While the Australian Prime Minister jetted off to the US for a state visit, his Senate team remained in Canberra for Senate Estimates. Although Senate Estimates isn’t a well-known process for the general public, it is a fascinating week for those involved in politics. Government advisers and public servants prepare for months to answer a variety of questions from the opposition and crossbench. The opposition try to expose government inefficiencies or failures, while the government does their best to highlight positive announcements or outcomes.
As always, we take you inside the Canberra bubble but also highlight what’s making news around the world and in sport or pop culture.
What’s making headlines?
- New Zealand’s Labour Government voted out with a significant swing to the conservatives.
- The PM confirms China visit for 2 November and the announcement coincides with China agreeing to review tariffs on Australian wine.
- As both the Queensland Premier and the LNP release their campaign platforms, latest polls indicate the LNP is heading for election success in Queensland.
- The war in Israel continues with reports of even more horrific attacks by Hamas.
- The US has launched airstrikes in eastern Syria.
Senate Estimates
This week the government faced an intense round of Senate Estimates. For those unfamiliar with this process, imagine senior public servants and a Minister being peppered with questions from Australian Senators about government programs, budgets and any matter related to functioning of government.
Having been in government for almost ten years, the Coalition know what it’s like to answer questions at Estimates but after 18 months in opposition, they are slowing finding their feet as the questioners.
The Department of Infrastructure were grilled over alleged misogynistic behaviour from some graduates. A group of male graduates were accused of rating the female graduates and circulating a “Hotties List” ranking them by attractiveness. Department officials acknowledged that complaints had been made and investigated which resulted in advice from the Sex Discrimination Commissioner.
As predicted, the ABC faced fired up Liberal Senators who questioned their coverage of the war in Israel. Earlier this month, the media reported that an ABC Middle East correspondent had described the horrific story about 40 babies being beheaded as “bullshit” in a WhatsApp group with other journalists. ABC Managing Director David Anderson told the senate estimates committee that the ABC journalist was “remorseful and apologetic for the words that he used”. However, that didn’t stop Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes from accusing ABC employees of displaying “anti-Semitic behaviour” and calling out a social media producer who posted a ‘free Palestine’ hashtag on social media and signed a pro-Palestine petition, among other actions that demonstrated support for Palestine.
There were a number of other highlights from Senate Estimates but unfortunately we can’t cover them all. We will now wait for opposition and crossbench Senators to submit their Questions on Notice and the government had until 15 December to respond. This is where the best information is typically uncovered.
Prime Minister honoured at White House dinner
It might have been a more toned-down affair than originally planned, with concerns about backlash over the worsening conflict in Israel and Gaza, but the glitzy State Dinner for Prime Minister Albanese hosted by US President Joe Biden was still a major event in Washington D.C. this week.
The tightly held guest list was revealed to be packed with plenty of well-known Australian business and political figures, with Australian rapper The Kid Laroi and folk singer Vance Joy thrown in the mix for good measure.
The State Dinner was the highlight of a four-day visit by the Prime Minister to the US capital, where he held strategic meetings with Congress to encourage cooperation on the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal.
While in the States he announced a $5 billion investment into Australia by Microsoft, which is focused on training Australians to work in the digital economy and boosting Australia’s cyber security credentials.
Other major announcements included a $2 billion boost to critical minerals financing, aimed at reducing the sector’s reliance on China, and further military equipment support for Ukraine in their ongoing war with Russia.
Ahead of the PM’s historic trip to China next week, the visit was a strategic demonstration of the strength of the US-Australia Alliance and concerted effort by the Albanese Government to progress the critical AUKUS pact.
Inflation figures signal Melbourne Cup rate rise
On Wednesday, we saw slightly higher-than-forecast inflation figures which indicates that a Melbourne Cup interest rate rise is highly likely.
Australia’s inflation rate rose 1.2% in September quarter which was boosted by higher fuel prices – economists had predicted the quarterly rate to come in at 1.1%. This is an increase from 0.8% in the June quarter.
The inflation figures show there is still a lot of money circulating in the economy and the RBA will need to consider how best to slow this when they meet on 7 November.
In Michele Bullock’s first speech since becoming RBA governor, she said “the [RBA] board will not hesitate to raise the cash rate further if there is a material upward revision to the outlook for inflation”.
This is bad news for middle-Australia mortgage-holders who are already stretched to the limits.
IDF sends tanks into Gaza Strip
As they prepare for a full-scale ground incursion into Gaza, the Israel Defence Forces sent tanks into northern Gaza overnight while battling fronts across the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria in an escalation of the conflict in the region.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has this week been strongly backed in his response to the Hamas attacks by US President Joe Biden. American forces in the Middle East have come under attack by Iran-backed terror groups, and the US has launched retaliatory airstrikes on Iran-linked targets in eastern Syria today. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes were not linked to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, but observers say they risk inflaming tensions in the region.
The international humanitarian community continues to call for restraint in Israel’s pursuit of Hamas in Gaza, with senior Albanese frontbencher Tony Burke today adding his voice to a growing number of government MPs urging more to be done to protect Palestinian civilians.
New US Speaker
Three weeks after Republican Kevin McCarthy was ousted as Speaker of the House, Republicans finally put aside their differences to appoint Louisiana lawyer Mike Johnson as his replacement.
During the unprecedented 22 days of no Speaker, Congress was unable to pass important legislation, approve funding for Israel or Ukraine, or enable the Australian PM to address the US House of Representatives during his state visit.
A relative unknown, Johnson is a Donald Trump ally who backed his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He is the first Louisianan to become speaker and describes himself as a “Christian, a husband, a father, a life-long conservative, constitutional law attorney and a small business owner”.
As the Republican Presidential Primary race continues, Trump will be pleased to have his ally in role and it will be interesting to see how the relationship evolves during the campaign.
Vice President praises Australia’s gun laws after mass shooting
In response to the latest mass shooting in the US, where a gunman killed at least 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Maine, Vice President Kamala Harris said “it does not have to be this way” in reference to Australia’s successful gun laws introduced in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre.
The Vice President made the remarks at an event in Washington with Prime Minister Albanese, as police in Maine searched for the suspect.
More than 24 hours after the shooting, communities around Maine are in lockdown with the gunman still on the run.
The bowling alley targeted by suspected shooter Robert Card was hosting a youth night, where groups of young people and other locals had gathered to enjoy their evening. Card entered the bowling alley and shot dead seven people with a semiautomatic rifle before moving onto a bar, killing eight more. Others later died in hospital.
Harris told the gathering that “our friends in Australia have demonstrated” that gun control laws can work to end the scourge of mass shootings.
So, what will change in the US after the latest shocking loss of innocent lives? We think you know that answer to that one, sadly.
Maxwell notches up fastest World Cup century ever
Australia needs big wins over next opponents Afghanistan and Bangladesh to book their place in the Cricket World Cup semi-finals in India, helped by a thumping win over the Netherlands on Wednesday night.
The Aussies beat the Dutch by 309 runs, but it was the stellar performance of Glenn Maxwell that stole the show.
Maxwell took just 40 balls to bring up his century, the fastest-ever in World Cup history. He faced his first ball in the 41st over, with few thinking he had the time to bring up any substantial score. He was dropped by a Netherlands fielder when he was 26 from 15 and went on to reach 100 with eight balls remaining in the innings.
Spare a thought for Netherlands bowler Bas de Leede, who finished the game with another record – his figures of 2-115 were the worst in the history of one-day cricket.
Actors strike continues
Hollywood continues to be devastated by the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strike. While there has been some progress, the SAG-AFTRA strike has now lasted over 100 day and the impact is being felt across the production sector. One industry insider said that even though actors and studio executives will resume negotiations on Tuesday, “this year is over” and that even if a deal is reached the industry won’t return to business as usual until January.
After 148 days, the Writers Guild of America reached an agreement on a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in September, which meant scribes could start work on scripts and studio executives could progress production – but not with actors.
There was wide-spread hope that actors would be able to reach a deal of their own with studios and streamers, however after a breakdown in communication in mid-October both parties are coming back to the table.
The longer this goes on, the greater the cost to the economy. The sector is worth $5 billion to California alone and the financial impact is being felt across the globe. Despite being so far away from Hollywood, even productions here in Australia have been put on pause because they include SAG actors.
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