AAP: AUSTRALIA’S former ambassador to the US says the presidential election will boil down to voter responses to key issues like inflation and abortion access.
The economy and reproductive rights are the defining issues for voters in the US presidential election, Australia’s former ambassador to America says, as results begin to filter through.
Polls have started to close in some US states, with counting under way to determine if Kamala Harris will become the first female US president or if Republican Donald Trump makes a return to the White House.
The result will likely centre on swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, with exit polls tipping a close contest.
Former Australian ambassador to the US Joe Hockey said while voters had been fatigued by the drawn out campaign, the election result would be driven by a few key issues.
“The economy is always going to be the number one issue and it is right around the world – that’s pretty consistent,” he told Sky News on Wednesday.
“If Donald Trump had run better campaign, he would have more effectively prosecuted the case that Kamala Harris is part of the incumbent government.
“There’s no doubt the Democrats have prosecuted very effectively the case that the Republicans are in a mess on abortion. It is a hugely divisive issue.”
US ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy says the presidential race is one of the most significant in American political history.
“This is a historic election, no doubt about it,” she told Seven.
“In terms of our foreign policy, and especially in terms of Australia which is our most trusted and capable ally, I don’t think it will change the fundamentals … no matter who wins, Australia will be the winner.”
Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy confirmed his department had modelled the impact of the outcome of the US election on the Australian economy.
Mr Trump’s proposed tariffs on US trading partners would have the most obvious impact of the policies announced by the two candidates, he told a Senate hearing.
“A significant increase in tariffs would have implications for both the US economy and, for example, if the tariffs were placed on Chinese goods, for China, and there would be flow-on consequences for Australia,” he said.
“In broad terms, the imposition of trade restrictions, such as tariffs typically lead to lower growth and higher inflation.”
Ms Kennedy said it had been reassuring to see a large voter turn-out in the US, especially among young people.
“I have so much faith in the new generation. This election will matter more to them than anyone else,” she said.
“In 2008 my children got excited about politics because of Barack Obama and now there is a new generation, certainly on the Democratic side, but certainly on the Republican side, that is excited about this because it is really the first social media election.”
Democrats Abroad are holding a watch party in Canberra, the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia is doing similar at the Hawthorn Hotel in Melbourne and Republican supporters are flocking to Sydney’s Sanctuary Hotel for a “Trump re-election party”.
The US election captures the world’s attention in part because of the nation’s cultural influence, United States Studies Centre Associate Professor David Smith says.
“For most Australians, in some sense, the US is our second country, even if we’ve never been there, and that’s because we consume so much American media,” he told AAP.
“But there’s also something about American politics – it’s such a spectacle.
“It is very big, there’s so much money in it, it’s got this big celebrity dimension to it, you’ve got the possibility of violence and the candidates say and do outlandish things to get attention.”
