AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Unions push for total ban on non-competes

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 5-Jun-24

The federal government is reviewing the use of non-compete clauses in employment contracts, amid growing concern that they have become too prevalent. The issue will be on the agenda for the ACTU’s upcoming triennial congress, and the union movement will push for a blanket ban on the use of these clauses. ACTU assistant secretary Joseph Mitchell says post-employment restraints are having a "chilling" effect on the labour market. However, economists favour imposing restrictions on the use of these clauses instead of a total ban, arguing amongst other things that they are needed to protect the intellectual property of business start-ups.

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ACTU

Scared, scarred: the women Giles forgot

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Original article by Alexi Demetriadi, Rhiannon Down, Liam Mendes, Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 5-Jun-24

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles will announce a replacement for Ministerial Directive 99 by the end of this week. However, it could take up to six weeks for the new directive to take effect, based on Home Affairs’ advice to Giles in late 2022. Shadow immigration spokesman Dan Tehan says Giles must explain how he will deal with decisions made by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal during this period. Meanwhile, single mother Jesica Mills has revealed that she had lived in constant fear of a former neighbour after he subjected her to threats and harassment; the New Zealand-born career criminal was released from immigration detention in February under MD99. Giles is on record as having stated that Australia has an "obligation" to foreign-born criminals who have been in the country for most of their life.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA. ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS TRIBUNAL

MPs fight to force shops to take cash

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Original article by Shane Wright
The Age – Page: Online : 4-Jun-24

Cash is now used in just 13 per cent of all transactions in which money changes hands, compared with about 70 per cent in 2007. The pandemic accelerated Australia’s shift to a cashless society, but independent MP Andrew Gee has introduced a private member’s bill that would impose a $25,000 fine on businesses that refuse to accept cash payments of less than $10,000; individuals would be fined up to $5,000. Gee’s bill has the support of fellow independents such as Bob Katter and Dai Le; however, federal parliament has passed only 30 private member’s bills since Federation in 1901.

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Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine explains what has driven the ALP’s resurgence over the past week to take the two-party preferred lead once more

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 4-Jun-24

The Albanese Government has regained the advantage on a two-party preferred basis with the ALP on 52% ahead of the Coalition on 48% – a return to the Roy Morgan Poll results for the four-week stretch from April 15 – May 12. Primary support for the ALP increased 2.5% to 31% and helped power the Government back into the two-party preferred lead. The rise in support came after the Government issued a new directive to prioritise community safety and dump the former policy known as ‘Directive 99’ when dealing with foreign-born criminals released from Australian prisons. On a gender basis the two-party preferred swing was larger among men than women – with both genders now preferring the ALP over the Coalition. Analysis of results on a State-by-State basis shows the swing to the ALP was most significant in the three largest States of New South Wales (+7%), Victoria (+6%) and Queensland (+4.5%). In addition to the ‘national issues’, it is worth noting the Miles ALP Government in Queensland reduced all public transport fares to 50 cent for the next six months – a significant saving amounting to thousands of dollars for many commuters in Brisbane. In New South Wales, the Minns ALP Government announced that Australia’s largest coal-fired power station, Eraring, would have its operating life extended for two years until 2027. This will secure lower energy prices over the next two years for residents of New South Wales.

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

‘Reckless’: Penny Wong condemns Peter Dutton’s threats to cut ties with International Criminal Court

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Original article by Daniel Hurst
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 4-Jun-24

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has used a Senate estimates hearing to attack Opposition leader Peter Dutton over what she claims is his "reckless" threat to sever Australia’s ties with the International Criminal Court, claiming it would make it harder for Australia to insist that China follow international law. Wong also used the hearing to attack the Greens for "participating in protests which have become violent and aggressive"; the Greens later issued a statement in which it stated that the party supported "peaceful protests", and that Wong’s assertions were incorrect.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

ALP Government regains the initiative after vowing to dump Directive 99 and the tragedy in Papua New Guinea grabbed the headlines: ALP 52% cf. ALP 48%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 4-Jun-24

The Albanese Government has regained the lead on a two-party preferred basis: ALP 52% (up 3.5%) ahead of the Coalition 48% (down 3.5%). If a Federal Election were held now the ALP would be re-elected with a slim majority as they have now, the latest Roy Morgan survey shows. Support for the Government improved after dumping the controversial ‘Directive 99’ and issuing a new directive to ensure community safety outweighs any other consideration when assessing the visa conditions of foreign-born criminals released from Australian prisons. In addition, the terrible landslide in Papua New Guinea, which buried as many as 2,000 people, dominated news headlines; while there finally appears to be progress towards peace in the Middle East with Israel and Hamas considering a three-phase peace deal to end the conflict. Primary support for the ALP increased 2.5% to 31% and support for the Coalition was down 1% to 36%. This is the closest the two parties have been since before the Federal Budget in early May. Support for the Greens was down 1% to 14%, support for One Nation decreased 1.5% to 4.5%, support for Other Parties was up 1% to 5.5% 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

Number of days since Giles’ last blunder: 0

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Original article by Simon Benson, Rhiannon Down
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 4-Jun-24

The future of Immigration Minister Andrew Giles is under renewed scrutiny after he admitted that drones are not being used to monitor foreign-born criminals who were released into the community due to the High Court’s NZYQ ruling. However, Giles claimed that he had relied on advice from Department of Home Affairs officials when he initially claimed that 28 violent offenders were being monitored via drones. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the controversial Ministerial Directive 99 was introduced in response to pressure from the New Zealand government over the deportation of NZ-born criminals. A government spokeswoman has indicated that Giles will announce a replacement for Directive 99 by the end of this week.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Rapist attacks 25 women, teen – and keeps his visa

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Original article by Paul Garvey, Rhiannon Down
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 29-May-24

The federal government is continuing to attract scrutiny over Direction 99, which requires the Administrative ­Appeals Tribunal to take into account a foreign-born offender’s ties to Australia in assessing an appeal against the cancellation of their visa. It has been revealed that a serial rapist, a child sex offender and a Chinese national who was in possession of a huge quantity of child pornography are amongst those who have had their visas reinstated due to Direction 99. It has also been disclosed that Immigration Minister Andrew Giles’ own department had warned that about 25 per cent of foreign-born criminals could have the cancellation of their visa overturned via Direction 99.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH AND AGED CARE, AUSTRALIA. ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS TRIBUNAL

We can’t mount solo defence against invasion any more: Beazley

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Original article by Ben Packham, Sarah Ison, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 29-May-24

Defence Minister Richard Marles delivered a keynote speech at the Defending Australia summit in Canberra on Tuesday night. He said the world is currently facing the most threatening strategic circumstance since the end of World War II, and emphasised the importance of the AUKUS alliance to Australia’s defence strategy. However, former Labor leader Kim Beazley told the summit that Australia’s military can longer defend the nation from invasion without support from the US; he argued that the nation was ”absolutely" able to defend itself when he was defence minister in the 1980s.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says the Albanese Government’s lack of support for Israel has cost the party support in the last week

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-May-24

Primary support for the ALP has dropped 2% to 28.5% last week after student protests on University campuses in support of Palestine were broken up and Foreign Minister Penny Wong has consistently expressed support for a two-state solution to end the conflict in Gaza. ALP support was also undermined because Prime Minister Anthony Albanese failed to support Israel after International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan issued applications for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. However, the Coalition is not benefiting directly from this, its primary vote remained unchanged at 37%. Instead, support has increased for the Greens is up 0.5% to 15%, One Nation, is up 0.5% to 6%, Independents are up 0.5% to 9% and Other Parties are up 0.5% to 5%. More women than men swung against the Albanese Government and a look at the results in the different States shows the strongest swings against the ALP on a two-party preferred basis were in Queensland (-7.5%) and Victoria (-6.5%). In addition to the national issues, in Queensland the Steven Miles-led ALP Government is facing a State Election defeat this year while in Victoria the Jacinta Allan-led ALP Government has just handed down a State Budget with spending cuts and no sign of any cost-of-living relief for consumers.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT