Renewables goal off ALP platform

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Original article by Greg Brown, Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 8-Apr-26

Sources within the Australian Labor Party have stated that it remains committed to the 2030 target of generating 82 per cent of the nation’s energy via renewables. This is despite the fact that explicit references to the target have been removed from Labor’s draft national policy platform. The sources contend that the renewables target is covered in a broader reference to ‘ambitious and achievable 2030 and 2035 targets’. Amongst other things, the draft policy platform also emphasises Australia’s role as a middle power, calls for Australians to receive a ‘fairer return’ from natural resources and says Labr should consider appointing more union representatives to the Reserve Bank’s monetary policy board. The policy platform for the next federal election will be ­debated at Labor’s national ­conference in July.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

PM’s Asia fix as state urges oil shift

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Original article by Greg Brown, Marcus de Blonk Smith
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 8-Apr-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will commence a two-day official visit to Singapore tomorrow, in the wake of the two nations’ recent fuel supply agreement. Albanese will visit a major oil refinery hub at Jurong Island and meet with Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong. Senior government figures have indicated that the visit is primarily aimed at ensuring that Australia is not subjected to export controls in the event of new restrictions on global oil exports. Singapore accounts for 26 per cent of Australia’s refined oil, including 55 per cent of petrol imports and 15 per cent of diesel imports. Albanese also discussed the issue of energy security with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in a telephone conversation on Tuesday.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SINGAPORE. PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE

No boost in support for Albanese Government after cutting the fuel excise for three months

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Apr-26

In the last week the ALP’s primary was virtually unchanged at 30.5%, but support for the L-NP Coalition increased 1.5% to 24% (Liberals up 0.5% to 20% and Nationals up 1% to 4%), likely at the expense of One Nation (down 2% to 21.5%). Support for the Greens dropped 1.5% to 12%, while Other Parties/Independents were up 1.5% to 12%, according to the latest Roy Morgan survey. On a two-party preferred basis (based on how electors said they would ‘vote’ their preferences) the ALP on 56% (down 0.5%) is well ahead of the L-NP 44% (up 0.5%). When preferences are allocated based on how Australians voted at the 2025 Federal Election, the ALP on 53.5% (down 1%) leads the L-NP 46.5% (up 1%). If a Federal Election were held now the ALP would be returned to Government with a clear majority under either method. The latest Roy Morgan survey is based on interviewing a representative cross-section of 1,411 Australian electors from 30 March 30 to 5 April.

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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

Buyers steer clear of petrol as more electric vehicles hit the road

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Original article by Sam Irvine
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 8-Apr-26

Data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and the Electric Vehicle Council shows that a record 15,839 electric vehicles were sold nationwide during March. Electric vehicles comprised 14.6 per cent of new cars sold in March, with EV sakes rising to a record market share for a second successive month. FCAI CEO Tony Weber expects Australians to continue to embrace EVs until the Iran war ends, but he adds that it is too soon to know whether the trend will be sustained over the long-term. The figures also show that new car sales fell by 2.6 per cent overall in the year to March

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FEDERAL CHAMBER OF AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES, ELECTRIC VEHICLE COUNCIL

$A an unlikely powerhouse amid oil shock

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Original article by Cecile Lefort
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 8-Apr-26

The Australian dollar has fallen by less than three per cent against its US counterpart since the start of the Iran war; it has also fallen by only two per cent against a basket of currencies of Australia’s major trading partners. The dollar peaked at a four-year high of $US0.7151 in mid-March, and is currently fetching arond $US0.69. It has benefited from Australia’s status as a major exporter of gas and coal, amid the global ructions arising from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The dollar has also been boosted by the carry trade, given that Australia is the only member of the G10 nations to have increased official interest rates since the war began.

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Roberts-Smith charged over Afghan deaths

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Original article by Paul Karp, Josh Hohne
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 8-Apr-26

Former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has spent his first night in jail after being arrested on Tuesday and officially charged with committing war crimes in Afghanistan. The Victoria Cross recipient will appear in a NSW court for a bail hearing on Wednesday, after being charged with five counts of murder; it follows a five-year investigation by the Office of the Special Investigator and the Australian Federal Police into alleged war crimes by members of the Australian Defence Force in Afghanistan. It will be alleged that Roberts-Smith was involved in the murder of five Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2009 and 2012. He lost a defamation case in 2023 over media reports which alleged that he had been involved in war crimes in Afghanistan.

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SPECIAL AIR SERVICE REGIMENT, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE

US alliance paralysed as Trump lashes out

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Original article by Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 8-Apr-26

Australia’s alliance with the US is under renewed scrutiny in the wake of President Donald Trump’s latest criticism of the nation’s failure to provide military assistance in the Persian Gulf. Trump again singled out Australia in a press conference at the White House, as well as Japan, South Korea and members of NATO. Marcus Hellyer from Strategic Analysis Australia says a point may be reached where it is no longer in the nation’s interest to retain the US alliance. Malcolm Davis from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in turn says Australia is unlikely to end the US alliance or the AUKUS defence pact if Trump destroys Iran’s power stations; however, he expects the federal government to be critical of the Trump administration if it carries out this threat.

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UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC ANALYSIS AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE LIMITED

Peter Greste warns court finding about animal cruelty footage has grave consequences for press freedom

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Original article by Christopher Knaus
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 8-Apr-26

Members of an activist group called the Farm Transparency Project recorded video footage of alleged animal cruelty when they broke into the Game Meats Company’s Victorian abattoir in 2023. The full bench of the Federal Court subsequently ruled that the Game Meats Company owns the copyright to the video footage, rather than the activists who recorded it. The High Court is currently hearing the Farm Transparency Project’s appeal against the ruling. Peter Greste, the executive director of the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom, says the case has significant implications for freedom of the press; he adds that the federal court’s ruling was unprecedented and is a troubling development in Australian law.

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THE GAME MEATS COMPANY OF AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FARM TRANSPARENCY PROJECT, ALLIANCE FOR JOURNALISTS’ FREEDOM

32 scam websites deleted each day

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Original article by Kathleen Skene
The Australian – Page: 15 : 8-Apr-26

Data from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission shows that it has used its ‘take-down’ powers to order the removal of more than 25,000 phishing and investment scam websites since 2023. This includes 11,964 sites in 2025, which is 90 per cent higher than the previous year. ASIC commissioner Alan Kirkland notes the growing use of artificial intelligence technology to generate scam ads, including professional videos and fake endorsements. The National Anti-Scam Centre has reported that Australians lost a combined $2.18bn via scams in 2025.

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AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, NATIONAL ANTI-SCAM CENTRE

Miners fear diesel price surge

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 15 : 8-Apr-26

Listed gold producers Capricorn Metals and Ramelius Resources have indicated that the supply of diesel to their Australian mines has not yet been affected. However, Capricorn says diesel supply is a ‘material risk’ for the nation’s mining industry, while Ramelius has contingency plans in the event of fueld rationing or other supply restrictions. Meanwhile, Robex Resources says it has a 30-day supply of diesel at its Kiniero gold mine in Guinea; CEO Matthew Wilcox says supply chains have not been disrupted and the price of diesel in Guinea has risen by about five per cent since the Iran war began. Guinea imports all of its liquid fuels, and the nation does not have an oil and gas industry.

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CAPRICORN METALS LIMITED – ASX CMM, RAMELIUS RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX RMS, ROBEX RESOURCES INCORPORATED – ASX RXR