O75 Public Administration

ALP’s workaround to cope with a new political climate

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Original article by Greg Brown, Colin Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 22-Jan-25

US President Donald Trump signed a number of climate-related executive orders on the first day of his second term in office. They included the formal withdrawal of the US from the Paris climate agreement, the abolition of electric vehicle subsidies and an expansion of the fossil fuel sector. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would not offer a "running commentary" on Trump’s domestic policy agenda; he added that Australia will not make any major policy changes in response to Trump’s election, including on climate change. However, the government has flagged the possibility of working directly with US states that are controlled by the Democrats regarding climate initiatives.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Roy Morgan Business Confidence down by 1pt in December after RBA leaves interest rates unchanged again

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Jan-25

In December 2024, Roy Morgan Business Confidence was 105.9 (down 1pt from November 2024) after the Reserve Bank left interest rates unchanged at a 13-year high of 4.35%. Business Confidence is now 5.3pts below the long-term average of 111.2, although it is up 14.8pts from December 2023. Roy Morgan Business Confidence has also now had a positive rating above 100 for three months in a row – for the first time since the Albanese Government was elected in May 2022. Now 59.7% (up 1.1ppts) of businesses expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next year, while only 37.6% (unchanged) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 40.5% (down 6.9ppts) of businesses expect the business to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 21.1% (down 1.3ppts) expect the business to be ‘worse off’ financially. The latest Roy Morgan Business Confidence results for December are based on 1,533 detailed interviews with a cross-section of Australian businesses from each State and Territory.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Cops suspect foreign actors paying crims for anti-Semitic attacks

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Alexi Demetriadi
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 22-Jan-25

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese belatedly convened a meeting of the national cabinet on Tuesday to discuss the growing incidence of anti-Semitism in Australia. The virtual meeting with state and territory leaders was held in the wake of the latest anti-Semitic attack, in which a Sydney childcare centre was firebombed and daubed with an anti-Semitic message; the facility is not directly linked to the Jewish community, but it is located just 200 metres from the Maroubra synagogue. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw has raised the possibility that ‘overseas actors’ may be using encrypted devices to hire ocal criminals to carry out anti-Semitic attacks and paying them with cryptocurrency.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

All the executive orders signed by Trump on day one of his second US presidency

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Original article by Serena Seyfort, April Glover
9News – Page: Online : 22-Jan-25

US President Donald Trump has moved swiftly to wind back the legacy of his White House predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump began signing executive orders shortly after his second inauguration. They included withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization and the Paris climate agreement, allowing TikTok to keep operating in the US for another 90 days, and requiring all federal government communications and policies to recognise only two genders. Other executive order included issuing pardons to 1,500 participants in the Capitol Building riots on 6 January 2021, designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organisations, directing all federal workers to return to working in the office full-time and formally changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

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UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Innocents for terrorists: the price of freedom

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Original article by Jacquelin Magnay
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 21-Jan-25

Should the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas remain intact over the next 42 days, it will see the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Over 230 of those prisoners are serving life sentences for conducting or taking part in deadly attacks against Israel, and who will be permanently exiled in either Qatar or Egypt. The other prisoners to be released include a further 500 Palestinian prisoners who are serving sentences for ‘security crimes’, along with almost 1,000 others who have been detained since the 7 October attacks by Hamas.

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Dutton pledges mandatory sentences for terror

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Original article by Rhiannon Down, Ellie Dudley
The Australian – Page: 4 : 21-Jan-25

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to convene a meeting of the national cabinet to address the growing problem of anti-Semitism and extremism. Dutton has also committed to introducing a minimum mandatory sentence of six years for terrorism offences and 1-5 years for displaying Nazi symbols and those of prohibited terrorist organisations. However, Law Council of Australia president Juliana Warner and Australian Lawyers Alliance spokesman Greg Barns have criticised Dutton’s push for mandatory sentencing for such crimes.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LAWYERS ALLIANCE

Trump sworn in as 47th president as US braces for a new era of disruption and division

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Original article by Joan E Greve, David Smith, Robert Tait
The Guardian – Page: Online : 21-Jan-25

US President Donald Trump has used his inauguration address to state that "America’s decline is over" and the nation’s golden age "begins right now". Trump also vowed to "put America first" during every single day of his second administration. He took the oath of office from the Supreme Court’s chief justice John Roberts indoors due to sub-zero temperatures in Washington DC, and in the presence of the nation’s four other surviving presidents. Meanwhile, Trump’s aides have indicated that one of his first acts as the 47th president will be to sign 10 executive orders, which will primarily focus on immigration-related issues.

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UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Roy Morgan Poll: Coalition lead over ALP strengthens in mid-January: L-NP 52% cf. ALP 48%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Jan-25

A Coalition Government, with a slim majority, would now win a Federal Election with a marginally improved two-party preferred vote from last week: L-NP 52% (up 0.5%) cf. ALP 48% (down 0.5%), the latest Roy Morgan survey finds. Primary support for the Coalition increased 1.5% to 42% at the expense of the ALP, down 1.5% to 28.5%. Support for the Greens was up 0.5% to 13%, One Nation was down 0.5% to 4%, Other Parties were up 0.5% to 4% while Independents dropped 0.5% to 8.5%. The rising level of anti-Semitic attacks has raised questions about how seriously the Albanese Government is taking the issue. The Coalition is clearly benefiting from the strong stance it has taken in condemning these actions forthrightly and consistently under Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

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

Seeds of positivity for Albanese-Trump relationship: ex-envoy

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 9 : 21-Jan-25

Australia’s ambassador to Washington, Dennis Richardson, says comments by Marco Rubio are a promising sign that the relationship between new US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be a positive one. Rubio, the incoming US secretary of state, recently backed the AUKUS security agreement, while Richardson says there could be uncertainties in the trade relationship between the US and Australia. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she will lobby for Australia to be exempt from any US tariffs while she is in Washington for Trump’s inauguration; she notes that the US has had a trade surplus with Australia since the time of President Truman.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence virtually unchanged at 87.1 in mid-January as buying sentiment softens

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Jan-25

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence was virtually unchanged at 87.1 in mid-January, sustaining most of the traditional ‘New Year’s bump’. Consumer Confidence is now 2.7 points above the same week a year ago (84.4), and 4.2 points above the 2024 weekly average of 82.9. A look at Consumer Confidence by State shows small increases in New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia, a decline in Victoria and unchanged in Queensland. Now 22% of Australians (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 49% (up 3ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 34% (up 1ppt) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 28% (down 1ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’ (the lowest figure for this indicator since January 2023). Now 10% (up 1ppt) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 29% (unchanged) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 27% (down 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 46% (up 4ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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