AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Swing to Coalition continues as two-party preferred lead over ALP increases: L-NP 51% cf. ALP 49%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 16-Apr-24

Support for the Coalition has increased by 0.5% to 51% to edge further ahead of the ALP on 49% on a two-party preferred basis, according to the latest Roy Morgan survey. If a Federal Election were held now the result would be too close to call, with a hung parliament and the support of minor parties and independents required for either the ALP or Coalition to form a minority government. Primary support for both major parties increased marginally this week, with the Coalition up 0.5% to 38.5% and the ALP up 0.5% to 30%. Support for the Greens was unchanged at 13.5% while One Nation was down 0.5% to 5.5% – both these minor parties are above their result at the last Federal Election. Support for Independents was down 1.5% to 7.5%, while support for Other Parties increased 1% to 5%. The latest Roy Morgan survey is based on interviewing a representative cross-section of 1,706 Australian electors from April 8-14. Most of the interviews were conducted before Foreign Minister Penny Wong suggested that Australia could recognise a Palestinian State, and before the tragedy at Westfield Bondi Junction on the weekend where six people were stabbed to death and more hospitalised.

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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

‘Seize the moment’, Assange family tells PM

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 12-Apr-24

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed indications that US espionage charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange could be dropped. President Joe Biden say he is considering a request from Australia to drop the charges, and Albanese says these comments are "encouraging". He adds that Assange has already paid a significant price and there is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration. The family of Assange has urged the federal government to keep lobbying the Biden administration to drop the charges and its push to extradite him to the US Assange has now spent five years in Britain’s Belmarsh prison; he had previously live in the Ecuador embassy for seven years after requesting political asylum.

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WIKILEAKS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

PM’s plan risks forever subsidies

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Original article by Michael Read, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 12-Apr-24

Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood has warned that the federal government’s Future Made in Australia Act will have an economic cost. The government will provide incentives and subsidies to encourage local manufacturing, but Wood contends that the Act must include a mechanism for winding back this financial support in order to avoid having businesses become reliant on government subsidies. Meanwhile, Opposition leader Peter Dutton says local manufacturers are going broke or relocating offshore due to factors such as high energy costs and the government’s industrial relations regime.

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AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Bridget Archer leads criticism after Peter Dutton compares pro-Palestine protest to Port Arthur massacre

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Original article by Sarah Basford Canales, Luca Ittimani
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 12-Apr-24

Opposition leader Peter Dutton is under growing scrutiny over a recent speech in which he raised concern about the growing incidence of anti-Semitism in Australia. Liberal backbencher Bridget Archer has questioned the appropriateness of Dutton’s comment in which he said that pro-Palestine protests at the Sydney Opera House on 9 October were "akin to a Port Arthur moment in terms of their social significance". Archer says this comment was "incredibly disrespectful" to the victims and survivors of the Port Arthur massacre, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Dutton "went too far". Dutton says he was referring to former prime minister John Howard’s strength as a leader; the Port Arthur massacre resulting in stricter gun laws in Australia.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Australia’s major supermarkets accused of purchasing properties to turf out independent stores

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Original article by Jonathan Barrett
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 12-Apr-24

The Senate inquiry into supermarket prices has been told that grocery giants Coles and Woolworths engage in land-banking to prevent smaller rivals from opening a store near their supermarkets. Grant Ramage, the CEO of Metcash’s food division, said the duopoly is also prepared to pay inflated prices to buy out rivals in order to stifle competition, while they have been known to buy retail properties that are tenanted by independent supermarkets and subsequently not renew their lease. Aldi Australia’s CEO Anna McGrath has told the inquiry that rival supermarket chains often reduce their prices when the Germany-based company opens a new store near their existing outlets.

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METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD

Labor using population surge for jobs spin

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 2 : 10-Apr-24

The federal government recently claimed that it has created about 790,000 new jobs since it won the May 2022 election. This is an average of 1,220 jobs per day, which Labor says is the highest of any government. However, shadow treasurer Angus Taylor contends that the growth in jobs merely reflects the fact that Australia’s adult population has increased by more than one million people since Labor took office, which is equivalent to an average of 1,369 per day. He adds that immigration is the only thing keeping the economy going at present. Taylor also notes that nearly one million people are now working a ­second or third job due to the cost-of-living crisis.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

NDIS cost shifting criminal: Shorten

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Original article by Christine Middap, Ellie Dudley, Stephen Lunn
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 10-Apr-24

The federal government has flagged a crackdown on the use of the National Disability Insurance Scheme by convicted criminals. NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has responded to revelations that one of the nation’s worst serial sex offenders will receive an NDIS support package when he is released from prison. Shorten says the government does not believe that it is appropriate for this person to receive NDIS funding. He adds that state governments should not use the NDIS as a ‘dumping ground’ to fund support for violent criminals, contending that providing them with such services is the responsibility of state justice and corrections departments.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

Labor turns screw on mergers

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Original article by Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 10-Apr-24

The federal government will give the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission new powers to block merger deals in reforms to be announced by Treasurer Jim Chalmers today. He contends that the existing competition laws do not adequately address ‘serial acquisitions’ by large companies and acquisitions that entrench the power of market leaders. The reforms will not be as extensive as ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb wanted. She has pushed for merger partners to be required to satisfy the ACCC that the deal is unlikely to substantially lessen competition. However, the ACCC will have to be reasonably satisfied that a merger is likely to substantially lessen competition in order to block a deal.

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AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Wong suggests Australian government considering recognising Palestinian statehood

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Original article by Stephen Dziedzic
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 10-Apr-24

Australia’s Jewish community has expressed concern over comments made by Foreign Minister Penny Wong which suggested that the federal government may be open to recognising a Palestinian state. Wong has used a speech at a National Security College conference to contend that international recognition of Palestinian statehood could provide a pathway to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Wong also argued that recognition of Palestinian statehood would help to undermine the Hamas terrorist organisation. Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler says Hamas must be removed from power in Gaza before there can be any consideration of statehood; he adds that there must be a new generation of Palestinian leaders who recognise Israel’s right to exist.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, ZIONIST FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA

Federal voting intention: Coalition takes two-party preferred lead over ALP after support for One Nation surges: L-NP 50.5% cf. ALP 49.5%

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

Support for the Coalition increased 1.5% to 50.5% to edge narrowly ahead of the ALP on 49.5% on a two-party preferred basis as Australians began to return from Easter holidays. If a Federal Election were held now the result would be too close to call with a hung parliament and the support of minor parties and independents required for either the ALP or Coalition to form a minority government, the latest Roy Morgan survey shows. Several issues hurt the Albanese Government’s support last week, in particular the surge in crime in Alice Springs which forced the imposition of a youth curfew in the outback town. There was also the arrival of a new asylum seeker boat in Western Australia and the death of an Australian aid worker in Gaza. Primary support for the Coalition increased 0.5% to 38% ahead of the ALP on only 29.5%, down 0.5% from a week ago. In addition, hurting the ALP on a two-party preferred basis was the decrease in support for the Greens, down 2% to 13.5%. The biggest beneficiary of the decline in support for the ALP and Greens last week was One Nation, which surged 2.5% to 6% – the highest level of support for the party for six months since November 2023. The majority of One Nation preferences flow to the Coalition. Support for Independents was unchanged at 9% and support for Other Parties was down 0.5% to 4%. The latest Roy Morgan survey is based on interviewing a representative cross-section of 1,731 Australian electors from April 1-7, 2024. Further details will be released in Roy Morgan’s weekly video update presented by CEO Michele Levine.

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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