What a start to 2024?! After last week’s 2024 predictions, we were going to wait until federal parliament resumes on 6 February to recommence our weekly newsletter. However, so much has happened this week that we thought a brief update was necessary.
This week we’ve seen the Australian Prime Minister criticised for a “broken promise” and there is no doubt the Opposition will seek to capitalise on this when Parliament resumes in early February. Our US friends have also endured a week of non-stop political headlines as the Republican Presidential nomination is now a two-horserace. In lighter news, Australians have enjoyed a remarkable summer of sport – from the cricket to the Australian Open – there’s been plenty of action.
Before we dive into these hot topics, and much more, let’s take a look at what made headlines this week.
- The Prime Minister accused of breaking key election promise.
- Cricket Australia backs down on Australia Day.
- Australian population reached 27 million.
- Box-office smash and record-breaking film Barbie was snubbed at this year’s Academy Awards.
- Leading Indigenous rights campaigner and architect of The Voice to Parliament Tom Calma leads calls for the next GG to be Australia’s first Indigenous Governor-General.
- North Queensland braces for another cyclone.
- Government agencies name Russian man Aleksandr Ermakov as the hacker responsible for the Medibank data hack.
- Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces his retirement from federal parliament.
- Kim Williams named as next Chair of the ABC.
Politics
Is it a broken promise?
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced his government will amend the Stage Three tax cuts that were legislated by the Morrison Government in 2019. These changes are being criticised as a “broken promise” with the Opposition claiming the PM has promised more than 100 times since the 2022 election that his government would keep the stage three tax cuts as they were.
The changes primarily focus on reducing the tax benefits for those earning over $200,000, cutting the tax cut from $9,075 to $4,529. Additionally, the changes include lowering the 19% tax rate for incomes up to $45,000 to 16% and reinstating the 37% rate for those earning between $135,000 and $190,000. People earning up to $150,000 are expected to be better off under the new arrangement compared to the originally legislated stage three tax package. However, those who earn over $190,000 will be significantly worse off.
Some political commentators are likening Albanese’s broken promise to that of former Prime Minister Julia Gillard who said before the 2010 election that there would be “no carbon tax under the government I lead” and then once in power introduced a carbon tax. That decision ultimately led to the end of her Prime Ministership and then the end of the Labor Government at the next election.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has wasted no time on this issue and accused the Prime Minister of ‘knowingly and willingly’ lying about Labor’s plans to change the tax cuts. He believes the decision has severely damaged Albanese’s leadership credibility and that Albanese’s leadership is now ‘terminal’. Dutton even went so far as to challenge him to call an election to present these changes to the Australian public.
There is no doubt this issue will dominate parliament when politicians return to Canberra on 6 February.
PM at the National Press Club
The Prime Minister fronted the press and stakeholders at the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday where his ‘broken promise’ dominated his speech and questions from the press.
He used this speech to reset the narrative for 2024 as federal politics enters the campaign half of the parliamentary term. With a little over 12 months until the next election, both the government and opposition will want to start the year on a high and campaigning on their strengths.
Although the PMs speech was overshadowed by the broken promise, he still managed to use his speech to highlight the success of his government and outline his plan for the year a head.
He also announced the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been tasked to conduct a 12-month inquiry into the supermarkets. The ACCC will examine whether supermarkets are using their market power to expand their profits, and pressure consumers, farmers and suppliers to bolster their bottom line.
The inquiry comes amid accusations that the supermarkets are paying lower prices to farmers but failing to pass on these savings to consumers. As such, the ACCC will examine whether consumers and farmers are receiving a fair deal.
His speech also highlighted that the May Budget will include further cost-of-living relief measures and cited his government’s previous policies relating to childcare, TAFE and cheaper medicines.
It is clear the government will want to focus on cost-of-living when Parliament resumes early next month and will use every opportunity to spruik their relief measures. With many Australians still feeling the pinch and the family budget under enormous pressure, it will be interesting to see if the government’s popularity improves.
Global
Two-horse race for Republican Nomination
At the beginning of this week, Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis ended his campaign for the U.S. Republican presidential nomination and endorsed former President Donald Trump.
DeSantis’s decision followed a disappointing second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, a state where he had invested heavily. Despite initially being seen as a strong challenger to Trump, DeSantis struggled to gain traction against him. DeSantis cited the lack of a clear path to victory as the reason for his withdrawal and said he would focus on his role as Governor of Florida. His endorsement of Trump is significant in the context of the Republican presidential nomination race, now predominantly between Trump and another candidate, Nikki Haley.
In the Iowa caucuses, Donald Trump emerged as the clear winner, securing a significant lead. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finished in second place, narrowly edging out former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. In the New Hampshire primary, Donald Trump led the Republican candidates with 54.3% of the vote, while Nikki Haley received 43.3%. The remaining candidates collectively garnered 2.4%. These results have reinforced Trump’s position as the frontrunner in the race.
Trump’s wins in these early nominating contests are notable, as they position him strongly within the Republican Party for the upcoming presidential election. It might be a two-horse race candidate wise, however Trump’s legal battles add an additional layer of complexity.
Sport/Pop Culture
Starc reaches new milestone
Australian pace bowler Mitchell Starc achieved a significant milestone this week by completing 350 wickets in Test cricket. He became only the fifth Australian to reach this landmark.
Starc accomplished this feat during a Day and Night Test match against the West Indies at the Gabba Stadium in Brisbane. With this achievement, he joined an elite list of Australian bowlers, including Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, who have surpassed the 350 Test wickets mark.
This milestone highlights Starc’s continued excellence and impact in the realm of international cricket.
Heat redemption
As proud Queenslanders and cricket fanatics, we were thrilled to see the Brisbane Heat take out the 2024 Big Bash League Final after 11 years since their last championship win.
Although they were undefeated in the regular season, they took the hard path to make the final after losing the qualifying final. The Heat then went on to beat the Adelaide Strikers in the Challenger Final to make it through to the final.
In the final, the Heat elected to bat first against defending champions The Sydney Sixers and with a stellar batting line-up they put on a run-chase that the Sixers just couldn’t beat. The Heat bowlers put on quite a performance bowling the Sixers out before they were even able to complete the full 20 overs.
Go Queensland!