O75 Public Administration

IBAC warns political leaders on improper election interference

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Original article by Damon Johnston
The Australian – Page: 2 : 30-Sep-26

Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission has warned that there may be attempts to interfere in the state election on 28 November. IBAC commissioner Victoria Elliott says political parties and candidates must be alert to the potential for individuals or organisations to "improperly influence" the outcome of the poll via "lobbying, pressures, favours, donations or gifts". Elliott adds that candidates should maintain detailed records of all meetings they hold and ensure that they fully comply with Victoria’s new laws on political donations.

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VICTORIA. INDEPENDENT BROAD-BASED ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION

OpenAI apologises for hacking Medicare

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian – Page: 2 : 30-Sep-26

ChatGPT’s developer OpenAI has advised that chief strategy officer Jason Kwon will appear before the Senate’s inquiry into AI data centres. The company has also apologised for the hacking of the Medicare health statistics portal by one of its AI agents, which had been instructed to research government spending per person on medicines for skin conditions in Victoria; OpenAI said the AI agent had difficulty obtaining that information, and it took actions that it had not been authorised to make. Meanwhile, software company SAP has warned that 71 per cent of federal government entities are using legacy technology that is no longer supported and is therefore vulnerable to cyber attacks.

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OPENAI INCORPORATED

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down 1.5pts to 70.5 as confidence about personal finances declines

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 30-Sep-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 1.5pts to 70.5 in the week to 27 September, which is its lowest rating since late May. Consumer Confidence is now 15.8pts lower than a year ago (85.3), and 1.8pts below the 2026 weekly average of 72.3. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence has decreased in New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia, but there have been small increases in both Victoria and Queensland. Now 17% of Australians (down 2ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 50% (unchanged) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 20% (down 4ppts) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 43% (up 2ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 6% (up 1ppt) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 44% (unchanged) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 16% (down 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 44% (down 2ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Bullock rebuffs Labor on rates

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Original article by Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 30-Sep-26

Reserve Bank of Australia governor Michele Bullock has reiterated that "domestic capacity pressures" have been the key driver of the inflation rate, rather than the Iran war. She notes that while the conflict in the Middle East has "made things much worse", there was already excess demand in the economy and the RBA had started increasing the cash rate before the war began. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has persistently claimed that the war has been the primary source of Australia’s inflation challenge, rather than government spending. Bullock has warned that the RBA may need to follow up yesterday’s increase in the cash rate with another one if it is to prevent high inflation from becoming embedded across the economy. Financial markets have fully priced in a rise in the cash rate by February 2027.

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RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

ALP holds an election winning lead; One Nation strongest in Queensland, Labor strongest in New South Wales

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Sep-26

Over the past fortnight the ALP has maintained an election-winning lead with 26% of the primary vote, ahead of One Nation on 25.5%. The L-NP Coalition’s primary vote is 22.5% (20% Liberal, 2.5% Nationals); Greens 14.5% and Independent/Others 11%. This result comes in a fortnight where both Labor and One Nation announced their immigration policies and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke at the UN General Assembly in New York. Albanese also announced a taskforce to review an incident of AI hacking into the Medicare statistics portal. If a Federal Election were held now the ALP would win a majority against either One Nation or L-NP Coalition. Next week’s Roy Morgan poll will show the impact of the Reserve Bank’s interest rate decision yesterday. These results are according to the Roy Morgan Poll conducted from 14-27 September, with a representative Australia-wide cross-section of 2,569 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, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

RBA flags need for 5pc jobless rate

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Original article by Grace Lagan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 23-Sep-26

Australia’s official unemployment rate is currently 4.5 per cent, but Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock says the central bank still considers the labour market to be "tight". Bullock has expressed her view that an unemployment rate of between 4.5 per cent and five per cent will "probably take enough heat out of the labour market" to ease pressure on inflation. Based on the latest jobs data, an unemployment rate of five per cent would mean that about 83,000 additional people would have to be out of work if the size of the labour force remains the same. Meanwhile, with the RBA’s monetary policy board widely tipped to increase the cash rate next week, Bullock has warned that the central bank’s focus must be on keeping inflation expectations in check.

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RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

TWU sues FedEx for appalling conduct

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 23-Sep-26

The Transport Workers’ Union has accused global logistics group FedEx of taking unlawful adverse action against employees who were exercising their workplace rights. The TWU has launched Federal Court action over FedEx’s decision to cancel rostered overtime shifts on 29 August for employees in Victoria and Queensland who had planned to stage a 24-hour strike on the previous day. The TWU’s lawyers contend that FedEx’s action had cost the affected workers up to $300 per shift. FedEx also locked out some 3,000 drivers and warehouse workers on 11 September in response to a 24-hour work stoppage a day earlier.

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TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, FEDERAL EXPRESS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Boost for IBAC as construction inquiry begins

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Original article by Lily McCaffrey, Anthony Galloway
The Australian – Page: 6 : 23-Sep-26

The Victorian government’s royal commission into corruption in the state’s construction industry will commence public hearings today. The inquiry headed by Christopher Kourakis will examine the nature and extent of corruption, criminal conduct and serious misconduct in the state’s construction sector. Meanwhile, the state government will amend a bill to expand the powers of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission. However, the Opposition says the amendments will not effective unless they remove the ability for current and former members of cabinet to refuse to disclose information on public interest immunity grounds; this includes former premiers Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan.

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VICTORIA. INDEPENDENT BROAD-BASED ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION

Chainsaw to ALP energy revolution

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 23-Sep-26

The Coalition has advised that its Scrap Net Zero (Cheaper Energy) bill will be introduced to parliament within 30 days if it wins the next federal election. Amongst other things, the proposed bill would abolish Labor initiatives such as the legislated net-zero emissions target, the Capacity Investment Scheme, the safeguard mechanism and new vehicle efficiency standards. The existing CIS would be replaced by one that embraces all dispatchable energy technology, including nuclear power; the Coalition would also seek to scrap the national ban on nuclear power generation. Shadow energy minister Dan Tehan says the Coalition’s energy policy will be about "energy abundance", rather than Labor’s current approach of "energy restriction".

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Spend less or tax more: It’s Chalmers’ call, say experts

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Original article by Thomas Henry
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 23-Sep-26

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he has not "necessarily" given up on returning the budget to surplus, despite the latest Intergenerational Report’s projection that Australia faces deficits for the next four decades. Meanwhile, KPMG’s chief economist Brendan Rynne has warned that decades of budget deficits would be "incredibly politically damaging" for any government, as households ultimately bear the cost of higher government debt. He estimates that without further cuts to government spending or changes to the Treasury’s long-term productivity assumptions, Labor will be forced to collect more taxes from Australian consumers or businesses in order to repair the budget. Rynne says this would most likely be via an increase in the GST or personal income tax rates.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD