Ministers’ exit triggers Allan cabinet revamp

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Original article by Anthony Galloway
The Australian – Page: 6 : 14-Apr-26

The Victorian government will announce a cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, having confirmed that three ministers will not contest the election in November. Premier Jacinta Allan has praised outgoing ministers Danny Pearson, Mary-Anne Thomas and Gayle Tierney, stating that they have all left an "indelible mark" on the Victoria, the government and the Labor movement. Natalie Hutchins had previously advised in late 2025 that she will retirefrom politics. Labor’s caucus will vote on filling the four ministerial vacancies today, amid expectations that former union leader Luba Grigorovitch will gain one of the portfolios.

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VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

‘Not appropriate’: Labor MP asks colleagues not to talk about Ben Roberts-Smith

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Original article by Natassia Chrysanthos
The Age – Page: Online : 14-Apr-26

Labor MP Luke Gosling has sent an email to all federal MPS and senators to ask them not make public comments about the Ben Roberts-Smith case. Australia’s most decorated living soldier, Roberts-Smith was arrested last week and charged with five counts of the war crime of murder, alleged to have been committed during his deployment to Afghanistan. Gosling, who spent 13 years in the army and who is the federal government’s special envoy for defence and veterans’ affairs, says it is "not appropriate for MPs to comment on a serious criminal trial which will be before a jury".

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Alarm over Russian blood oil

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Original article by Jack Quail
The Australian – Page: 4 : 14-Apr-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Brunei and Malaysia in coming days as the federal government seeks to shore up Australia’s fuel supply. He has been urged to seek assurances that any fuel that is imported to Australia from countries such as Brunei and Malaysia has not been sourced using crude oil from Russia. Both nations have become significant importers of crude oil from Russia in recent years, and the Iran war-induced fuel crunch has prompted many Asian countries to buy the so-called "blood oil". Australia’s sanctions prohibit oil from being directly imported from Russia, although a loophole allows local companies to buy refined fuels from third countries that process Russian crude.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Tourists to Australia would have social media accounts vetted under Trumpian Coalition plan

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 14-Apr-26

Opposition leader Angus Taylor will use a Menzies Institute speech tonight to outline the first details of the Coalition’s much-anticipated immigration policy. Amongst other things, migrants will be required to embrace Australian values, including the rule of law, tolerance and equal opportunity; Taylor contends that some people who want to migrate to Australia will be a "net drain" rather than a net benefit to the country. The Coalition will also reinstate temporary protection visas, which the federal government abolished in 2023, while it will develop a list of countries to which failed asylum seekers can be safely returned. People who apply for a visa to Australia – including tourists – would also be required to submit their social media accounts for screening,

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Federal Voting Intention: Albanese Government maintains strong two-party preferred lead built on large support amongst women

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-Apr-26

Last week ALP primary support was virtually unchanged at 30%, but support for One Nation increased 3% to 24.5% at the expense of the L-NP Coalition, down 1.5% to 22.5% – Liberals down 0.5% to 19.5% and Nationals down 1% to 3%. Support for the Greens was up 0.5% to 12.5% while Other Parties/ Independents, were down 1.5% to 10.5%. A look at voting results by gender shows the ALP leading strongly amongst women on a two-party preferred basis: ALP 61% (up 3.5% points) cf. L-NP 39% (down 3.5% points). However, amongst men, there has been a quite different result this week with the ALP 50% (down 4% points) cf. L-NP 50% (up 4% points) according to the Roy Morgan survey conducted from April 6-12, 2026, with a representative Australia-wide cross-section of 1,512 electors.

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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

Australia exposed to hackers by lack of access to Anthropic tool

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Original article by Tess Bennett, Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 14-Apr-26

US-based artificial intelligence firm Anthropic released a new AI tool called Mythos last week, with Anthropic claiming it can identify and exploit vulnerabilities in all significant operating systems and web browsers when asked to do so. Anthropic claims that Mythos is so powerful that it has only made it available to a select group of cybersecurity vendors, technology partners and financial institutions, with a spokeswoman stating that access is limited to big US firms at this stage. She said it was working with the US government about when and how US allies would gain access to it. Alastair MacGibbon, the former cybersecurity adviser to then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, says Australia is vulnerable to being exposed to hackers because it cannot yet access Mythos.

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ANTHROPIC

Australian navy ready to defend Strait of Hormuz if asked

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Original article by Jessica Wang, Sophie Elsworth
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 14-Apr-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the federal government wants to see the Strait of Hormuz reopened and the resumption of negotiations to end the Iran war. Albanese has confirmed that the Trump administration has not asked Australia to assist with its blockade of the Strait. However, incoming Australian Defence Force chief Vice Admiral Mark Hammond says the Royal Australian Navy is "as ready as it ever has been" to assist if the federal government is asked to do so. He adds that Australia’s fleet of surface naval vessels are equipped with world-leading radar technology and state-of-the-art missile systems, and could be used to defend the Strait against Iranian drones.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE

More people will retire with housing debt

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Original article by Lucy Slade
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 & 26 : 14-Apr-26

Research by Loan Market Group has found that 40 per cent of respondents do not expect to have paid off their mortgage by the time they retire. Meanwhile, data from credit bureau Equifax shows that the number of enquiries from Australians aged 55+ about refinancing their mortgage rose by 12 per cent year-on-year in February, while there was eight per cent growth in enquiries from the 46-55 age group. Westpac in turn notes that people over the age of 40 accounted for about 20 per cent of mortgage loans issued to first-home buyers in 2025. Howard Osmond Financial Services MD Patricia Howard stresses that buying a home is essential to having a financially secure retirement.

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LOAN MARKET GROUP PTY LTD, EQUIFAX INCORPORATED, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, HOWARD OSMOND FINANCIAL SERVICES

WA Premier backs mint’s plan to refine rare earths

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Original article by Tom Rabe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 14-Apr-26

The Perth Mint currently processes more than 70 per cent of the gold that is mined in Australia, and it was Western Australia’s third-largest exporter in dollar value during 2024-25. John Van Der Wielen, the chairman of the Perth Mint’s state-owned parent company Gold Corporation, contends that the Mint could expand its operations to include the processing of criticial minerals such as rare earths. WA Premier Roger Cook says the state government would broadly support any such move; however, Perennial portfolio manager Sam Berridge says expanding the scope of the Perth Mint’s mineral processing would most likely require significant investment from the state government.

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PERTH MINT, GOLD CORPORATION PTY LTD, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, PERENNIAL VALUE MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Ex-Stokes right-hand man lifts stake in Seven owner

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Original article by Steve Jackson
The Australian – Page: 15 : 14-Apr-26

Media industry veteran Bruce McWilliam has become a substantial shareholder in Southern Cross Media Group. McWilliam’s stake in Southern Cross has increased to more than five per cent after buying about 25 million ordinary shares last week. He stepped down as the commercial director of Seven West Media in 2024, after more than two decades at the media group; Seven subsequently merged with Southern Cross in early 2026, and McWilliam says he capitalised on a sharp fall in the combined group’s share price. McWilliam is upbeat about the outlook for free-to-air broadcast media, and says Southern Cross owns a top TV network and a strong radio network.

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SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED