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“I think it’s a bit of a police trait and it’s dealing with a problem that’s before you and then moving on to the next one and trying to deal with it efficiently,” Dutton told a TV profile in 2023.MEBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australians vote Saturday in

being dominated by the soaring cost of living, the economy, energy and China.Affordable housing is in short supply, interest rates remain high and the major political parties are starkly divided on how to wean the nation off fossil fuel-generated electricity.The major parties also differ on how to deal with China, which is both Australia’s largest trading partner and its greatest strategic threat.

Here’s what to know about the main issues:Australians have endured one of the sharpest rises in the cost of living in recent history and the current government has been at the helm through the worst of it.

Prices of eggs surged 11% last year and beer rose 4%, according to government figures. Average rents rose 4.8% last year after a 8.1% spike in 2023, property analyst CoreLogic said.

rose from a record low 0.1% to 0.35% two weeks before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor Party came to power in 2022’s elections.Ruggerio announced last April that he was receiving treatment for cancer, but he still sought reelection to the Senate and won in November.

In a statement, Gov. Dan McKee, a fellow Democrat, called Ruggerio “a great friend and true public servant who dedicated his life to lifting up the state he loved.”McKee said Ruggerio “will always be remembered for his unwavering commitment to supporting working families and strengthening Rhode Island’s economy.”

He directed U.S. and Rhode Island state flags to be flown at half-staff at all state facilities and buildings through the day of Ruggerio’s internment.U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, both Democrats, expressed their condolences.