Both candidates of the 5 Star Movement for the Italian elections in the Africa, Asia, Oceania and Antarctica (AAOA) division are campaigning remotely.
But if the M5S candidate for the Chamber of Deputies, Veronica Olivetto, is in Europe for a business trip planned before the fall of the Draghi government, Lorenzo Cola is in Italy for unforeseen and painful reasons- the worsening health condition of his father, who unfortunately passed away.
Lorenzo Cola, who intends to return to Australia before the September 25 vote, is currently in Rome for the funeral, and to assist his mother in this moment of despair.
The candidate of the 5 Star Movement for the Senate of the Republic reached out by telephone.
He said that he had presented his candidacy in order to contribute to the development of Italy, by helping to navigate and support the social and environmental issues that continue to change, both abroad and at home.
“Should I be elected, my action will focus on bettering the lives of all Italian citizens, as well as the sustainable use of the country's resources,” Cola said.
Having graduated from his Physics degree at La Sapienza University in Rome in 2001, Lorenzo Cola has been living in Perth with his wife and children for sixteen years.
He supervises the installation of medium-sized solar power plants for companies operating in the energy sector, mainly in Western Australia and Victoria, including FMG, Rio Tinto and Roy Hill.
“I am aware of how crucial work experience can be, experience which allows one not only to understand where their strengths lie, but also encourages self-improvement,” he said in an interview granted to IL GLOBO TV.
"I recently turned 48 years old, and having contributed positively to scientific research both in Italy and Australia, developing control and data analysis programs for scientific experiments aimed at exploring subatomic dimensions, I feel compelled to use my knowledge to contribute to achieving shared and equal prosperity,” he explained from Rome.
The main objective behind Lorenzo Cola's candidature is the contribution to services and infrastructures that can improve everyone's quality of life, and toward this he proposes to work respectfully and honestly in a direct and transparent way, using problem solving tools and methods.
During a debate with EU representatives, it emerged that a hot button issue is the climate crisis, especially for those who have the right to vote but have little interest in the Italian elections.
Lorenzo Cola, who works in the field of renewable energies, believes Italy too should develop sustainable, renewable energy programs, in order to reduce CO2 emissions and limit the impact of global warming.
For the M5S candidate for the Senate, the issue of waning community participation in elections, especially within the second generation eligible to vote, could be remedied by improving the quality of information.
This would mean connecting with voters through an electoral campaign made up of debates, meetings, discussions of ideas, and interviews; an effort to understand the difficulties and needs of citizens, which will better help candidates to improve their living conditions.
“We want to confirm our commitment and readiness to solve the problems we already know about," he said.
"We will be active, of course, in implementing all the points of the 5 Star Movement's agenda. A new idea is to digitise voting, to make it easier, because very often there are logistical problems that do not allow people to go out and vote, due to illness, or not having received the envelopes in time.”
For Lorenzo Cola, the rift between the 5 Star Movement and the Democratic Party is difficult to quantify at the moment.
“I feel I can say that both camps declare themselves progressive, and have several points in common. In the past term, there were difficulties that I believe can be overcome, so I hope in the future, that we can come to agreements, that commonalities and shared ideas will be found.”
One certainty is that in the event of a victory for the centre-right, predicted by all the polls published so far, that one of the M5S’ war horses would be halted in its tracks: the citizenship income.
“In Europe many countries have the citizenship income, which is an instrument to fight poverty,” Lorenzo Cola said.
“In Australia there has been an unemployment benefit for years, now called the Jobseeker's Allowance. Therefore, to abolish the citizenship income in Italy would be a step backwards.”
In his closing appeal to voters, he explained that he considers himself to be capable of benefiting the lives Italians abroad; that he will be committed to this if he is elected.
