AustralianPolitics.com

Australia Day in 1973 Passed Almost Unnoticed But Whitlam Began Search For A New National Anthem

January 26, 2024

Australia Day 1973 passed almost unnoticed, according to one radio news report, but Gough Whitlam used his 53rd day as prime minister to announce a search for a new national anthem.

Listen to a news report from radio 3DB in Melbourne on January 26, 1973, including a clip from Whitlam’s speech (1m)

Whitlam’s announcement of a replacement for God Save the Queen came in his Australia Day address. He said:

“We feel it is essential that Australians have an Anthem that fittingly embodies our national aspirations and reflects our status as an independent nation. We need an Anthem that uniquely identifies our country abroad, and recalls vividly to ourselves the distinctive qualities of Australian life and the character and traditions of our nation. These aims are particularly important to the Labor Government which I lead. It has been one of tile central ambitions of my administration to foster a fresh and distinctive reputation for Australia overseas, and to encourage in our domestic affairs a greater spirit of shared purpose and national unity. My Government does not believe that our present National Anthem is adequate for these purposes.”

Whitlam announced a competition for the new anthem, culminating in a public vote and a prize of $5000.00 to the winner.

Dutton says Albanese Should Call an Election: “His Leadership is Terminal”

January 25, 2024

The Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton, has responded to the Prime Minister’s Press Club appearance today.

The rhetoric could charitably be described as over-the-top:

“Slippery slopes, terminal leadership, panic, reneging on commitments, whether he can ever be trusted again … Dunkley, a huge credibility problem, he should apologise, the press club was a ramble, Dunkley voters can have no trust that these tax cuts will survive another election, the advice of the Treasury and Reserve Bank is not accurate … To the people of Dunkley and the people of Australia generally, if this prime minister can look your neighbour in the eye and lie, you’re next .. He’s not a truthful person.”

Watch Dutton (11m):

Albanese Addresses National Press Club on Stage 3 Tax Changes

January 25, 2024

The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has defended the changes the government has made to the Stage 3 tax cuts.

In an address to the National Press Club, Albanese confirmed that the tax system will remain progressive with the reintroduction of the 37% tax scale. Whereas the Stage 3 cuts excluded people on lower incomes, all taxpayers will now receive a tax cut from July 1, but those on higher incomes have had their cut reduced.

Approximately one million people will receive a lower tax cut than originally legislated. The $200,000 threshold has been lowered to $190,000. A taxpayer who would have got a tax cut of $9,000 will now get around $4,500.

However, 11.5 million people will receive larger tax cuts. The original Stage 3 only applied to taxpayers earning more than $45,000, but will now apply to all taxpayers earning beyond the tax-free threshold of $18,200. The lowest tax scale of 19% will be reduced to 16%. Lower income taxpayers will also benefit from an increased threshold for payment of the Medicare levy.

Questioned at length by reporters about the the proposals being lies and a broken election promise, Albanese stressed that it was now a better policy and his obligation as prime minister was to adapt to changes and to look after the majority of Australians. His speech to the press club was titled “Middle Australia”.

Listen to Albanese at the National Press Club (75m):

The full transcripts of Albanese’s appearance at the National Press Club appear below.

Watch Albanese’s National Press Club appearance (75m):

Scott Morrison to Resign From Parliament at End of February

January 23, 2024

The former prime minister, Scott Morrison, has announced that he will retire from parliament at the end of February.

Morrison made the announcement in a statement posted on Facebook. He said he would “take on new challenges in the global corporate sector and spend more time with my family.”

Morrison’s Facebook post today

The 1041st member of the House of Representatives, Morrison entered parliament as the member for Cook at the 2007 election, his arrival coinciding with the defeat of the Howard government. He was re-elected in 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2022. The precise date of his resignation is not known but he will have served for 16 years and 3 months.

Argentinian President Milei Defends Capitalism At Davos World Economic Forum

January 20, 2024

The libertarian economist and newly-elected President of Argentina, Javier Milei, has delivered a strident defence of capitalism at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Reflecting a growing view being expressed by emerging right-wing leaders around the world, Milei said: “Unfortunately, in recent decades, the main leaders of the Western world have abandoned the model of freedom for different versions of what we call collectivism. Some have been motivated by well-meaning individuals who are willing to help others, and others have been motivated by the wish to belong to a privileged caste.”

Milei referred to the “privileged caste” as “parasites”. He argued that “free trade capitalism as an economic system is the only instrument we have to end hunger, poverty and extreme poverty across our planet. The empirical evidence is unquestionable.”

Milei argued for a governing model “based on the fundamental principle of libertarianism. The defence of life, of freedom and of property.”

Argentina has inflation of 140%. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to shrink by 2.5% in 2024. The country defaulted on its debt commitments in 2020.

Watch Milei’s speech in Davos – AI has been used to translate the speech into English from Spanish (19m):

IMF Says Australian Economic Growth Is Weakening, Inflation “Persistently High”

January 19, 2024

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a “country report” on the Australian economy, warning that growth is weakening and inflation remains persistently high.

The IMF says: “Australia’s post-pandemic recovery remained strong. However, growth is weakening on the heels of tighter macroeconomic policies and financial conditions. While inflation has peaked, it remains persistently high. Labor market shows signs of easing, and the positive output gap is narrowing. Increased cost of living started to weigh on household consumption. The economy remains resilient in the near term but confronts a secular productivity slowdown. Financial stability risks remain contained although pockets of vulnerability exist and risks of spillovers from global financial conditions have increased.”

Inflation should gradually return to the Reserve Bank’s target range in 2026, the IMF says, while growth is expected to slow to around 1.4% in 2024.

The report says: “Faltering private consumption would continue to put a drag on the economy, as households with mortgages bear the brunt of higher interest rates, amidst lower real wages and depleting savings.”

The IMF commended authorities “for their recent measures to tackle skill shortages and improve labor market outcomes, particularly for women.” However, the report stresses “the need for further reforms to reignite productivity growth and foster inclusion.”

A Time of Change: Heads of Government and Opposition Leaders Across Australia

January 8, 2024

As 2024 starts, a reminder that across the nine federal, state and territory jurisdictions, there are eight Labor governments.

Current Australian Heads of Government & Opposition Leaders – from December 21, 2024
No.	Jurisdiction	PM/Premier/ Chief Minister	Age	Party	Since	Opposition Leader	Age	Party	Since
1.	AUSTRALIA	Anthony Albanese	60	ALP	23.05.2022	Peter Dutton	53	LNP	30.05.2022
2.	New South Wales	Chris Minns	44	ALP	28.03.2022	Mark Speakman	54	Liberal	21.04.2023
3.	Victoria	Jacinta Allan	50	ALP	27.09.2023	John Pesutto	53	Liberal	08.12.2022
4.	Queensland	Steven Miles	46	ALP	15.12.2023	David Crisafulli	44	LNP	12.11.2020
5.	Western Australia	Roger Cook	62	ALP	08.06.2023	Shane Love	57	National	30.01.2023
6.	South Australia	Peter Malinauskas	39	ALP	21.03.2022	David Speirs	43	Liberal	19.04.2023
7.	Tasmania	Jeremy Rockliff	53	Liberal	08.04.2022	Rebecca White	40	ALP	07.07.2021
8.	Australian Capital Territory	Andrew Barr	50	ALP	11.12.2014	Elizabeth Lee	40	Liberal	27.10.2020
9.	Northern Territory	Eva Lawler	–	ALP	21.12.2023	Lia Finocchiaro	39	CLP	01.02.2020

Three elections are scheduled for later this year, one in Queensland and one each in the ACT and Northern Territory. See a full list of election dates here.

The demise of the Queensland and NT governments is possible at these elections. The ACT government is a coalition of Labor and Greens members. There is next to no chance that it will be defeated.

It has been a time of new starts with 8 of the 9 jurisdictions gaining a new head of government over the past 22 months.

Three of these were as the result of an election: Australia (Morrison to Albanese), New South Wales (Perrottet to Minns) and South Australia (Marshall to Malinauskas).

Five heads of government changed as the result of retirements or forced departure: Tasmania (Gutwein to Rockliff), Western Australia (McGowan to Cook), Victoria (Andrews to Allan), Queensland (Palaszczuk to Miles) and the Northern Territory (Fyles to Lawler).

This page of heads of government and opposition leaders is regularly updated with more detail than shown in the table above.