O75 Public Administration

Japan’s Iron Lady caught up in PM’s Kylie gaffe podcast

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Original article by Elizabeth Pike
The Australian – Page: 2 : 7-Jul-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has attracted criticism over comments he made about his Japanese counterpart during a recent podcast. Albanese’s remarks about singer Kylie Minogue have overshadowed the comments about Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the same podcast, which was hosted by comedian Nikki Osborne. Takaichi visited Australia earlier this year, and presented Albanese with a gift of two prestigious Shizuoka melons. He told Osborne that Takaichi had brought a "couple of melons", and accompanied this comment with suggestive hand gestures. Takaichi is Japan’s first female prime minister, and the fruit was given to Albanese to signify Australia’s decision to lift restrictions on Japanese melon imports.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, JAPAN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

Allan referred to IBAC on Big Build deal

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Original article by Ryan Bourke
Herald Sun – Page: 11 : 7-Jul-26

The Victorian Opposition has formally asked the state’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission to investigate Premier Jacinta Allan, amid a growing scandal over the Big Build program. The IBAC referral is in regard to Allan’s former role as infrastructure minister; it has been alleged that her office had personally intervened in 2022 to ensure that the CFMEU secured control of the Gap Road Level Crossing removal project in Sunbury. Shadow attorney-general James Newbury says Allan’s alleged intervention could have increased the cost of the Gap Road project by more than $2m. Meanwhile, Allan has again rejected calls for a royal commission into corruption in the Big Build.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. INDEPENDENT BROAD-BASED ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY AND MARITIME EMPLOYEES UNION

Experts criticise Qld’s straight to jail law

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Original article by Marcus de Blonk Smith
The Australian – Page: 3 : 7-Jul-26

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli used his keynote address to the Liberal National Party’s state convention on Sunday to announce a new ‘breach bail, go to jail’ mandatory sentencing policy. Crisafulli said on Monday that the new policy was about tipping the balance ‘in favour of victims’, while he declined to say what the minimum mandatory sentence would be. Critics of the proposal claim it will place enormous pressure on the state’s detention centres, while the Queensland Law Society has previously warned that mandatory sentencing can lead to "serious miscarriages of justice"

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QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, QUEENSLAND LAW SOCIETY INCORPORATED

ALP consolidates election-winning lead as One Nation support is down for a second straight week

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 7-Jul-26

The latest Roy Morgan survey shows that primary support for the ALP is unchanged at 28% and One Nation is down 3.5% to 22.5%; primary support for the L-NP Coalition is unchanged at 21.5% (Liberals 19% and Nationals 2.5%, both unchanged), while the Greens are up 1% to 14% and Independents/ Other Parties are up 2.5% at 14%. Support for One Nation has now declined by 9% points over the last two weeks, after hitting a high of 31.5% when Pauline Hanson addressed the National Press Club for the first time. If a Federal Election were held now the ALP would win a clear majority against either One Nation or the Coalition. When preferences are allocated for Coalition, Greens, Independent, and Other Party supporters between the ALP and One Nation, Roy Morgan estimates that the ALP 56% (up 3%) is in front of One Nation 44% (down 3%). If the contest is between the ALP and L-NP, on a two-party preferred basis (based on how electors said they would ‘vote’ their preferences), the ALP is also ahead – ALP 55% (up 1.5%) cf. L-NP 45% (down 1.5%), according to the Roy Morgan survey conducted from 29 June to 5 July, with a representative Australia-wide cross-section of 1,584 electors.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

ALP lifts pressure off Palestinian Authority, Hamas

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Original article by Elizabeth Pike, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 7-Jul-26

An initial draft of the ALP’s policy platform for its upcoming national conference called for Hamas to disarm and for the Palestinian Authority to reform and guarantee Israel’s security. However, no mention of these demands are mentioned in the latest draft, despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese making them key conditions of his recognition of Palestine, while the latest draft appears to strengthen criticisms of Israel over its actions in Gaza. Commenting on the latest draft of Labor’s policy platform, a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the federal government stands by its view that Hamas should play no role in a future Palestinian state

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Destabilising Chinese ballistic missile test in Pacific prompts government concerns

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Original article by Stephen Dziedzic, Tom Lowrey
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 7-Jul-26

China has test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a dummy warhead in the Pacific, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong labelling the test as "destabilising to the region". Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles confirmed that the federal government had been briefed by China about the test taking place, while he said the government was "very concerned about any actions that undermine the stability, peace and security of the Pacific". News of the missile test broke just hours after Australia and Fiji announced a new military pact, but Marles said he did not think the test was in response to the new pact.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Labor flags reforms to big four firms

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Original article by Edmund Tadros, Hannah Wootton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 16 : 1-Jul-26

The fallout from KPMG’s audit scandal is continuing, with eight of the firm’s top partners advising of their departure; the scandal had already resulted in the ousting of several key executives, including CEO Andrew Yates and chairman Martin Sheppard. Meanwhile, the federal government has released Treasury’s position paper on the regulation of accounting and consulting firms. Amongst other things, the Treasury has recommended stricter regulation of the sector, harsher penalties and imposing mandatory time limits on audit contracts. Another option that Treasury has canvassed is effectively breaking up the major accounting firms by restricting them to no more than 400 partners.

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KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Democracy under assault from significant third parties at 2025 federal election, parliamentary inquiry finds

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Original article by Dan Jervis-Bardy
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 1-Jul-26

The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has made 14 recommendations in the interim report of its 2025 federal election review. Amongst other things, the inquiry has proposed a new mandatory code of conduct for all participants at polling places; this includes so-called ‘third party’ campaigners such as the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and the Advance lobby group. The committee is chaired by Labor MP Jerome Laxale, who says the conduct of some third parties at the 2025 election felt like an assault on democracy; he adds that many voters had reported "unsafe and intimidatory experiences" at polling places in targeted electorates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON ELECTORAL MATTERS, PLYMOUTH BRETHEN CHRISTIAN CHURCH, ADVANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

ALP snubs Greens, unions on teen super

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Original article by Thomas Henry, Matthew Cranston
The Australian – Page: 4 : 1-Jul-26

The Greens have moved to block a provision in payday superannuation laws that exempt businesses from making super contributions to employees under the age of 18 who work for less than 30 hours per week. However, the Senate has agreed to delay parliamentary debate on the disallowance motion, which has the support of unions and super funds. The ACTU’s assistant secretary Joseph Mitchell says it is unfair that young workers are not paid super on their wages, contending that doing so could boost their super balance by thousands of dollars when they retire. Business Council of Australia CEO Bran Black opposes the motion, arguing the need for measures that make it easier rather than harder to employ people.

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AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ACTU, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

New IR laws open doors to more union corruption, say employers

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 30-Jun-26

Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth has defended an exemption to discrimination laws that would allow the federal government to favour businesses that have union-backed enterprise agreements when awarding public contracts. The bill was passed by the Senate on Monday night, and Rishworth says it will be good for workers and will be used with discretion. However, the Australian Industry Group is concerned that the legislation has been rushed through parliament without sufficient scrutiny; CEO Innes Willox warns that it will import the ‘Victorian disease’ to Canberra, a reference to the ongoing corruption scandal regarding the state’s Big Build infrastructure program.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP