So much has happened in US politics this week that we could’ve easily filled the weekly wrap-up with entirely US political news. From Trump’s arrest and the first Republican primary debate to Biden’s visits to Hawaii and California, it was a busy week in the US. However, there was also some notable domestic political news so let’s start there.
Politics
Queensland Government ramps up coal royalties fight
Queensland’s resources industry has been campaigning against the Palaszczuk Government’s decision to hike coal royalties since it was announced last year, saying the higher taxes are already costing the state investment and jobs in the sector.
Treasurer Cameron Dick, who has been busy spruiking the benefits of coal royalties, this week escalated the fight with mining giant BHP – putting them and other miners on notice over their threats to reduce investment in Queensland.
Dick warned BHP the government would revoke its mining licence in the state if it deemed the company was scaling back operations for non-commercial reasons, a move the Queensland Resources Council said would further erode investor confidence.
Regional members of the state’s LNP opposition have expressed their own concerns over the royalty regime, despite the Party’s leader David Crisafulli backing the government’s revenue measures in this year’s budget.
The PM addresses the BCA
On Wednesday night, Prime Minister Albanese gave the keynote address at the Business Council of Australia’s (BCA) annual dinner. The who’s who of corporate Australia were in attendance for CEO Jennifer Westacott’s last one at the helm of the influential BCA.
Although the BCA has had a number of disagreements with the PM and his government over the last 18 months (think IR policies), it appears the PM used his speech to rebuild his relationship with the business community. The PM acknowledged that he needs corporate Australia in order to deliver his climate and economic agenda.
There was one quick reference to the controversial IR laws (same job, same pay policy), but the PM was largely on the charm offensive highlighting the need for business and government to work together. BCA president Tim Reed warned the PM that many business leaders present believed the IR changes would discourage flexibility and worsen productivity – he said they should be considering a more simplified award system with “win-win agreements”.
Labor’s IR changes will be debated when parliament resumes on 4 September and we expect to see the BCA (and other industry associations) increase their public opposition to the changes. The BCA has previously taken out full page ads in newspapers opposing the government’s policy so who knows what they will do as the Bill gets closer.
NAPLAN shows decline in education standards
2023 NAPLAN (National Assessment Program, Literacy and Numeracy) results show that one in three Aussie children failed literacy and numeracy exams – this is despite $662 billion being injected into schools since NAPLAN testing began.
Of the 1.3 million students who sat the test, 430,000 of them performed below expectations, averaged across all year levels and subjects. Essentially, students are now twice as likely to fail NAPLAN than they are to excel in the nationwide test.
In response to this disastrous result, Education Minister Jason Clare has promised more funding for the most disadvantaged schools first. He has also committed to small-group tutoring and is trialling the program in some of the most disadvantaged schools.
The results are alarming for Australia and need to be addressed immediately. The education of our people is paramount to the success of our nation. While other countries are investing significantly in IT and STEM education, it is disappointing to see Australia falling behind. Hopefully education will feature in the robust parliamentary debate when politicians return to Canberra on 4 September.
Global
Trump surrenders in Georgia
Former President Donald Trump has surrendered himself to local law enforcement in Georgia, after he was charged with attempting to interfere in the state’s 2020 election result.
Trump became the first former President in history to have his mugshot taken, when he presented to Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Thursday (US time). He was at the jail for only a short time, having pre-arranged payment of a $200,000 bond.
He and 18 others were charged by district attorney Fani Willis, who alleged there was an organised attempt by the group to overturn Trump’s election loss in Georgia.
Polling released this week showed Trump continues to dominate the Republican primary race, attracting 62 per cent of a CBS News poll, with his nearest rival Ron de Santis on just 16 per cent. Today’s events are expected to only galvanise his supporters, and the prospect of him securing the Republican presidential nomination is far from fanciful.
Best of the rest – First Republican primary debate held in Milwaukee
Though he was absent from last night’s Republican primary debate, Trump’s presence loomed large over the first debate in the primary election cycle.
Many of his eight rivals carefully avoided condemning the former President, fearing retribution from his loyal base within the grassroots party membership.
Political newbie Vivek Ramaswamy, the youngest of the eight candidates at just 38, who has garnered attention for his rap performances on the campaign trail, sparred with the more well-known faces of the Republican party including former Vice President Mike Pence, former governors Chris Christie and Nikki Haley and Trump’s most high-profile contender, Florida governor Ron de Santis.
Ramaswamy, who has pledged to pardon Trump ‘on day one’ if elected President, echoed many of the former President’s populist views on China, manufacturing, resource jobs and climate change.
Pence, who distanced himself from Trump while claiming credit for many of the former Administration’s policies, targeted Ramaswamy’s political credentials and painted himself as the experienced candidate.
With his polling well above the rest of the field after Trump, de Santis cut a relatively low profile during the debate, seemingly not wanting to risk conceding any more ground to Trump.
Nikki Haley was strong on foreign policy, and attacked a vocal Ramaswamy about his view on withdrawing support for Ukraine as they continue to fight Russia’s invasion. She was one of the few candidates who agreed, when asked, that climate change was real – saying not enough was being done to hold China and India to account for their huge share of global emissions.
The next debate is scheduled for September 27, and Trump is yet to confirm his attendance. The second debate requires higher entry qualifications than the first, with candidates having to prove they are polling at 3 per cent and above, and have 50,000 unique donors from across the country.
Russian mercenary leader said to be on downed plane
The man who led a short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin in June was reportedly killed in a plane crash in Russia this week.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was said to be on the plane that departed Moscow for St. Petersburg, with the aircraft rumoured to have been downed due to an explosion board. Russia state media claimed shortly afterwards that all ten people on board had been killed, including other senior Wagner operatives who had taken part in the June uprising.
Putin has since made public remarks about the crash, sending his condolences to the family of the victims and, while not confirming Prigozhin’s death, said he was a person who “had made some serious mistakes in life”.
Sport and Pop Culture
Writers strike continues
As the writers strike continues, it seems more and more issues are being added and more people are joining cause. The strike began on 12 May and today the Writers Guild of America (WGA) informed members they have rejected the latest offer from Hollywood studios.
The strike centres around streaming services and how the platform has impacted royalty payments. While actors and filmmakers were previously paid per broadcast on traditional formats, streaming services have changed the business model forever. The use of AI has also been a point of contention throughout the strikes.
Hollywood has essentially ground to a halt, and they are experiencing the largest movie industry labour stoppage since the 1988 strikes. In fact, this is the first time in 63 years that the Screen Actors Guild and the WGA are on strike at the same time. Huge blockbusters and much-loved TV shows are being impacted – including Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Wicked, and Gladiator 2.
Even though they haven’t been able to reach an agreement, it is a positive sign the two sides are communicating. Hopefully an agreement will be reached soon.
The NRL heads to Vegas
The NRL has announced the teams that will open the 2024 season in the city that never sleeps – the Broncos, Roosters, Manly and the Rabbitohs will play the opening game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The NRL envision the games to form part of an ‘Australia Week’ in Vegas where the NRL is on display across the US to help grow the sport.
We applaud the NRL for seizing the opportunity but having visited Allegiant Stadium to watch an NFL preseason game, we are curious as to how they will fill more than the first three rows of the 65,000-seat stadium. The majority of US sport fans have never heard of Rugby League and our recent Vegas uber driver said he’d be surprised if Americans were interested in viewing another football game when they already think the NFL is superior.
Football chief quits after ‘kiss’
While our Matilda’s are a shining star from the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the event wasn’t without controversary. Perhaps none more controversial than the behaviour of the Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales after Spain’s 1-0 victory over England in the final.
Rubiales made headlines this week for kissing star player Jenni Hermoso on her mouth immediately after their victory. His actions have been widely condemned by the football world.
After unprecedented pressure, including criticism from Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez who said his apology was not enough, Rubiales has resigned from his position. FIFA has also opened disciplinary proceedings against him.
Numerous soccer stars have publicly weighed in on the matter with overwhelming support for Hermoso and calling out Rubiales’ inexcusable actions.