This week we are adding a new section to our weekly wrap-up – a quick snapshot of the headlines from across the media this week. We will continue to bring you the key topics from Australian politics, interesting events across the globe and the latest pop culture or sports news.
What’s making headlines?
- This week Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the Voice to Parliament referendum will take place on Saturday, 14 October.
- Inflation fell from 5.4 percent last month to 4.9 percent in the year to July – this has renewed hopes the RBA will keep interest rates on hold when they meet on Tuesday.
- Self-proclaimed “world’s greatest athlete” Anthony Mundine has publicly opposed the Voice, noting sovereignty as one of the reasons for his opposition.
- Federal politicians have received their biggest pay rise in a decade with the Remuneration Tribunal increasing the Prime Minister’s annual salary to $586,930 and a backbencher (majority of politicians) to $225,742.
- With just over a year until the Queensland State Election, Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk’s leadership is under threat with several Labor party heavyweights said to be unhappy with her handling of the youth crime and health crises.
- The Victorian Liberal Party secured victory in the Warrandyte by-election, and with Labor not running a candidate they were able to increase their primary vote.
- Federal parliament resumes on Monday and the controversial IR reforms are expected to dominate debate in Canberra.
Politics
The Voice
The Prime Minister has officially announced the date for The Voice to Parliament referendum. Aussies will have their chance to vote on Saturday, 14 October, and don’t forget voting is compulsory.
Australians should expect to feel like they are in an election campaign over the next six weeks. We expect to see multi-million-dollar advertising campaigns from both the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ camps. Politicians and public figures will be hitting the streets trying to persuade voters to cast their vote a certain way. We’ve already received the official booklet from the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) and while the AEC hasn’t said how much this referendum is costing taxpayers, they did say it will be a similar cost to that of the 2022 federal election – which was over $522 million.
Recent polling shows that the ‘No’ vote is still leading in most states across Australia however there are an estimated 4.6 million undecided voters so neither camp is giving up. The Prime Minister and ‘Yes’ campaign supporters will target SA, WA and Tasmania over the next six weeks as those states will be their key to victory.
What a lot of people don’t know is that the path to victory for ‘yes’ in a referendum is much harder because a double majority is required for it to succeed. What does that mean? It means both a majority of national voters and a majority of states need to vote ‘yes’ for there to be constitutional change. Hence why the state polling has been so important.
Teals call for GST increase
The six Teal independents in federal parliament who won wealthy electorates off the Liberals at the last election have called on the Treasurer to implement major tax reform, including increasing the GST.
Sophie Scamps, the MP for Sydney’s northern beaches in NSW, said, “Our tax system currently relies too heavily on income tax, which dampens productivity – but also as our population ages, a smaller and smaller proportion of people will be responsible for keeping our country afloat in increasingly difficult circumstances”.
When asked about what changes should be made to the tax system, Wentworth, NSW MP Allegra Spender (and the daughter of Australia’s much loved fashion designer the late Carla Zampatti) said, “I believe that everything should be on the table…GST should be on the table. Capital gains tax should be on the table.”
When then Prime Minister John Howard introduced GST he first took the policy to an election as it was incredibly controversial and he believed that something of this scale warranted a vote. The Howard Government was returned at that election and Howard viewed that as a mandate to implement GST. Following this precedent, we can’t see Treasurer Jim Chalmers making any changes without consent of voters.
While we certainly don’t agree with all aspects of the Teals economic policies, we are honestly thrilled to hear politicians at least talking about major tax reform and recognising that continually increasing income tax is unsustainable. Tax reform in Australia is long overdue.
Qantas grilled at Parliamentary Inquiry
It’s been a difficult week for Qantas with airline executives facing a Senate Inquiry and the ACCC launching legal action against them.
Earlier this week, CEO Alan Joyce faced fired-up Senators who grilled him and his executives over the high price of airfares, company profits, limitations on travel credits and his relationship with the Prime Minister. Senators from all political persuasions peppered Qantas representatives with questions but Mr Joyce gave little away. One of the interesting questions raised was if Qantas should have to pay back some of the $2 billion in taxpayer funds they received during the pandemic given they have just reported a pre-tax profit of $2.5 billion. They were also asked about what engagement they had with the Prime Minister and federal government over the recent government decision to deny Qatar Airways an additional 28 flights in and out of Australia.
The Qatar decision has made headlines all week with Ministers giving different reasons for the decision. When Transport Minister Catherine King made the decision last month, she said it was “not in the national interest” to grant the additional flights but failed to explain any further. Fast forward to this week when her junior minister publicly stated that the flights were denied to protect the profitability of Qantas. There has been much scrutiny of this statement and Minister King has since had to walk these comments back. Many high profile figures, including the ANZ boss, Virgin CEO and a former Treasurer, have criticised the decision with many calling for a review of the decision. We have a feeling this isn’t over and we haven’t heard the end of it yet.
As if Qantas weren’t already dealing with enough, this week the ACCC (competition regulator) launched legal action against them for allegedly selling tickets for flights that had already been cancelled during a three-month period in 2022.
In a win for consumers, Qantas has caved to pressure and agreed to honour all travel credits beyond the original expiration date of 31 December. Qantas customers can now request a cash refund, while Jetstar customers will have no expiry date on their travel credits. Qantas is clearly on a mission to improve their reputation.
Global
Trump
Of course, we had to start the global section with Trump – all eyes are watching!
As mentioned last week, he was arrested in Georgia last week and his mugshot has been splashed across every media outlet since. But trust Trump to turn this legal situation into a money-making exercise. His campaign has reported that they have raised $AU11 million from his mugshot merchandise.
On a serious note, the trial date for his alleged involvement in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election result has been announced – 4 March 2024. This is just eight months before the 2024 Presidential Election and just one day before the Super Tuesday set of Republican primaries (a key vote in determining the Republican Presidential nominee). Trump has pled not guilty to the charges and is appealing the trial date.
There were 18 others charged alongside Donald Trump in Georgia, including former New York mayor and Trump’s then lawyer Rudy Giuliani. He faces 13 charges and has dismissed the investigation against him as politically motivated. Giuliani led the legal challenges to dispute the outcome of the 2020 election, and is accused of making false statements about election fraud.
With Trump still well and truly ahead in the Republican race, the 2024 election is likely to be round two of Trump v. Biden.
Tune in next week for another Trump update.
London’s low emission zone expands
An extra five million people living on the outskirts of London will now pay a daily penalty for driving older cars that don’t meet minimum emission standards, after the city’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was expanded this week.
The ULEZ was first introduced in a small part of central London in 2019, before being expanded in 2021 to include London’s inner suburbs. The move this week to extend the zone to cover all London’s outer suburbs has sparked protests and guerilla campaigns to vandalise newly installed traffic cameras that will monitor the new zone.
The policy is hugely controversial, with opponents saying the move to slug drivers of older cars with a £12.50 fee will exacerbate the city’s cost of living crisis. Many of the five million people who live in London’s outer boroughs are from lower socio-economic backgrounds and live in areas with fewer public transport connections than the inner city.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has fiercely defended the plan, saying it will save lives and is helping the city reduce its air pollution and meet emission targets.
Canada issues warning for LGBTQ travellers to the US
The Canadian Government has updated its travel advice for the United States, warning LGBTQ Canadians travelling to the US about the impact of state laws and policies on the transgender community.
Without naming specific states, the travel advisory urges travellers to familiarise themselves with local laws before they travel to the US.
Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was reported as saying it was the government’s responsibility to monitor “particular dangers and to particular groups of Canadians”.
Global Affairs Canada issues similar warnings to LGBTQ travellers for countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Uganda that have laws expressly discriminating against the rights of LGBTQ persons.
Pop Culture and Sport
AFL creates history
The AFL created history this week by appointing its first female head of football operations. Laura Kane will step into the role on a full-time permanent basis ahead of the AFL finals.
An AFL spokesperson said “As someone who was involved in both the day-to-day operations and strategic planning of an AFL men’s program and also a key part of North Melbourne’s successful bid for an AFLW team, Laura has brought to the AFL a keen sense of club experience and knowledge of the impact of AFL decisions.”
Her remit will include a focus on AFLW and with women’s sport riding high on the success of the Matildas, perhaps we are entering a new era for female sport.
Spanish football boss controversy
The mother of Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales’, who caused outroar when he kissed star footballer Jenni Hermoso after their World Cup win, has been hospitalised following a three-day hunger strike, in a bizarre twist to the ongoing fallout.
Angeles Bejar had locked herself inside a church and vowed to endure a hunger strike until her son’s name was cleared, claiming Hermoso was lying about her role in the interaction on stage.
She was taken to hospital after three days, with a local priest saying she had suffered an extreme panic attack.
Officials at the Royal Spanish Football Federation, of which Rubiales is President, have asked him to resign. Soccer’s world governing body FIFA has suspended him for three months while they investigate the issue, and Spain’s World Cup winning players have said they will refuse to play while Rubiales remains at the helm of Spanish football.
Taylor Swift’s nemesis Scooter Braun in client exodus
Celebrity manager Scooter Braun, who famously fell out with mega pop star Taylor Swift, has reportedly lost a whole bunch of his high-profile clients in the last couple of weeks – and Swift’s army of fans are gleefully fanning the controversy.
A-list celebs Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Idina Menzel are all said to have left Braun’s production company, and there are reports his highest-profile and longest-serving client Justin Bieber is also trying to cut ties with the music executive.
Braun, who has been one of the most powerful figures in the music industry for the past decade, has been public enemy number one among Swift’s legion of fans since she called him out in 2019 for his controlling and manipulative behaviour.
Needless to say, Swifties have been rejoicing in the latest news that karma may indeed be coming back around for Braun, while sources close to his company insist he is simply recalibrating his business interests.