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☆ Australia to deliver first budget surplus in 15 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia is set to deliver its first budget surplus in 15 years on Tuesday, as its coffers bulge with tax windfalls from higher commodities prices and wages, giving it room to dole out cost-of-living relief amid an inflation squeeze on households. FILE PHOTO: Tourists walk around the forecourt of Australia's Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, October 16, 2017. REUTERS/David GrayHowever, fiscal challenges loom large with resource prices well off their peaks and the domestic economy slowing thanks to high interest rates. That is a huge turnaround from a projected deficit of A$36.9 billion in October, although underlying structural pressures are seen keeping the budget in the red in years ahead. “This will be a responsible Budget, which focuses on people doing it tough,” said Chalmers in an interview with ABC Radio on Monday.

☆ Chris Christie blasts Trump's 2024 presidential campaign as a 'vanity exercise' meant to 'try to make himself feel better'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chris Christie on Sunday called former President Trump's 2024 bid a "vanity exercise." The former governor is mulling a 2024 campaign of his own and is set to make a decision this month. Chris Christie of New Jersey on Sunday once again blasted former President Donald Trump's presidential campaign, calling the ex-president's 2024 effort a "vanity exercise to try to make himself feel better." "I'm very concerned that what we're heading towards is a Trump-Biden rematch," Christie said. The former governor has indicated that he would make a decision about a 2024 campaign sometime this month.

☆ AUKUS nuclear submarine cost includes 50% fund for unexpected overruns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, April 28 (Reuters) - Australia's defence minister said on Friday the government was being "upfront and transparent" about the cost of its AUKUS nuclear submarine programme, after an analysis showed the forecast A$368 billion cost included a 50% contingency fund. The Greens party, which commissioned the analysis by the Parliamentary Budget Office, said it showed the "huge" uncertainty over the project. In a second phase, Australia and Britain will build an AUKUS class submarine, with Australia receiving its first submarine in the early 2040s. read moreAustralia's Parliamentary Budget Office has reported the cost estimate over three decades includes a contingency of A$123 billion. The report showed most of the cost of the submarine programme will be incurred in the two decades from 2033.

☆ 'Judas betrayal': Indigenous Australians denounce opposition for rejecting referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Praveen Menon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File PhotoSYDNEY, April 6 (Reuters) - Senior Indigenous leaders on Thursday criticised Australia's main opposition party's "Judas betrayal" for declaring it would campaign against a proposal to constitutionally recognise the country's Aboriginal and Torres Island people. Noel Pearson, an Indigenous leader and a key campaigner for the community, said he had a sleepless night after hearing the decision of the Liberal Party. "I was troubled by dreams and the spectre of the Dutton Liberal party's Judas betrayal of our country,” he told ABC radio. Uluru Dialogue spokeswoman and Indigenous leader Pat Anderson said the Liberal decision was a vote for “business as usual”. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government has staked significant political capital on the referendum, but no referendum has succeeded in Australia without bipartisan support.

☆ Australia PM Albanese boosted by historic by-election win
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But despite calling the election result "a historic win", Albanese said his government would remain grounded. "This was a significant victory ... but we don't get carried away with this," Albanese told ABC Radio in an interview. The last time the opposition lost a by-election to a government candidate was in 1920, in the Western Australia state goldfields electorate of Kalgoorlie. The by-election win comes a week after Labor returned to power in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state. The win means the party now governs at state and federal levels across Australia's mainland, leaving island state Tasmania as the conservative outlier.

☆ Australian PM says would welcome inflation-matching minimum wage rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Changes to the national minimum wage are reviewed annually by the independent Fair Work Commission (FWC), which last year delivered an increase largely in line with inflation. "If the Fair Work Commission makes that decision then I would welcome it, but it is an independent decision of government. The FWC decision, expected in June, also covers minimum wages and conditions for specific industries and occupations, known as awards. Roughly 2.7 million Australians are covered by awards, compared to around 180,000 on the minimum wage. Catherine Birch, a senior economist at ANZ, said the FWC would likely lift the minimum wage further than award wages, given the latter's broader reach.

☆ Australia treasurer: Some central bank review proposals may need legislative changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, March 30 (Reuters) - Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Thursday some recommendations from an independent review of the Australian central bank's monetary policy decision-making and board make-up may require legislative changes to enact. But the RBA has made 10 straight rate hikes since May to tame surging inflation. Chalmers said he would release the report with the government's initial views next month, ahead of the federal budget in May. "So I'd like to put it out in April, and people can go through it and see what they think about it," he said. Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia 'closely monitoring' global financial turmoil -treasurer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, March 17 (Reuters) - Australia is closely monitoring the current global financial turmoil, including the situation at Swiss lender Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) and some banks in the United States, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Friday. "Whether it's Silicon Valley Bank and the steps taken by the American authorities, whether it's Credit Suisse ... we're monitoring it very, very closely," Chalmers told ABC Radio. He said he was receiving at least two daily updates from Australian authorities on the latest global financial issues. The moves had some "calming effect" but Chalmers said vulnerability and uncertainty across the global financial system remained. "Our banking system is really well capitalised, it's got a really strong liquidity position, it's well regulated and we are well placed in Australia," Chalmers said.

☆ Australia PM visits Fiji to discuss nuclear submarines, regional security
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia is party to a nuclear-free zone treaty with 12 other South Pacific nations, including Fiji, in a region where sensitivity over nuclear weapons is high because of the effects of nuclear weapons tests by the United States and France. Albanese will meet with Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka on Wednesday to discuss regional security, a day after unveiling details of the AUKUS submarine programme in San Diego with the leaders of United States and Britain. Australia will buy three U.S. Virginia-class submarines early next decade, before shifting to production of a new AUKUS submarine based on a British design from 2040. Australia emphasised on Tuesday the submarines will not carry nuclear weapons. Australia's defence officials have said the nuclear submarine fleet is needed as a deterrent to China's naval build up.

☆ Australia plans to reform cyber security rules, set up agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Australia plans to overhaul its cyber security rules and set up an agency to oversee government investment in the field and help coordinate responses to hacker attacks, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil told public radio on Monday. Current cyber security rules are not adequate to deal with attacks and cannot protect consumer data, O'Neil told ABC Radio, blaming the previous government for implementing them. She said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet industry leaders and cyber security experts on Monday, and that he has decided to appoint a cyber security coordinator tasked with ensuring government agencies work together during cyber incidents. The office of the cyber security coordinator will exist within the department of home affairs, she said. The government has published a discussion paper on a new cyber security strategy, which it aims to implement next year, and is seeking feedback on how businesses can improve their cyber security in partnership with the government.

☆ Australia orders review into Chinese-made cameras in defence offices
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationSYDNEY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The Australian government will examine surveillance technology used in offices of the defence department, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday, amid reports the Chinese-made cameras installed there raised security risks. The move comes after Britain in November asked its departments to stop installing Chinese-linked surveillance cameras at sensitive buildings. Some U.S. states have banned vendors and products from several Chinese technology companies. Australian media reported on Wednesday that the national war memorial in Canberra would remove several Chinese-made security cameras installed on the premises over concerns of spying. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was not concerned about how Beijing might react to the removal of cameras.

Brisbane CNN —Australia’s new $5 banknote will not feature Britain’s King Charles III, but rather a new design that honors “the culture and history of the First Australians,” its central bank announced Thursday. The bank will consult with First Australians in designing the $5 banknote, which could take several years to be issued, it added. The mint has said it expects to unveil the design of the first King Charles coins early this year. In Australia, the Queen’s portrait “has been represented in every Australian banknote series since her coronation,” through seven decades, according to the RBA. Video Ad Feedback CNN reporter predicts what we'll see from King Charles 05:17 - Source: CNN— CNN’s Anna Cooban and Angus Watson contributed to this report.

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., made a significant revision to his 2022 campaign filings Tuesday by specifying that a $500,000 loan he made to the campaign didn't come from his personal funds. The initial filing in September included a checked box saying the hefty loan came from the "personal funds of the candidate." About $150,000 in loans is still marked as having come from his personal funds. A separate filing shows a new $125,000 loan that came from Santos in October but was not from his personal funds. A spokesperson for Santos’ congressional office said it does "not comment on campaign or personal matters."

“To the people of #NY03 I have my story to tell and it will be told next week,” Santos tweeted on Dec. 22. After images surfaced showing Santos dressed in drag, Santos insisted it was “categorically false” that he had ever performed as a drag queen. A Siena College survey released Monday showed many New York voters seem to agree with Stern’s assessment. Just 16% of New York voters said they viewed Santos favorably — including a mere 15% of Republicans. Additionally, 59% of New York voters said Santos should resign while just 17% said he should not.

☆ Australia limits alcohol sales in Alice Springs amid crime wave
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The new rules in the town of Alice Springs, 2,000 km northwest of Sydney, and the surrounding region, mean that the sale of takeaway alcohol will be restricted on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and sales will be reduced on other days. A fifth of the citizens of Alice Springs are Indigenous. Community leaders across Australia have long identified alcohol abuse as a huge factor behind violence and health problems. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who met politicians, police and community leaders in Alice Springs earlier on Tuesday, said the steps on alcohol had to be seen in a broader context. Domestic violence, assaults and property damage in Alice Springs rose between 43% and 60% in the 12 months to November 2022, according to the latest crime statistics from the territory government.

NBC News has repeatedly contacted Santos’ team with requests for comment about his lies and other allegations against him. Here is a timeline mapping out the controversy:Nov. 3, 2020: Santos loses his first bid for Congress to Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi. Sept. 6, 2022: Santos files his personal financial disclosure report, claiming his assets are as much as $11 million. The New York Times later reported that none of the 49 victims appear to have worked at the various firms named in his biography. In another Dec. 26 interview with the New York Post, Santos acknowledges some of the specific fabrications in his résumé.

☆ Watchdog group accuses George Santos of campaign finance violations in FEC complaint
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A national watchdog group has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Republican U.S. Rep. George Santos for allegedly violating numerous campaign finance laws during his successful run for Congress. The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan campaign watchdog organization, filed the complaint with the FEC on Monday. The group accuses the Santos campaign of allegedly violating three counts of campaign finance laws, including one tied to a $705,000 loan the lawmaker made to his campaign. Santos is under scrutiny by congressional lawmakers and federal authorities for lying and embellishing key elements of his resume during his 2022 campaign for Congress. The Campaign Legal Center claims that the loan he made to his campaign may have come from a straw donor.

☆ GOP Rep. Nancy Mace says Rep. George Santos' 'entire résumé and life was manufactured' and that it will be 'very difficult to work with anyone who cannot be trusted'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

GOP Rep. Nancy Mace spoke about her new colleague, Rep. George Santos, on CBS News. She said it will be "very difficult" to work with Santos because he's proven untrustworthy. "It's very clear his entire résumé and life was manufactured until a couple days ago when he finally changed his website." While also appearing on "Face the Nation," GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales defended him by simply saying, "there's a lot of frauds in Congress." "I mean, George Santos is the least of this country's worries," he added.

☆ A Democrat yelled the Portuguese word for 'liar' at George Santos after he cast his vote for Kevin McCarthy for Speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Someone on the Democratic side of the House chamber yelled "mentiroso" at Rep.-elect George Santos. The word means "liar" in both Portuguese and Spanish. McCarthy endorsed Santos on the campaign trail, and Santos responded by giving a glowing endorsement of McCarthy to become the next Speaker. The House cannot move forward without a Speaker and must keep voting for one before any members are sworn in. Tuesday's failure to elect a Speaker on the first vote marked the first time such an event had happened in 100 years.

☆ Congressman-elect George Santos faces increasing calls to resign
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Congressman-elect George Santos is facing increasing calls to resign following admissions that he fabricated parts of his resumé, including information about his education and employment history. “I’m not saying I’m not guilty of that.”Congressman-elect George Santos speaks during a press conference in Baldwin, N.Y. on Nov. 9, 2022. NBC News attempted to reach George Santos overnight but has not yet received a response. Public employment records only show one employer for Santos’ mother: Imports by Rose, a company based in Queens that shuttered in 1994. When asked about Santos’ claims regarding his mother, Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, referred NBC News to Kevin Connors, whom Murray said would be handling Santos’ press inquiries.

☆ Australian PM to meet gas producers over price cap concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday he would speak this week with the gas industry lobby, which is seeking an urgent meeting over the government's plan to cap gas prices for one year. "We'll meet with them when we meet with them this week," Albanese told ABC Radio. The prime minister did not specify if he would meet the gas producers before the legislation is introduced in the parliament. Parliament will hold a special session on Thursday to vote on the plan to cap gas prices at A$12 ($8.14) per gigajoule and coal prices for power producers at A$125 per tonne. The move, announced late Friday, comes amid soaring energy prices that have resulted in windfall profits for miners and gas producers.

SYDNEY, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Indonesia's release of convicted Bali bomb maker Umar Patek will be a "difficult day" for Australians who lost loved ones and relatives in the attacks, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday. Patek was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2012 for his involvement in bombings that ripped through two Bali nightclubs, killing 202 people, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians. "I think this going to be a very difficult day for many Australians – all Australians – to hear about the release of Umar Patek," Marles told ABC radio. "I'm particularly thinking right now of the families of those who were killed and injured in the Bali bombings." [1/2] Indonesian militant Umar Patek walks after reading his final defence at the West Jakarta court May 31, 2012.

☆ Umar Patek: Bali bomber released on parole in Indonesia after serving half of 20-year sentence
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Jakarta, Indonesia CNN —Indonesia has released on parole Umar Patek, a bomb maker in the deadly 2002 Bali attacks, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights said on Wednesday. After his release on Wednesday, Patek is required to join a “mentoring program” until April 2030, according to the ministry statement. In August, Indonesia’s government said that Patek was eligible for parole after his sentence was reduced, a decision that sparked criticism from the victims’ families. “I think this going to be a very difficult day for many Australians – all Australians – to hear about the release of Umar Patek,” Marles told ABC radio. Three of the masterminds of the Bali bombings – Imam Samudra, Amrozi bin Nurhasyim and Ali Ghufron – were executed in 2008.

☆ Analysis: Australia's climate policies don't match its big talk at COP27
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Praveen Menon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Albanese's climate change minister, Chris Bowen, telling the conference Australia was a "willing climate collaborator", made a pitch to host COP31 in 2026 along with the Pacific island nations. "But if you turn to see the other side of the face it's all about the fossil fuel development and the government's addiction to fossil fuel royalties and revenues," Hutley told Reuters in a phone interview from COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. Australia's biggest contribution to the climate crisis is its export of fossil fuels. More than 100 fossil fuel developments continued in various stages as of December 2021, the council said in a report this month, based on government data. "There is clearly a policy gap in Australia that is allowing fossil fuel companies to continue expanding and developing new fossil fuel projects," said Will van de Pol, asset management campaigner at activist investor group Market Forces.

Two weeks later, we're back into major floods," NSW emergency services' Chief Superintendent Ashley Sullivan told ABC television from Forbes. To help with relief efforts, 18 flood rescue specialists from Singapore reached Sydney on Thursday, authorities said, who will join a team from New Zealand and hundreds of Australian defence personnel already deployed to the worst-hit regions. Help has also been sought from the United States for the relief operation, which authorities have flagged will be the biggest flood rescue exercise in New South Wales' history. The damage from the latest flood could cost "billions of dollars", Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said. "The bill is really racking up and that's before we look at the immense cost of road and infrastructure repairs which lies ahead," Watt told ABC radio.

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