by 2030. Three former Labor prime ministers, Paul Keating, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard — the nation’s only woman prime minister — were on hand to cheer Shorten on Sunday. The only other surviving Labor prime minister, Bob Hawke, sent his apologies. The 89-year-old is Australia’s longest serving Labor prime minister who introduced Medicare.

Source: National Post May 05, 2019 05:12 UTC