2021年是澳大利亚疫情反复、经济复苏乏力和通货膨胀较为突出的一年,也是各政党积极备战2022年联邦大选的关键年。在应对疫情方面,由于莫里森政府并未高度重视且失误频发,疫情反复,对社会稳定和经济复苏造成一定的负面影响。在应对联邦政府官员性犯罪和性骚扰问题上,莫里森应对不力,引发社会性抗议浪潮,致其本人和联盟党民意支持率大幅下降。在推动经济复苏方面,莫里森政府过度依赖扩张性财政政策和宽松的货币政策,严重依赖矿业扩张和出口,却缺乏经济创新和扶持政策,致使物价攀升,经济复苏停滞。在外交领域,莫里森政府一味追随美国,与英美以外主要大国的关系普遍不睦。莫里森政府的内外政策既是澳国内政治思潮持续发展的结果,也是澳美长期相互作用的结果。不论2022年联邦大选的结局如何,澳内外政策均难以在短期内发生根本性变化。
<<Australia experienced a recurrence of COVID-19,a weak economic recovery and inflation in 2021 when the political parties were preparing for the upcoming general election in 2022. In controlling COVID-19,the lack of adequate preparation by the Morrison government resulted in the recurrence of the pandemic,which generated negative impacts on social stability and economic recovery. In dealing with sexual crime and harassment,the lack of law enforcement and indifference to public opinion by the Morrison government triggered nationwide demonstration,which led to the decline of public support of the Morrison government. In incentivizing economic recovery,the overdependence by the Morrison government on expansionary fiscal and monetary policy and exports of minerals as well as the lack of innovative economic thinking and policy contributed to inflation and economic contraction. In the aspect of foreign policy,the close alignment by the Morrison government with the United States resulted in Australia’s discords with some other powers. The domestic and foreign policy of the Morrison government is the outcome of the evolvement of Australian politics and the interaction of Australia-America relations,which posits the slim possibility of any major policy change in the near future regardless of outcome of the upcoming general election.
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