Here’s How a Joe Biden Presidency Will Impact Australia

Yes, it will affect us too.

So, we finally have a result for the US presidential election (woo!). Looking at the results, Joe Biden has won the title of US president-elect, which means a lot of changes are coming for the US and potentially the rest of the world too.

If you’re not a big follower of US politics, the current US President Donald Trump is the leader of America’s conservative party, the Republicans. On the other hand, Joe Biden is the leader of the Democrats, the more liberal political party.

America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country.

The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not.

I will keep the faith that you have placed in me. pic.twitter.com/moA9qhmjn8

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 7, 2020

In this case, a change in presidency isn’t just a change of who gets the top spot. It will also mean a bunch of changes to policy on a lot of different issues and it will ultimately put pressure on other countries around the world, including Australia.

So, here are some of the things that might look a little different in Australian politics over the next four years.

The planet.

Okay, we have to start this off with something that’s likely at the front of your mind: climate change and the environment.

In terms of the planet, a Biden government is sure to put pressure on the Morrison government here in Australia. Considering they have failed to implement pretty much any climate policies, this is good news for the earth.

Biden has been pretty vocal about climate change. He’s got a whole article here explaining his plans, so thankfully, it’s not something they’ve swept under the rug.

Right before the US election, Trump essentially said ‘see ya’ to the Paris Climate Agreement. However, Biden has declared that his administration plans to rejoin in 77 days. So basically, if Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants to keep up a good relationship with the US, all eyes will be on our government to do something to address climate change.

This won’t just impact Australia either. Biden's plans for the planet are expected to kick-start international climate action, so we’re cheering.

COVID-19.

Of course, COVID-19 is a massive and super important issue right now, especially in the US. While us Aussies are slowly returning back to normal life, America is still struggling to contain the pandemic.

Biden wants this to change. In his plans, it states that he is hoping to get Americans free, reliable and regular COVID testing, better regulation around PPE for healthcare workers, and more guidance around restrictions, social distancing and wearing masks.

He also plans to invest a bunch of money into developing a vaccine real quick, so while a travel bubble could still be a few years away, it’s looking like we may be one step closer to physical contact with our US cousins under a Biden government.

The economy.

If you think the US economy won’t have an impact on ours, think again. Under Biden, America will have a strong economic policy on keeping money in the US, which is both good and bad for us down under.

Essentially, Biden hopes to keep most industrial and technological production in the US, which will mean that the Australian dollar will rise. This is no good for that pesky recession we’re in but kinda good for when you’re online shopping for US products.

Luckily, the Reserve Bank of Australia is planning on buying back some government bonds to help manage the Australian dollar so things don’t get any worse.

Ties with China.

Over the last few years there has been some pretty awkward tension between the US and China, and between Australia and China as well.

The Trump administration had a very strained relationship with the Chinese government and imposed some pretty big tariffs on Chinese goods, but under a Biden presidency we may see some of that tension released.

Biden is planning on lifting those tariffs that Trump brought in. Instead, he'll focus on respecting global trade rules with the World Trade Organisation.

The relationship between China and the US is still going to be pretty complicated under Biden, but hopefully he'll have a diplomatic way of handling their relationship and things will start to improve.

Further foreign policy.

Other than China, Biden is predicted to bring some beneficial changes to the US in terms of international relations and foreign policy.

While the US and Australia still seem to be buds, there have been some other countries that have been bothered by the Trump administration. This meant that some US allies were not as big fans as they once were.

Biden wants to push focus on building international friendships. For example, Biden has already declared that he will end the Global Gag Rule on abortion and put an end to the travel ban that specifically targets Muslim-majority countries.

With Biden stepping in and these relationships being repaired (hopefully), Australia will have less complicated interactions with the US in terms of tariffs, overseas manufacturing and the refugee crisis.

While these things are all really important, they're not the only things we're going to see change over the coming years. So, make sure you keep an eye out for what Biden is planning to do next!

Header Image: Pool via Getty Images