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Budgets running on fumes as car costs outpace inflation
High transport costs are fuelling household budget concerns, AAP reports, with research revealing a surge of more than 10% over the course of a year.
Continue reading...Druery says Payman could become the next Senate powerbroker in the mould of Nick Xenophon or Brian Harradine
Fatima Payman has appointed Glenn Druery as her chief of staff, as the political strategist and so-called “preference whisperer” suggests the newly independent senator could become the next Senate powerbroker.
Druery’s involvement with Payman was revealed in July, between the Western Australian senator crossing the floor to vote for a Greens motion in the Senate to recognise Palestine and her decision to quit Labor to sit on the crossbench.
Continue reading...Former prime minister argues Australia has made itself a target by aligning with American ‘aggression’ towards China
Australia’s participation in the Aukus defence pact risks handing military control of the country to Washington and becoming the “51st state of the United States”, according to former prime minister Paul Keating.
Speaking on ABC’s 7.30 on Thursday night, Keating argued that Australia had made itself a target for aggression by joining the military alliance with the US and the UK in implicit opposition to China’s growing power in the Asia Pacific region.
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The prime minister was asked about criticism that increased public spending is fuelling inflation.
Anthony Albanese pointed to two budget surpluses and said this, plus cost-of-living measures, are applying downward pressure:
Fee-free Tafe, cheaper childcare, energy price relief – all of these measures are aimed at making sure we look after people but do so in a way that’s designed to see inflation continuing to moderate, which is what we want to make sure happens.
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Wong endorses call from Blinken for de-escalation in Middle East
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said she endorsed Antony Blinken’s call for de-escalation in the Middle East.
We continue to add our voice to the support for the ceasefire outlined by President Biden and endorsed by the security council.
Thank you for an incredibly productive day.
Continue reading...The number of species recognised as threatened with extinction in Australia now stands at 2,224
Another 13 animals and plants have been added to Australia’s list of threatened species, sparking renewed calls for the federal government to quickly overhaul the country’s nature laws.
The species newly listed as at risk include the pig-nosed turtle (listed as vulnerable), the Dalhousie catfish (critically endangered), Pugh’s sphagnum frog (endangered) and the Coffs Harbour Fontainea, a rainforest tree (critically endangered). Other species are freshwater fish, lizards, flowering shrubs, a daisy and an orchid species.
Continue reading...Reserve bank’s two-day August meeting likely to leave key interest rate unchanged for a sixth straight gathering. Follow the day’s news live
Australia will join the US Global Entry program in 2025, creating an easier pathway for the hundreds of thousands of Australians who visit the country each year.
Eligible Australians who sign up for the program would benefit from streamlined and expedited immigration and customs clearance channels on arrival into the US, a statement from the foreign minister, Penny Wong, says.
Joining the Global Entry program is a mark of the closeness and the strength of the relationship between our two countries.
The foundation of the friendship between Australia and United States is the friendship between our people. This program will deepen these links and make it easier to foster greater commercial ties.
Continue reading...Crossbenchers are furious at reports the government will propose a cap on television ads instead of a total ban
The government has come under fire for consulting betting, sport and media companies ahead of gambling harm advocates, as it prepares to respond to a plan that would ban all gambling ads.
Crossbenchers are furious over reports Labor will propose a cap on television ads instead of a total ban, with the Greens and independents warning anything short of a blanket ban could be amended by a hostile Senate.
Continue reading...Betting ads would remain on television but be banned on social media and other digital platforms under intended proposal
The Albanese government has been accused of “a total cop-out” and lacking political courage after reports it is likely to stop short of introducing a blanket ban on gambling advertising.
The independent senator David Pocock said the government appeared to be pursuing a “watered down policy to appease the gambling industry”, while the crossbench MP Zoe Daniel slammed what she saw as a “half-hearted, half-arsed” proposal.
Continue reading...Calls for humanitarian approach offered to Afghans in 2021 and Ukrainians in 2022 to be extended to Palestinians as visitor visas expire
The new minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, has confirmed he is looking at ways to allow Palestinians who fled to Australia to stay longer, saying no country should send people back to Gaza right now.
Burke said it was understandable that the government used visitor visas as its first response to the crisis, but acknowledged action was needed because the visas were expiring and the Israeli offensive was continuing.
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Asked whether the government could still use an advisory body to help it target initiatives, Albanese says he accepts the outcome of the referendum and “the voice was never the end in itself”.
It was about putting Indigenous recognition in the constitution in the form which was asked for through the First Nations constitutional convention in 2017 at Uluru. After a process that was begun by Tony Abbott, and which people participated in. Now, that wasn’t successful. So what we can’t do is say “oh well, we’ll just give up on closing the gap, we’ll give up on moving Australia forward”. What we will do is renew through working with existing bodies. There are land councils, there are organisations such as the Yothu Yindi Foundation here.
That was essentially a work for the dole, a make-work program. We’ve replaced that with the remote community and economic development program. So real jobs with real training. With real wages and conditions, so that’s part of it. $4bn into remote housing.
Continue reading...Prime minister to tell gathering he remains ‘committed to Makarrata’, as Malarndirri McCarthy hits back against Peter Dutton’s rejection of truth telling
“Anthony Albanese has returned to the Garma festival – a hub of excitement a mere 12 months ago around the referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament – telling his hosts he did as he promised but the nation did not agree.
Still received with honour at the annual Indigenous festival in north-east Arnhem Land on Friday, Albanese faced gratitude that the proposed constitutional change was put to the people as promised, but grief that it was also overwhelmingly rejected.
Continue reading...Foreign minister’s ‘alarming’ phrasing echoes sovereignty recognised only by Israel and the US under the Trump administration, Palestine advocates say
The Australian government has insisted it still regards the Golan Heights as occupied territory after Penny Wong described the site of a weekend attack as a “northern Israeli town”.
The foreign minister’s statement was met with a flood of comments online asking why she had effectively recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights – which Israel seized from Syria in the six-day war in 1967 – and not described it as occupied.
Continue reading...Approved dwellings drop 6.5% in June amid high interest rates and building costs as CoreLogic rues ‘dismal result’
New dwelling approvals in Australia have sunk to their lowest in 12 years, as developers battle high interest rates and rising labour and material costs.
For the year to June, 162,892 houses and apartments secured approval, down 8.5% on the previous year and the least since 2011-12, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Tuesday.
Continue reading...Survey records 15-point surge in support for Republican presidential nominee since November 2020, with 36% now considering him favourably
Australians are feeling less opposed to a Donald Trump presidency than four years ago, and less sure the Aukus agreement will make Australia more secure, the latest Guardian Essential poll shows.
Trump, who recently survived an assassination attempt, has seen a 15-point surge in support since November 2020, with 36% of polled Australians now considering him “favourable”.
Continue reading...Critics argued laws were ‘rushed through parliament’ and will result in more Aboriginal children becoming incarcerated
A motion to repeal controversial youth bail and anti-protest laws in New South Wales was defeated at the state Labor conference on Sunday.
The motion was the first opportunity for the youth bail laws, passed by the state government earlier this year, to be debated amongst rank and file party members. The laws make it harder for reoffending 14- to 18-year-olds who commit serious break-and-enter or motor vehicle theft offences to get bail.
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Turning to US politics, Greber says:
It’s a massive shift. You can see it in the way the Democrats feel the momentum.
One of my old sources, I used to be a correspondent in DC, one of my old sources it was as if a month ago the doctor walked in and said, “I’m sorry the test results are terrible, you got three months to live.”
They don’t have many options other than hitting people with mortgages to reduce demand in the economy, which by the way has been driven by an awful lot of federal and state government spending.
The RBA needs to get on top of this and unfortunately people who have mortgages will be the ones who are hit hardest.
Continue reading...Clare O’Neil and Andrew Giles axed as Tony Burke steps into home affairs role and also takes on role of immigration minister
Anthony Albanese has cleared out his entire home affairs ministry, replacing both Clare O’Neil and Andrew Giles with Tony Burke as he reset ahead of the coming election.
In making his announcement, Albanese stressed the “stability” of his cabinet, saying it had been “two years and two months with precisely the same team in place” before this reshuffle. He added when “team members step down … it does provide an opportunity for others to step up”.
Continue reading...Delegates expect event to pass only what insiders consider the ‘bare minimum’ on recognition motions
Senior Labor figures are attempting to prevent an outbreak of discontent at this weekend’s New South Wales state conference, with delegates expecting the event to pass only what insiders consider the “bare minimum” on recognition motions.
Despite strong pushes from Labor branches and grassroots members for a strong statement on the recognition of Palestine and sanctions on the Israeli government, sources say the party is focused on avoiding a show of disunity.
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Q: Will Malarndirri McCarthy, the assistant minister for Indigenous Australians, replace you?
Linda Burney said that was “way above [her] pay grade” but that McCarthy was a dear friend:
The most important thing is for me to support whoever it is in the role and to give them the space to be able to chart their own path … Aboriginal affairs is every minister’s responsibility, not just the minister for Indigenous Australians.
My job is to support that person as much as I can.
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