AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

‘I know what it’s like to struggle’: PM defends $4.3m beach house

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Campbell Kwan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 16-Oct-24

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under scrutiny following revelations that he has bought a waterfront home on the NSW central coast. Albanese and fiancee Jodie Haydon will pay $4.3m for the clifftop home, which has views over Copacabana Beach. One Labor MP has conceded that the purchase is "not a great look" for Albanese ahead of a federal election that is likely to be dominated by the rising cost of living and the housing crisis. Albanese has downplayed suggestions that he is preparing for life after politics, stating that he intends to remain in his current job "for a very long time". He adds that while he has been fortunate to earn a big salary as prime minister, he knows what it is like to struggle, having grown up in public housing.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Labor’s next woe: health premiums

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Original article by Michael Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 16-Oct-24

Sources have indicated that private health insurers will seek approval from the federal government to increase their premiums by 5-6 per cent in 2025. This would be the highest increase since 2016, when premiums rose by an average of 6.18 per cent. Private health insurers are slated to make their final submissions to Health Minister Mark Butler in early November; the size of the premium increases is traditionally announced between December and March, and they take effect from 1 April. With the federal election due by mid-May and the cost-of-living crisis weighing on many voters, the government will be reluctant to approve a large increase in premiums.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH AND AGED CARE

Industry calls for more changes than just axing debit card fees

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Original article by David Ross, David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 16-Oct-24

The Reserve Bank of Australia has confirmed that it will investigate the regulation of the payments system, in the wake of the federal government’s proposal to ban debit card surcharges by 2026. Amongst other things, the RBA has indicated that its review will examine the costs that merchants incur when they accept card payments, and whether its surcharging framework is still ‘fit for purpose’. The Australian Banking Association’s CEO Anna Bligh argues that abolishing debit card surcharges would be a "win for consumers", although some observers contend that broader reform is needed.

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RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BANKING ASSOCIATION

Rebel unions reject Labor’s unity call

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 5 : 16-Oct-24

Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt will address the ACTU executive on Wednesday. He will highlight the federal government’s achievements in securing "better pay and job security" for Australian workers during its first term in office. With a view to the upcoming election, Watt will also contend that Opposition leader Peter Dutton and the Coalition represent the greatest threat to workers’ pay and conditions since the WorkChoices regime. He will in turn urge the union movement to unite in support of Labor and the ACTU, at a time when some unions that primarily represent blue-collar workers are pushing to establish a rival peak union body.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, ACTU

ALP under fire over small business review

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 15-Oct-24

Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO Andrew McKellar has defended its call for the federal government to change the legal definition of a small business. He contends that the push to change this from 15 employees to 25 is not aimed at undermining the rights of workers. The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia supports the ACCI’s push, says CEO Luke Achterstraat. He adds that the government’s refusal to consider the proposal has undermined the Fair Work Ombudsman’s own review of the definition of a small business; Labor had commissioned this to secure the support of independent senator David Pocock for its workplace reforms.

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AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Roy Morgan Poll: Federal voting intention remains tied in mid-October: Coalition 50% cf. ALP 50%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Oct-24

If a Federal Election were held now the result would be ‘too close to call’ with the ALP 50% (unchanged) tied with the Coalition 50% (unchanged) on a two-party preferred basis, the latest Roy Morgan survey finds. This week’s result continues a run of close results stretching back over four months since mid-June. ALP primary vote support dropped 1.5% points to 30% while the Coalition was unchanged on 37.5%. Support for the Greens increased 1.5% to 14% while One Nation increased 0.5% to 5.5%. Support for Other Parties dropped 0.5% to 3.5% and support for Independents was unchanged at 9%.

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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

Labor to ban debit card surcharges

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Original article by James Eyers, Lucas Baird, John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 18 : 15-Oct-24

The Reserve Bank of Australia will launch a review of payment costs for retailers, with the announcement of its review coming as the federal government flags its intention to ban debit card surcharges. A ban on these surcharges would impact many retailers, who currently pass them on to consumers; it is estimated that consumers are paying $1.5 billion annually on debit and credit card surcharges. The ban could be implemented from the start of January 2026, subject to consulation with the RBA, while the government will give the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission an additional $2.1 million to crack down on excessive surcharge fees.

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RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Watt seeks CFMEU Please explain

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 11-Oct-24

Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt will ask CFMEU administrator Mark Irving why he has given Joel Shackleton a job in the union’s Victorian branch. A CFMEU organiser, Shackleton has been charged with threats to kill a labour hire company owner, and is due to face court over the charges on 22 November. Employers and the Opposition contend that Shackleton should be stood down, claiming that Irvine’s decision to let him keep working with the CFMEU does not send a good message at a time when the federal government is seeking to clean up the construction sector.

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CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY AND MARITIME EMPLOYEES UNION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

Opposition’s calls to change question time for Melbourne Cup labelled ‘ridiculous

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Original article by Sezen Bakan
The New Daily – Page: Online : 11-Oct-24

Question time in federal parliament on 5 November is due to run from 2pm to 3pm, with the Melbourne Cup to be run on the same day at 3pm. Liberal MP Dan Tehan has described the schedule conflict as "un-Australian", and the Opposition is said to be pushing for question time on that day to be held at 10am instead. Bill Browne, director of the Democracy & Accountability Program at the Australia Institute, says he thinks most Australians would feel parliament sitting is more important than politicians watching the Melbourne Cup live. Australian National University and Griffith University Emeritus Professor in political science John Wanna has described the Opposition’s call to change question time to suit the Melbourne Cup as "ridiculous".

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY

Labor in a two-state daydream

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Original article by Ben Packham, Sarah Ison, Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 11-Oct-24

Former Queensland premier Peter Beattie says the public debate on the current conflict in the Middle East has been hijacked by extremists. The Labor stalwart has also criticised the federal government’s stance on Israel, as well as its broader policies regarding the Middle East; he contends that a two-state solution will never happen unless the enemies of Israel accept the nation’s right to exist. Beattie has also responded to the government’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon by arguing that unless all parties agree to a comprehensive peace plan it will merely be a "pause before the next battle".

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY