AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Supermarket hit could rock us all

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Original article by Jess Malcolm, Geoff Chambers, Lydia Lynch
The Australian – Page: 4 : 9-Apr-24

The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry has expressed reservations about any push to make the food and grocery code of conduct mandatory rather than voluntary. ACCI CEO Andrew McKellar has responded to the release of Craig Emerson’s interim report on his review of the code of conduct by warning that excessive regulation could have "unintended consequences". Amongst other things, Emerson has recommended fining supermarkets up to 10 per cent of their turnover for breaches of the code. Meanwhile, Opposition leader Peter Dutton has described Emerson’s inquiry as a "Mickey Mouse review conducted by a Labor mate"; Emerson is a former federal Labor minister.

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AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

PM’s fury at Israel raises Jewish fears

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 4-Apr-24

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the Israeli airstrike that killed Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six of her colleagues was "completely unacceptable". Albanese discussed the botched airstrike with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, stating that he told Netanyahu that Australians are outraged by the tragedy; he also demanded full accountability for the incident, in which three humanitarian aid vehicles in Gaza were targeted by Israeli drones. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has reiterated the federal government’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution; however, Jewish community leaders in Australia are concerned that a ceasefire would leave Hamas in control of Gaza.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

PM signals budget help for families, small business

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Original article by James Massola
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 4-Apr-24

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will use a speech on Thursday to state that small businesses and families will be ‘front and centre’ again in the federal government’s budget on 14 May. He will note that assisting families and small businesses with their energy bills was a key priority of the 2023 budget. Albanese’s comments in his Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia speech will heighten expectations that the government is set to extend its Energy Bill Relief fund, which is slated to end on 30 June. He will also emphasise the importance of small businesses to Australia’s future prosperity, noting that they are job creators, innovators and early adopters of technology such as clean energy.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Dutton’s perks for nuclear plan

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Apr-24

The Coalition’s push to add nuclear energy to Australia’s energy mix has received a boost from a report released by the US Department of Energy. The report concluded that replacing coal-fired power stations with nuclear reactors can generate significant economic benefits to communities where the power stations are built. Shadow climate change and energy minister Ted O’Brien says the Coalition’s energy policy will include an incentive package for coal-fired power station workers to upgrade to higher-paying jobs at nuclear plants. The Coalition has already identified about six potential sites for nuclear reactors.

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LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF ENERGY

ALP leads on two-party preferred support on the back of high Greens primary vote: ALP 51% cf. L-NP 49%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Apr-24

Support for the ALP was up 1% to 51% during the Easter week and ahead of the Coalition on 49% on a two-party preferred basis – although primary support for both major parties dropped. If a Federal Election were held now the result would be a hung parliament with the Albanese Government re-elected with the support of minor parties and independents, the latest Roy Morgan survey shows. Primary support for the Coalition was down 0.5% to 37.5% ahead of the ALP on only 30%, down 1.5% from a week ago. Importantly for Labor, support for the Greens increased 1.5% to 15.5% – the highest level of support for the Greens for over six months since mid-September 2023. This high level of Greens support is providing the preference flow to keep Labor ahead on the two-party preferred support. At the 2022 Federal Election the ALP and Greens scored a combined vote of 44.9% and now have combined support of 45.5% due to the increase in Greens support – 3.2% higher than in 2022. For the other parties, One Nation support dropped 1% to 3.5%. Support for Independents was up 1.5% to 9% and support for Other Parties was unchanged at 4.5%. The latest Roy Morgan survey is based on interviewing a representative cross-section of 1,677 Australian electors from March 25-31, 2024.

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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

Tough visa rules to ban countries

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 27-Mar-24

The House of Representatives has passed legislation that targets failed asylum-seekers who refuse to co-operate with immigration authorities regarding their removal from Australia. The legislation allows them to be jailed for up to five years and specifies that fears of persecution if they are returned to their home country will not be regarded as a reasonable excuse for their lack of co-operation. The government will also have the power to block visa applications from all citizens of countries that refuse to refuse to accept the return of failed asylum seekers. The legislation was passed with the support of the Coalition, although it has forced Labor to agree to a Senate inquiry into the bill.

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Utes win big reprieve on emissions

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Mar-24

The federal government’s revised fuel-efficiency standards for new vehicles were approved by cabinet on Monday. The changes follow consultation with the car industry, amid concerns that popular vehicles such as utes and SUVs could have been forced out of the Australian market under the original version of the National Vehicles Emissions Scheme. The scheme will impose annual emissions caps on small passenger cars and light commercial vehicles such as utes. However, heavy SUVs that use the same chassis and drivetrain as a ute will now be classified as light commercial vehicles; they were previously to have been classified as passenger vehicles, which would have attracted much stricter emissions caps.

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Premiers revolt over federal NDIS law, fearing cost time bomb

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Original article by David Crowe, Natassia Chrysanthos
Brisbane Times – Page: Online : 26-Mar-24

The state governments are concerned that changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme will impose a huge financial burden on them. A meeting of the national cabinet in late 2024 agreed to the reforms, which will establish a new state and territory disability system to be called ‘foundational supports’; its aim is to provide services to about 2.5 million Australians with a disability who need less intense support than the NDIS, with a focus on children with autism and developmental delay. The states want the draft bill to be delayed to allow more time for consultation about the reforms.

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Labor working tails off to lift primary vote

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 26-Mar-24

Labor won the 2022 federal election with a primary vote of just 32.6 per cent. The combined vote for the major political parties fell to a record low of 68.3 per cent; in contrast, the vote for minor parties and independents reached a record high of 31.7 per cent. There was a similar trend against the major parties in Saturday’s state election in Tasmania. However, Labor believes that its low primary vote is not permanent but reflects voters concerns about issues such as the cost of living crisis and migrant numbers. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says Labor is working hard to give people the government they "need and deserve". He adds that the next election will be "close and hard fought".

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Federal voting intention: Support for the ALP and L-NP Coalition is even in late March – ALP 50% cf. L-NP 50%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 26-Mar-24

Support for the ALP was down 1.5% to 50% in late March and is now even with the L-NP Coalition on 50% (up 1.5%) on a two-party preferred basis. If a Federal Election were held now the result would be a hung parliament with the support of minor parties and independents required for either of the major parties to form minority government, the latest Roy Morgan survey shows. A look at the States shows the biggest swing to the Coalition was in Queensland – up by 5.5% points. The swing in Queensland came after the poor showing for the ALP at the previous week’s local government and key by-elections in the state seats of Inala (19.5% swing to LNP) and Ipswich West (17.9% swing to LNP). Primary support for the Coalition increased 1% to 38% and is now clearly ahead of the ALP on 31.5%, unchanged from a week ago. Support for the Greens increased 1.5% to 14% and One Nation support dropped 1% to 4.5%. Support for Independents was down 1.5% to 7.5% and support for Other Parties was unchanged at 4.5%. The latest Roy Morgan survey is based on interviewing a representative cross-section of 1,633 Australian electors from March 18-24. Further details will be released in Roy Morgan’s weekly video update presented by CEO Michele Levine.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY