AUSTRALIA – POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Scramble for super CGT clarity

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 15-Oct-25

The federal government’s decision to abandon a proposal to tax the unrealised capital gains of large superannuation accounts has been welcomed by financial advisers. The government will now only tax the realised capital gains of super accounts with balances of more than $3m, with the tax rate to be doubled to 30 per cent; super accounts with more than $10m will be taxed at 40 per cent. The reforms are slated to take effect from mid-2026, but financial advisers and their clients want Treasurer Jim Chalmers to clarify whether the higher tax rates will apply to gains that are accrued before this date.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

US interested in critical minerals deal

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 15-Oct-25

Trade Minister Don Farrell recently met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Malaysia; he says Greer indicated that the US is interested in striking a deal with Australia regarding critical minerals. The issue is set to be a key issue on the agenda when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holds talks with President Donald Trump at the White House next week. The federal government remains hopeful that it can use critical minerals as ‘leverage’ in tariff negotiations. The US has imposed a 50 per cent tariffs on Australia’s aluminium and steel imports, and the baseline tariff of 10 per cent on other imports.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF COMMERCE

Mount Isa smelter set for bailout

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Original article by Ryan Cropp
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 8-Oct-25

The federal and Queensland governments are set to announce a taxpayer-funded support package for Glencore’s Mount Isa copper smelter. Industry sources have indicated that the package to be announced today will enable the plant to remain open for at least another four years. The federal and NSW governments are still holding talks with Rio Tinto regarding similar support for the Tomago aluminium smelter, while taxpayer assistance has previously been announced for the Whyalla steelworks and two zinc and lead smelters that are owned by Nyrstar Australia.

CORPORATES
GLENCORE PLC, GLENCORE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, TOMAGO ALUMINIUM COMPANY PTY LTD, NYRSTAR AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Israel and Frydenberg blast PM, Premier over pro-Hamas graffiti

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Original article by Josephine Quattrocchi, Ryan Bourke, Tom Wenn, Clare Armstrong
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 8-Oct-25

The Australian Federal Police will investigate a series of graffiti attacks in Melbourne that praised Hamas on the second anniversary of its terrorist attack on Israel. Amongst other things, a billboard in Fitzroy was vandalised with the phrase "Glory to Hamas", Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that defacing a billboard with terrorist propaganda is abhorrent, and those responsible must face the full force of the law. Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel has urged Albanese and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan to take swift action in response to the vandalism, while former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the two leaders must end the violence and hatred directed at Jewish Australians. Meanwhile, about 100 people attended a demonstration organised by the Free Palestine Coalition in the Melbourne CBD to mark the anniversary.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

ALP two-party preferred lead reduced in September but in line with Federal Election result: ALP 55.5% cf. L-NP 44.5%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 24-Sep-25

In September the ALP has a commanding two-party preferred lead, although this lead has been cut since August. The ALP is on 55.5% (down 1% from August), ahead of the L-NP Coalition on 44.5% (up 1%), according to the latest Roy Morgan survey. The Albanese Government’s two-party preferred lead in September is in line with the Federal Election result in early May: ALP 55.2% cf. L-NP 44.8%. In the month of September primary support for both major parties was unchanged with the ALP at 34%, ahead of the Liberal-National Coalition on 30%. Support for all other parties and independents was unchanged at 36% in September. This includes the Greens (unchanged at 12%), One Nation (up 0.5% to 9.5%), and Independents/Other Parties (down 0.5% to 14.5%). The latest Roy Morgan survey is based on interviewing a representative cross-section of 5,084 Australian electors from 25 August 25 to 21 September 2025.

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

Ley attacks idea of free everything

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 17-Sep-25

Opposition leader Sussan Ley will use a Committee for Economic Development of Australia speech to call for action to curb government spending. Amongst other things, Ley will contend that the culture of dependency on the government that has emerged since the pandemic is not sustainable and must end. She will argue that providing people with everything for free merely diverts resources from those who need help the most, while she will advocate increased use of means-testing. Ley’s speech today will coincide with growing scrutiny of the Coalition regarding its stance on net zero emissions.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA

PNG treaty trip-up as great game afoot in Pacific

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 17-Sep-25

The federal government’s push to forge closer ties with Pacific nations has received a second setback in as many weeks. Papua New Guinea’s cabinet has yet to endorse a defence treaty with Australia, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had hoped to sign today; he is visiting PNG to mark its 50th anniversary of independence from Australia. PNG’s Prime Minister James Marape stated on Monday that his government is "not yet" at the point of signing the treaty, which will commit the two countries to defend each other in the event of war. Former Biden administration adviser Kurt Campbell has suggested that the delay in signing the treaty could be due to Chinese influence. The Vanuatu goverment refused to sign a bilateral security agreement last week during Albanese’s visit to Port Vila.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, PAPUA NEW GUINEA. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

Apocalyptic climate risk on horizon

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Original article by Ryan Cropp
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 16-Sep-25

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the Australian Climate Service’s National Climate Risk Assessment report is a "wake-up call" for people who still question the need for action to address climate change. Amongst other things, the report has warned that climate change could potentially result in heat-related deaths rising by more than 400 per cent, while property values could fall by more than $600 billion by 2050; it also concludes that more frequent heatwaves could result in employers losing 2.7 million additional days of work by 2061. The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s CEO Andrew McKellar says governments must strike an appropriate balance between science and economics.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN CLIMATE SERVICE, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Wellbeing budget still relies on old data

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Original article by Lily McCaffrey
The Australian – Page: 2 : 16-Sep-25

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the timeliness of data is a vital part of the federal government’s Measuring What Matters national wellbeing framework. The government announced this framework as part of its ‘wellbeing budget’ in 2023, and Chalmers subsequently transferred responsibility for the framework’s reporting to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. However, the latest update to the framework shows that the ABS is largely using data that is at least three years old for many of the key wellbeing metrics. Chalmers says the government’s $14.8m funding boost for the ABS in 2024 will improve future Measuring What Matters data.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

PM sticks to defence dollars before US visit

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 16-Sep-25

Australia’s spending on defence is slated to rise to 2.33 per cent of GDP by 2033, compared with just over two per cent at present. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese contends that defence spending should be measured as a total dollar amount, arguing that people are "too fixated" on the GDP figure. The federal government continues to face pressure from the Trump administration to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP; however, Albanese contends that the US should take into account factors such as the in-kind military support it receives from Australia and the security partnerships that the nation has struck in the Asia-Pacific region.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET