AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Musk’s lawyers to fight orders on two fronts

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Original article by Nick Bonyhady, Tess Bennett, Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 24-Apr-24

Social media giant X could incur a fine of up to $782,500 for each day it does not comply with a directive to remove video footage of the Sydney church stabbing from its platform. However, X owner Elon Musk contends that the ‘take-down’ order goes too far, given that it applies globally. The US billionaire has expressed concern about one country being allowed to censor content for all countries. Musk’s lawyers have indicated that they could challenge the take-down order in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described Musk as an egotist and accused him of being "out of touch with common decency". Meanwhile, the Coalition has proposed barring young children from using social media to protect them from harmful content.

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X CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS TRIBUNAL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

PM betraying Hawke reforms

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Apr-24

Former prime minister John Howard has criticised the federal government’s Future Made in Australia policy. Howard has likened the policy to the "new protectionism" that had been derided by former Labor prime minister Bob Hawke more than three decades ago, and describes it as a betrayal of the reforms undertaken by the Hawke and Keating governments. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described critics of the policy as "flat earthers", but Howard says Albanese "is a flat-earther with the best of them".

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

‘Out of control’: Meta has Whitlam as our No.1 PM

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian – Page: 4 : 23-Apr-24

Shadow communications minister David Coleman has criticised Meta Platforms after it released the latest version of its artificial intelligence tool. When asked to rank Australia’s best prime ministers, the Meta tool listed Gough Whitlam first, despite the former Labor leader being the nation’s only prime minister to have been sacked by the governor-general. Malcolm Turnbull was the only Liberal prime minister in the AI tool’s list of the nation’s top five leaders. Coleman has accused Meta of either "deliberate bias or gross incompetence". Former Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger says the results demonstrate a "strong left wing bias" at Meta, and show that technology companies should be regulated in the same way as conventional media.

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META PLATFORMS INCORPORATED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

ALP regains two-party preferred lead as Coalition loses ground: ALP 52% cf. L-NP 48%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 23-Apr-24

In a week that saw Israeli strikes on Iran which had the potential to set off a wider war in the Middle East, two knife attacks in Sydney, and the judgment handed down against Bruce Lehrmann, the Labor Government has regained the lead with support up 3% to 52% to be ahead of the Coalition on 48% (down 3%) on a two-party preferred basis. 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. Primary support for the ALP increased 0.5% to 30.5% but is still behind the Coalition on 35.5%, down 3%. A look at the support by gender shows women’s support for the Coalition dropped significantly this week – by nearly 4% to only 32% after Justice Michael Lee handed down his judgment in the Lehrmann case. Men’s support for the Coalition was down 2.5% to 39%. Support for the Greens returned to, and marginally exceeded, its highs of two weeks ago, up 2.5% to 16% while One Nation was unchanged at 5.5%. Support for Independents was unchanged at 7.5% and support for Other Parties was unchanged at 5%. The latest Roy Morgan survey is based on interviewing a representative cross-section of 1,617 Australian electors from April 15-21, 2024. When comparing different polls it is always important to make sure to take note of the dates when the polls are conducted to undertake a proper comparison between two polls. 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

Made in Australia ‘a bit risky’: former RBA boss

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Original article by Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 16-Apr-24

The federal government’s proposed Future Made in Australia Act has come under fire from former Reserve Bank of Australia governor Bernie Fraser, who contends that it represents a risk to taxpayers. Fraser says governments do not have a good track record when it comes to ‘picking winners’ in terms of identifying successful industry sectors. AMP’s chief economist Shane Oliver has described the policy as "depressing".

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RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP

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