O75 Public Administration

Former senator Cory Bernardi is One Nation’s latest recruit

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Original article by Paul Sakkal
The Age – Page: Online : 3-Feb-26

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has confirmed that former Liberal senator Cory Bernardi has joined the right-wing minor party. He will be One Nation’s lead candidate im the upper house in the upcoming state election in South Australia; Bernadi says SA is essentially a one-party state, because it currently has no effective Opposition. Bernadi left the Liberals in 2017 to establish the Australian Conservatives, but he disbanded the party in 2019 and resigned from parliament in early 2020. There is speculation that Liberal senator intends to defect to One Nation, amid growing support for the party in public opinion polls.

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ONE NATION PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

First steps to seal Coalition rebirth

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 3-Feb-26

The National Party’s 14 MPs are expected to sit on the lower house’s crossbench today, with a deal to rebuild the Coalition unlikely to be struck before parliament sits for question time. Liberal leader Sussan Ley and Nationals counterpart David Littleproud held talks aimed at mending the rift on Monday evening. The Nationals’ deputy leader Kevin Hogan says there was goodwill on both sides and a lot of progress had been made. The Liberals and Nationals will both hold partyroom meetings today, with Gippsland MP Darren Chester expected to receive strong support for a motion to reunite the Coalition as quickly as possible; some Liberals are said to be considering a similar motion. Meanwhile, a leadership challenge against Littleproud failed on Monday after the Nationals’ partyroom rejected a spill motion put forward by backbencher Colin Boyce.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Big business urges $50b spending cut

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Original article by Lea Jurkovic
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Feb-26

The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry has used its pre-budget submission to call for federal government spending to be scaled back in order to combat inflation. It contends that government spending should be reduced to 25 per cent of GDP, compared with the Treasury’s own forecast of about 27 per cent over the next two years. The ACCI has suggested that the NDIS, childcare, aged care, health and defence should have funding reduced; CEO Andrew McKellar warns that failing to address inflation could undermine Labor’s economic agenda to improve productivity. The Reserve Bank is widely tipped to increase official interest rates today, in response to the latest inflation data.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Donald Trump announces trade deal between US and India with tariffs slashed

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Original article by Meghna Bali
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 3-Feb-26

US President Donald Trump has used a social media post to announce that the US and India have struck a new trade deal. It will see the tariff on Indian goods imported into the US reduced from 25 per cent to 18 per cent immediately, while Trump says India has agreed to stop buying Russian oil and instead boost energy imports from the United States. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X that he was "delighted" with the tariff reduction, while he thanked Trump "on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India for this wonderful announcement", while Trump also said that Modi had committed to buying more than $US500 billion ($718b) worth of American energy, technology, agricultural and other products.

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UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Trump administration to unveil rare-earths mineral stockpile to counter China

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Original article by
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 3-Feb-26

The US is set to unveil a $US12 billion ($17.2 billion) investment in a strategic rare earths mineral stockpile in an attempt to counter China’s dominance of the sector. A Trump administration official says that commodities trading firms Hartree Partners, Traxys North America and Mercuria Energy Group would manage the procurement of raw materials for the stockpile, while once established, it will give key US companies access to a 60-day supply of minerals for emergency use

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HARTREE PARTNERS, TRAXYS NORTH AMERICA, MERCURIA ENERGY GROUP

Labor factions split over Israeli President’s visit

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Original article by Damon JohnsonSarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 2 : 29-Jan-26

There is growing internal division within the federal government over the official visit of Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, who is scheduled to arrive in Australia on 8 February. Two rival factions within the Australian Labor Party are at odds regarding his visit. The Jewish Labor faction has urged all of the party’s MPs to support the visit, describing Herzog as a "bridge-builder". However, the Labor Friends of Palestine faction has responded by urging the government to block Herzog’s visit, contending that he fails the character test for a visa. Herzog’s visit is expected to be targeted by supporters of Palestine.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

PM to give Timor billions in gas revenue to counter China

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Original article by Michael ReadAngela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 29-Jan-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in Dili for an official vist to Timor-Leste on Wednesday. Albanese and his counterpart Xanana Gusmao signed a joint declaration committing to further economic, defence and cultural ties, while Albanese announced that Australia will establish an infrastructure fund for Timor-Leste; it will funded using Australia’s share of revenue from the Woodside Energy-led Greater Sunrise gas project in the Timor Sea.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINETEAST TIMOR. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTERWOODSIDE ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX WDS

Liberal elders step in as Ley ignored

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Original article by Greg BrownLachlan Leeming
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 29-Jan-26

Liberal MPs Andrew Hastie and Angus Taylor are expected to meet in Melbourne today to negotiate a deal to put forward a single candidate from the party’s conservative faction to challenge Opposotion leader Sussan Ley. However, a leadership spill is considered unlikly when parliament resumes next week, given that the majority of the Liberals’ moderates have expressed support for Ley. Meanwhile, Nationals leader David Littleproud has refuted suggestions that the party rebuffed Ley’s request for the two leaders to meet in a bid to reunite the Coalition. Littleproud has indicated that he is prepared to hold talks with Ley after the Nationals have dealt with their own spill motion; the motion to be put forward by Queensland MP Colin Boyce is not expected to gain much traction among his colleagues.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIANATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Public service forecast has $11.8b shortfall

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Original article by Luke Kinsella
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 29-Jan-26

The federal government had forecast in its March 2025 budget that the public service wages bill will remain steady at about $30bn annually over the next four years. However, analysis of the independent Parliamentary Budget Office’s costing suggest that government spending will rise by $11.8bn over the next four years if the number of public servants remains at the current level of about 213,000. The analysis also indicates that the government would need to reduce the public service headcount by 28,000 over the next four years in order to achieve its budget forecast.

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AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE

Chalmers’ hard landing hits home

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Original article by Thomas HenryMatthew Cranston
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 29-Jan-26

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the rise in the inflation rate in the December quarter was "difficult and unwelcome, but not surprising". He has also denied that increased government spending has contributed to the rise in inflation. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the annnual headline inflation rate rose from 3.2 per cent to 3.7 per cent, with the Reserve Bank’s preferred measure of underlying inflation rising to 3.4 per cent. The data shows that housing costs rose by 5.5 per cent annually, while food inflation increased by 3.4 per cent. Financial markets and many economists now expect the Reserve Bank to increase the cash rate in February.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINETAUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICSRESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA