AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Age-old hatred threat to nation, warns new envoy

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 10-Jul-24

The federal government has appointed Jillian Segal as Australia’s first special envoy to combat anti-Semitism. Segal is a business leader, lawyer and philanthropist, and a former president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. She says anti-Semitism is a threat to Australian society as a whole, rather than just the Jewish community. Segal will represent Australia at the upcoming World Jewish Congress in Argentina. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out holding a judicial inquiry into anti-Semitism on university campuses. He has also criticised the Greens’ deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi for failing to call for Hamas to be ‘dismantled’ in a recent interview.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Labor names, shames Chinese cyber spy gang

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 4 : 10-Jul-24

The Australian Signals Directorate has publicly named a Chinese cyber espionage group that has been targeting public and private sector networks in Australia and the South Pacific region. The APT40 hacking group – which is also known as Gingham Typhoon, Kryptonite Panda, Leviathan and Bronze Mohawk – is believed to have links to China’s Ministry of State Security. Microsoft recently identified APT40 as the Pacific region’s most active cyber espionage group. It is not known as to whether Prime Minister Anthony Albanese raised concerns about Chinese hackers during Premier Li Qiang’s recent official visit to Australia.

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AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE, CHINA. MINISTRY OF STATE SECURITY, MICROSOFT CORPORATION

Nuclear lawyer says Australia would not be starting from scratch

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Original article by Clare Armstrong
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 9-Jul-24

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has contended that amongst other things, legal hurdles could not be overcome quickly enough for the Coalition to achieve its ambitious target of building the first of seven nuclear power stations by 2035. However, expatriate nuclear lawyer Helen Cook argues that agreements and safety regulations that are already in place would make it easier for parliament to pass the legislative changes that would be required to add nuclear to the energy mix. She notes that Australia has already ratified most of the treaties that would be required to build and operate nuclear reactors.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER

Roy Morgan Poll: L-NP (52%) takes the lead over ALP (48%) after ALP disunity on Palestine

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Jul-24

A Coalition Government, with a slim majority, would now win a Federal Election with the two-party preferred vote: L-NP 52% cf. ALP 48%, the latest Roy Morgan survey finds. The Coalition surged after ALP disunity on the conflict between Israel and Hamas led to Senator Fatima Payman to quit the Labor Party last week. Senator Payman crossed the floor a few days before quitting the party when the Greens brought a motion to the floor calling for recognition of Palestinian statehood. Primary support for the Coalition increased 3% to 39.5% this week while the ALP dropped 3% to 28.5%. Support for the Greens increased 0.5% to 13.5%. Support for One Nation increased 0.5% to 5%, support for Other Parties dropped 1% to 4.5% 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

Powerful new laws to break up the CFMEU

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Original article by Jade Gailberger
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 3-Jul-24

The Senate has voted 46-10 to pass a bill which will allow the CFMEU’s manufacturing division to hold a ballot on demerging. The Greens voted against the bill, which had been fast-tracked in response to threats by the CFMEU’s Victorian state secretary John Setka to launch a "work to rule" campaign on future AFL-related construction projects unless the league sacks its head of umpiring, Stephen McBurney. However, shadow employment minister Michaelia Cash has described the legislation as a "minor slap on the wrist" to the CFMEU in response to Setka’s "outrageous bullying demands".

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CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY AND MARITIME EMPLOYEES UNION, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Older Australians pressured into paying unfair robotax debts will not be compensated, government says

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Original article by Jonathan Barrett
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 3-Jul-24

The federal government will pursue legislative amendments to enable tax debts that were incurred before 2017 to remain on hold indefinitely. However, it has been criticised for refusing to provide refunds to people who have already paid historic tax debts in response to the Australian Taxation Office’s so-called ‘robotax’ campaign. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has stated that people who responded to the letters from the ATO will not be refunded, given that they had paid legitimate tax debts. Greens senator Nick McKim says this stance is "manifestly unfair".

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AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Dutton’s retail break-up plan ‘madness’: Kennett

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Jul-24

The Coalition proposes to introduce legislation that would force companies in certain sectors to divest assets if they are found to have abused their market power. The divestiture powers would specifically target grocery and hardware retailers with annual turnover of more than $5bn, which would include Coles, Woolworths and Bunnings. The proposed laws have been criticised by former Victorian Liberal premier Jeff Kennett and Business Council of Australia CEO Bran Black. The introduction of divestiture powers was also rejected by former Labor MP Craig Emerson in his recent review of the food and grocery code of conduct.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Albanese mulls reshuffle to re-energise troops

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 4 : 3-Jul-24

There is growing speculation that the federal government will use parliament’s five-week midwinter break to revamp its frontbench team. Labor has to date avoided any changes to cabinet since taking office in May 2022, although several ministers have come under intense scrutiny over the management of their portfolios in recent months. The possibility of an early election may also prompt Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to consider a cabinet refresh. Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles are widely tipped to be most likely to be shifted from their current portfolios.

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

Roy Morgan Poll: Federal two-party preferred voting intentions unchanged this week: ALP 51% cf. L-NP 49%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 2-Jul-24

The Albanese Government has retained a narrow lead over the Coalition on two-party preferred terms: ALP 51% (unchanged) cf. Coalition 49% (unchanged), the latest Roy Morgan survey shows. If a Federal Election were held now the result would be a hung parliament, with the ALP likely to form a minority government with the support of minor parties and independents. Primary support for the Coalition was down 0.5% to 36.5% while the ALP was unchanged on 31.5%, the Greens were unchanged on 13%, One Nation dropped 1.5% to 4.5%, Other Parties increased 1.5% to 5.5% and Independents increased 0.5% to 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

Coalition outlines vapes plan

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Original article by Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 26-Jun-24

Shadow health minister Anne Ruston has outlined details of the Coalition’s policy on vaping products, following the federal government’s decision to weaken its own vaping regulations. The Coalition proposes to subject vapes to a similar regulatory regime as cigarettes, which would allow flavoured vapes to be legally sold at outlets such as supermarkets, service stations and convenience stores. In contrast, Labor intends to restrict sales of vapes to pharmacies, while people over the age of 18 will not require a doctor’s prescription to buy these products. The Coalition will also impose an excise tax on vapes and ramp up investment in a crackdown on organised crime.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY