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☆ Qantas unveils new livery in support for Indigenous referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Qantas (QAN.AX) on Monday unveiled plans for some aircraft to carry special livery supporting recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Straits Island people in Australia's constitution, stepping into the divisive debate on Indigenous rights. Australians will vote in a landmark referendum later this year on whether they support altering the constitution to include a "Voice to Parliament", an Indigenous committee to advise parliament on matters affecting First Nations people. Support for the proposal has been dipping in recent months, according to opinion polls. The national carrier said livery featuring a 'Yes23' logo, asking Australians to vote Yes in the referendum, will be carried on three aircraft: a Qantas Boeing 737, a QantasLink Dash 8 Turboprop and a Jetstar Airbus A320. In addition to the Yes livery, Qantas will support the Yes23 campaign teams with travel so they can engage with regional and remote Australians ahead of the referendum, the company said in a statement.

Persons: Alan Joyce, Anthony Albanese, Praveen Menon, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Qantas, Torres Straits, Qantas Boeing, Jetstar Airbus, Nations, Thomson Locations: Australia

Some opponents, however, argue the move would hand excessive powers to the Indigenous body, while others have described it as tokenism and toothless. A Guardian poll this week showed more Australians are planning to vote no in the referendum than yes, a first in the survey. Parties on both sides of a debate released official pamphlets last month, and are holding road shows about the upcoming vote. "I believe Australia is ready," he said in a radio interview on Wednesday, which marked World Indigenous Day. Albanese has said the referendum will be held between October and December, but has given no fixed date.

Persons: Albanese, Matt Qvortrup, Anthony Albanese, Warren Mundine, Dean Parkin, Qvortrup, Praveen Menon, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Guardian, ANU College of Law, West, Thomson Locations: Australia, Torres, West Australia

☆ US to help Australia develop guided missiles by 2025
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, July 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. will help Australia produce guided multiple-launch rocket systems by 2025, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday, after the two nations' top officials pledged to engage with China but also oppose it if needed. Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are in Queensland state for the annual Australia-U.S. "We are pursuing several mutually beneficial initiatives with Australia's defence industry, and these include a commitment to help Australia produce guided multiple launch rocket systems... by 2025," Austin told a press conference. U.S Secretary of State Blinken said "chief" among Saturday's high-profile talks with Australia was a shared commitment to a free and secure Indo-Pacific region. The games, however, were put on hold after an Australian military helicopter participating in the exercises crashed into the ocean, with at least four people onboard feared dead.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Antony Blinken, Austin, Richard Marles, Marles, Blinken, Praveen Menon, Sam McKeith, William Mallard Organizations: SYDNEY, Austin, . Ministerial, Australian, Labor, U.S, Australia, Talisman Sabre, Thomson Locations: U.S, Australia, China, Queensland, Taiwan, Australian, Ukraine, Russia, Beijing

☆ US calls on Russia to cease 'irresponsible behaviour' in Syria after drone hit with flare
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, July 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday called on Russia to abide by the laws of the sky and cease "irresponsible behaviour" when asked about Russian attacks on U.S. drones in Syria. The U.S. military said a MQ-9 drone over Syria was "severely" damaged when it was hit with a flare from a Russian fighter jet earlier this week, the latest in a series of close interactions between Russian and U.S. military aircraft in the region. Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken are in Australia for the annual Australia-U.S. "We'll continue to engage using the established channels to convey our concern and we'll continue to engage senior leadership as appropriate. But, again, we will continue to operate, as we have always operated in the airspaces, and we will protect our interests and our resources," said Austin.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Austin, Antony Blinken, We'll, Praveen Menon, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, U.S . Defense, Austin, . Ministerial, Thomson Locations: Russia, Syria, The U.S, Russian, Brisbane, Australia

☆ Blinken calls for immediate release of ousted Niger president
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, July 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Saturday for the immediate release of ousted Niger President Mohamed Bazoum and the restoration of democratic order in the country. Leaders of a coup in Niger declared General Abdourahamane Tiani as head of state on Friday, saying they had ousted Bazoum in the seventh military takeover in West and Central Africa in less than three years. Blinken told journalists in Brisbane, Australia he had spoken to Bazoum by telephone, without providing further details. The U.S. is calling for his immediate release and restoration of democratic order, Blinken added. Before the uprising, Niger was seen as the West's most stable ally in an unstable region.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Mohamed Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Bazoum, Blinken, Praveen Menon, William Mallard Organizations: SYDNEY, Niger, Thomson Locations: Niger, West, Central Africa, Brisbane, Australia, U.S

☆ Helicopter crash puts key Australia-US war games on hold
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, July 29 (Reuters) - Joint military exercises between Australia and the United States were paused on Saturday after an Australian Defence Force (ADF) helicopter involved in the war games crashed into the ocean off the coast of Queensland state. Director of the Talisman Sabre military exercises, Brigadier Damian Hill, said they had been put on hold following the crash. Talisman Sabre comprises two weeks of war games involving more than 30,000 troops and participants from 11 other countries, in a show of force and unity amid China's military build-up in the region. The exercises are taking place in various locations across Australia and include mock land and air combat, as well as amphibious landings. Reporting by Praveen Menon and Sam McKeith; Editing by Sandra Maler and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Richard Marles, Damian Hill, I've, Talisman, Hill, Praveen Menon, Sam McKeith, Sandra Maler Organizations: SYDNEY, Australian Defence Force, ADF, Defence, Talisman Sabre, Sabre, Thomson Locations: Australia, United States, Queensland, Hamilton, Brisbane, Lincoln

☆ Australia says it is 'confident' on US nuclear submarines as ministers meet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, July 28 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was confident a deal for the U.S. to sell nuclear powered submarines to Australia was on track, ahead of talks between defence and foreign ministers of the two countries on Friday. Twenty-five U.S. Republican lawmakers told President Joe Biden on Thursday the plan to sell three attack submarines to Australia under the so-called AUKUS partnership would "unacceptably weaken" the U.S. fleet without a clear plan to replace them. The United States, Britain and Australia announced the three-way AUKUS defence agreement in 2021 under which Australia is to obtain nuclear submarine technology from the United States. The U.S. is Australia's major security ally and announced with Britain in March that the United States would sell Australia three U.S. Virginia class nuclear powered submarines in the early 2030s, before Britain and Australia produce a new submarine class - SSN-AUKUS - the following decade. "Now's the time to be working closely with friends, and Australia has no better friend than the United States of America," Marles said at the start of a meeting with his U.S. counterpart.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Albanese, Richard Marles, Austin, Marles, Kirsty Needham, Alasdair Pal, Praveen Menon Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Republican, U.S, Defence, ., Democrats, NATO, Britain, Australian Defence, Sky, U.S ., Marines, Thomson Locations: Australia, Queensland, United States, Britain, Lithuania, U.S, . Virginia, CHINA, East, South, Japan, United States of America, Darwin, Sydney, Lincoln

☆ Three killed in Auckland shootout ahead of World Cup kick off
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AUCKLAND, July 20 (Reuters) - At least two people and an armed attacker were killed and six others wounded in a shooting in New Zealand's largest city of Auckland on Thursday, hours ahead of the opening match of the Women's soccer World Cup in the city. [1/4]Police vehicles are seen near the location of a reported shooting in Auckland, New Zealand on July 20, 2023. REUTERS/Nathan FrandinoHipkins is travelling to Auckland later in the day and is expected to provide more updates. The shootout occurred close to where several soccer players were housed. Norway plays New Zealand in the opening match of the tournament at Eden Park in Auckland later on Thursday.

Persons: Chris Hipkins, Hipkins, Nathan Frandino Hipkins, Maren Mjelde, Douglas Emhoff, Kamala Harris, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, Renju Jose, Praveen Menon, Sandra Maler, Stephen Coates Organizations: AUCKLAND, Police, REUTERS, Norwegian, Verdens Gang, New Zealand, Eden, Auckland Mayor, Thomson Locations: Zealand's, Auckland, Auckland , New Zealand, Norway, New, Italy, U.S, New Zealand, Sydney

☆ Australia debates Indigenous referendum as pamphlets launched
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, July 18 (Reuters) - Parties on both sides of a debate on whether to constitutionally recognise Australia's Indigenous people released their official pamphlets on Tuesday, which will start being delivered to letterboxes across the country. Pamphlets from those supporting the constitutional change, known as the 'Yes' camp, and those against it, called the 'No' camp, was published on the election commission website on Tuesday. Supporters argued voting yes in the referendum would "unite the nation" as it recognises a 65,000 year-old Indigenous culture and would bring practical progress for Indigenous health, education, employment and housing. While a majority of Indigenous Australians still back the change, recent polls have shown that support has been wavering at a national level. In the past there have been 44 proposals for constitutional change in 19 referendums, and only eight of these have passed.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Praveen Menon, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Aboriginal, First Nations, Thomson Locations: Torres, Australia's, Australia

☆ Australia picks first female central bank head to shepherd through reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Lowe will leave on Sept. 17, marking the end of his 43-year career at the bank. The decision comes as Lowe is due to accompany Chalmers to a Group of 20 meeting in India next week. "Michele Bullock will become the first woman to ever lead the Reserve Bank in this country." His two predecessors, again both career central bankers, were reappointed to second terms and each served 10 years in total. "The Reserve Bank is in very good hands as it deals with the current inflation challenge and implementing the recommendations of the Review of the RBA," Lowe said in a statement on Friday.

Persons: Michele Bullock, Governor Bullock, Philip Lowe, Jim Chalmers, Anthony Albanese, Lowe, Chalmers, Bullock, Tony Sycamore, She’s, Wayne Cole, Renju Jose, Praveen Menon Organizations: SYDNEY, Reserve Bank of Australia, Reserve Bank, Bank, London School of Economics, IG Group, Aussie, Thomson Locations: Australia, India, Sydney, Lincoln

SYDNEY, July 14 (Reuters) - Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Michele Bullock will take over from Governor Philip Lowe in September and has already flagged that leading the country's central bank through a period of change will be a major priority. Bullock, the first woman to helm the country's central bank, will have the task of leading the bank through its biggest internal shakeup in decades while also maintaining the fight against inflation. "I wasn't sure I would ever be in this position," Bullock said in a 2022 interview with her alma mater. "I never thought that Guy Debelle, who was the deputy governor, would leave the Bank. A review into the central bank published in April recommended sweeping changes including the setup of a separate specialist board to manage monetary policy, less frequent meetings and more public communication.

Persons: Michele Bullock, Philip Lowe, Bullock, Anthony Albanese, Jim Chalmers, Michele, Jonathan Kearns, Bullock's, Guy Debelle, Lowe, Su, Lin Ong, Lewis Jackson, Stella Qiu, Praveen Menon Organizations: SYDNEY, Reserve Bank, University of New, London School of Economics, Challenger, RBC Capital Markets, Thomson Locations: University of New England, Armidale, Sydney, Lincoln

☆ Divisive China, Taiwan bids to join Pacific trade pact in focus at meet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Britain will become the 12th member to join the pact that cuts trade barriers, as it looks to deepen ties in the Pacific. In support of its application, Britain has said that CPTPP countries will have a combined GDP of 11 trillion pounds ($13.6 trillion) once Britain joins, or 15% of global GDP. "There’s a large gap between the high standards and binding commitments that are demanded of CPTPP members, and where China is currently at," he added. The other countries' applications also provide opportunities. "After modernising the Canada-Ukraine FTA this year, Canada knows that Ukraine is capable of meeting the high standards of the CPTPP," she said.

Persons: Charles Finny, CPTPP, Chris Hipkins, Shu Jueting, Penny Wong, Aidan Arasasingham, Joanne Ou, Roy Lee, Mary Ng, Lucy Craymer, Ben Blanchard, Joe Cash, Praveen Menon, Muralikumar Organizations: WELLINGTON, Trans, Pacific, New Zealand, Reuters, Centre, Strategic, International Studies, Washington DC, Thomson Locations: Pacific, Auckland, China, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, Britain, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Ecuador, Ukraine, New, Beijing, Zealand, Jakarta, Taipei, CPTPP, Wellington

The cost to make a flat white, one of the most popular Australian coffee orders, jumped by nearly one-fifth. The result is smaller profits, a shrinking pool of regular customers and business owners heading for the exit. Before COVID-19, hospitality venues were about one-third of Australian small businesses advertised for sale. It paused in July but warned it may resume hiking if inflation, still running at 7%, fails to slow. "Some of my regulars I used to have will still come and get coffee and say, 'We had to bring lunch.

Persons: Jack Hanna, Hanna, Damian Krigstein, Peter Meredith, Guy Cooper, insolvencies, Patrick Coghlan, that's, David Cox, Cox, Byron Kaye, Lewis Jackson, Praveen Menon, Sonali Paul Organizations: Reuters, SBS Business, Link Business Sales Australasia, Australian Securities and Investments, Thomson Locations: SYDNEY, Europe, Sydney, Ukraine, Sydney's

That initiative follows a visit to Japan by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in January when he said the lessons China was learning from Ukraine could influence its decisions. NATO documents have begun to reflect concern about China, East Asia and the Indo-Pacific, but Japan needs to deepen its awareness of those issues, a Japanese official involved in discussions about NATO ties said. Diplomats from two European NATO countries who spoke to Reuters said unease in the alliance about a Tokyo office went beyond France. Another Japanese official involved in preparations for Kishida's NATO visit said the idea of a NATO office in Japan had nothing to do with China, but that is how it became framed, and each NATO country has its own relations with China. Under Yoon, South Korea has set up a liaison office with NATO in Brussels and has embraced a call for unity among like-minded countries.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, ”, Michito Tsuruoka, Kishida, Jens Stoltenberg, Emmanuel Macron's, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Anthony Albanese, We’ll, Albanese, Sakura Murakami, Tim Kelly, John Irish, Josh Smith, Praveen Menon Organizations: NATO, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Keio University, NATO's, Diplomats, Reuters, Japanese, SYDNEY South, Australian, Asia Pacific, Ukraine, Sky News, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Lithuania, Ukraine, Asia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, U.S, Europe, Russia, NATO, East Asia, China, Taiwan, North Korea, Lithuania's, Vilnius, Tokyo, France, Brussels, Danish, SEOUL, Poland, Paris, Seoul, Sydney

☆ Australia urged to ban online gambling ads to curb growing addiction
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The committee made 31 recommendations on how online gambling, which it said was changing the culture of sport, should be regulated and how Australians struggling with addiction should be supported. Australians outspend the citizens of every other country on online gambling, Peta Murphy, chair of the committee said in the report titled "You win some, you lose more". Murphy said online gambling companies advertise deliberately and strategically alongside sport, which has normalised it as fun and harmless and socialble activity. A phased, comprehensive ban on all gambling advertising on all media, broadcast and online, that left no room for circumvention, was needed, the panel said. The gambling problem shifted online to a much greater extent when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of public venues.

Persons: Peta Murphy, Murphy, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Praveen Menon, Robert Birsel Organizations: SYDNEY, Entain PLC, Tabcorp Holdings, ABC Gold Coast, Thomson Locations: Australia, London

The Australian scandal is the latest in a number the "big four" professional services firm has faced around the globe. Auditor PwC said it was unable to comment on client issues due to confidentiality clauses. Its auditor PwC and affiliates agreed to pay $33 million in fines and compensation to settle U.S. litigation in 2011. India's market regulator barred PwC's local affiliate from auditing listed companies for two years in 2018, but that was overturned the following year. ($1 = 1.4984 Australian dollars)Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Praveen Menon and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kristin Stubbins, PwC, Lewis Jackson, Praveen Menon, Sonali Paul Organizations: SYDNEY, PricewaterhouseCoopers, International, Wyelands Bank, Colonial Bank ., Satyam, Enron, PwC, Thomson Locations: Australia, Brazil, Britain, Alabama, Colonial Bank . India

"I think most of the world is watching," Megan Davis, constitutional lawyer and Aboriginal woman who is leading the campaign for the change, told Reuters in an interview. A successful referendum will set a precedent that will be "really useful for other indigenous populations around the world in relation to recognition," Davis said. While a majority of Indigenous Australians back the change, support has been wavering at a national level, according to recent opinion polls. In the past there have been 44 proposals for constitutional change in 19 referendums, and only eight of these have passed. Pat Anderson, another Indigenous woman and campaign leader said this was the best political space Aboriginal Australians have been in since their struggle started over 200 years ago.

Persons: Megan Davis, Davis, Pat Anderson, Anderson, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, Reuters, First Nations, Nations, UN, United, Indigenous Peoples, Australia's, Thomson Locations: Australia, Torres, Scandinavia, British, Australia's, Canada, New Zealand, United States

SYDNEY, June 19 (Reuters) - Australia's Senate passed legislation on Monday that paves the way for the country to hold a landmark referendum later this year on whether to recognise its Indigenous people in the constitution. Support for the constitutional change has been wavering in the recent weeks. Getting constitutional change is difficult in Australia. In the past there have been 44 proposals for constitutional change in 19 referendums, and only eight of these have passed. Independent Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe, who has also been a vocal opponent of the bill, said the change will only create a "powerless advisory body".

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Malarndirri McCarthy, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, Lidia Thorpe, Praveen Menon, Michael Perry Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Labor Party, Liberal Party, Independent, Thomson Locations: Torres, Australia's, Australia

☆ Australian senator asked to resign after allegations of misconduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, June 16 (Reuters) - Australia's main opposition Liberal Party leader asked a senator to resign on Friday following allegations of sexual misconduct against him by female senators, which he has denied. The accusations against Liberal Party Senator David Van follow numerous previous complaints about the culture in Australia's parliament house, which led to an inquiry in 2021 that found one in three people working there had experienced sexual harassment. Earlier this week Thorpe, speaking under parliamentary privilege, said she had been sexually assaulted by Van in the previous parliamentary term, which Van immediately denied. Following Thorpe's comments, former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker said in a statement that Van inappropriately touched her at a party in 2020 by squeezing her bottom twice. A third allegation has also emerged against senator Van, opposition Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton told the media on Friday, without giving details.

Persons: David Van, Thorpe, Van, Amanda Stoker, Peter Dutton, Dutton, Scott Morrison, Morrison, Praveen Menon, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, Liberal Party, Liberal, Nine Radio, Thomson

The referendum, which comes amid a wider reckoning over race relations, proposes to change the constitution and establish an advisory body called the Indigenous Voice to Parliament to give Indigenous Australians a direct say in policies that affect them. Five of those polled were funding or planned to fund the "Yes" campaign, while none endorsed nor were contributing to "No". Commonwealth Bank told Reuters it plans to fund the "Yes" campaign and had hosted two panel discussions with Indigenous speakers. Rio Tinto, which faced criticism in 2020 for destroying Indigenous rock shelters, said the Voice would bring an "additional lens" to government decision-making. Aurora Milroy, a lecturer in Indigenous affairs at the University of Western Australia, said supporting the Voice was easy publicity for companies.

Persons: Rita Wright, Loren Elliott, Anthony Albanese, Intifar Chowdhury, Albanese, Meg O'Neill, Ross Piper, Baker McKenzie, Thomas Mayo, Kate Gillingham, Peter Dutton, Coles, Rio Tinto, Fortescue, Aurora Milroy, Byron Kaye, Praveen Menon, Melanie Burton, David Crawshaw, Devayani, Anant Chandak, Veronica Khongwir, Sujith Pai Organizations: Australian, REUTERS, Australia's, BHP, Rio Tinto, Woodside Energy, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Labor, Voice, National, Nine Entertainment, Reuters, Commonwealth Bank, Ethical Investment, Qantas, Australian Financial, Liberal, Fair Australia, Miners, Fortescue Metals, University of Western, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Rio, Western Australia, Woodside, Queensland, University of Western Australia, Melbourne

☆ New Zealand court sentences Megaupload coders to prison, Herald reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, June 15 (Reuters) - Two coders at the file-sharing website Megaupload were sentenced to prison by a New Zealand court on Thursday after pleading guilty in a deal in which they promised to testify against the site's founder Kim Dotcom, according to the New Zealand Herald. Mathias Ortmann was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison and Bram van der Kolk to two years and six months by the High Court in Auckland, the newspaper reported on its website. German-born Dotcom, who has a New Zealand residency, is fighting extradition to the United States relating to his Megaupload site, which was shut down in 2012 following an FBI-ordered raid on his Auckland mansion. The sentences for Ortmann and van der Kolk were significantly lowered from 10 years as the court gave substantial discounts for the guilty pleas, assistance to the FBI and rehabilitation efforts, the NZ Herald said. U.S. authorities say Dotcom, Ortmann, van der Kolk and a fourth Megaupload executive who has since died had cost film studios and record companies more than $500 million and generated more than $175 million by encouraging paying users to store and share copyrighted material.

Persons: Megaupload, Kim Dotcom, Mathias Ortmann, Bram van der Kolk, Dotcom, van der, Praveen Menon, Peter Graff Organizations: SYDNEY, New Zealand Herald, High, FBI, NZ Herald, Twitter, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Auckland, Zealand, United States

☆ Australia's visa overhaul leaves Chinese millionaires in limbo
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Chinese and Malaysian tourists take photographs of the Sydney Opera House from a viewing area located on Sydney Harbour, Australia, October 4, 2016. Similar investment visa schemes have been scrapped in Canada, Britain and Singapore as governments conclude they do not create jobs and could be a means to park speculative money. It said a new migration strategy would be released later this year, which would include "radically reshaping" the BIIP programme. "I just don't think the investor programme is on their radar at the moment - they might overhaul it down the track. BIIP holders say they are curtailing business investment given the uncertainty, postponing life decisions and in some cases selling properties in Australia.

Persons: David Gray SYDNEY, Paul Wang, Wang, Tony Le Nevez, Tan, Stella Qiu, Praveen Menon, William Mallard Organizations: Sydney Opera House, REUTERS, Innovation, Investment, Labor, Department of Home Affairs, Henley & Partners Australia, Thomson Locations: Malaysian, Sydney Harbour, Australia, Beijing, Canada, Britain, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, United States

☆ Australian senator alleges assault in parliament house; calls for safer workplace
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, June 15 (Reuters) - An Australian senator on Thursday said she was followed, aggressively propositioned and inappropriately touched by another senator in parliament house, and called on the government to make the building safer for women. "I experienced sexual comments and was inappropriately propositioned by powerful men," Thorpe told the Senate, where her comments are protected by parliamentary privilege. Thorpe made the comments on Thursday, after the previous day accusing Liberal Party senator David Van of harassing and sexually assaulting her during the previous parliamentary term. "I will fully cooperate with the investigators and answer any questions that they may have of me and Senator Thorpe should do the same," Van said. Thorpe's claims follow numerous reports of sexual abuse and misconduct in parliament, which led to an independent inquiry into parliamentary workplace culture which found one in three people working there had experienced sexual harassment.

Persons: Lidia Thorpe, Thorpe, David Van, Van, Peter Dutton, Dutton, Thorpe's, Praveen Menon, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Senate, Liberal, Liberal Party, Thomson Locations: Australian

☆ Fewer than half of Australians back Indigenous panel, poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, June 13 (Reuters) - Fewer than half of Australians back the inclusion of an Indigenous advisory panel in the constitution, in a plan set to face a referendum this year, a newspaper poll showed on Tuesday, down from 53% in May. Published by the Sydney Morning Herald, the poll showed that 49% of respondents supported the change, down from 53% in May, while 51% said they were opposed to it. Indigenous Australians, who form 3.2% of a population of 26 million, fare poorly on yardsticks such as health, education and imprisonment rates. A newspoll survey published last week also found that fewer than half of all Australians supported the referendum. But another poll published on Tuesday showed support holding steady for the Indigenous "Voice to Parliament", as the panel is called.

Persons: Dean Parkin, Anthony Albanese, Praveen Menon, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: SYDNEY, Aboriginal, Sydney Morning Herald, Sky News, Guardian, Thomson Locations: Torres, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia

☆ Support dips for Indigenous recognition referendum in Australia, poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

About 46% will vote yes to having the new advisory body, called the Indigenous "Voice to Parliament", while 43% would vote no, according to the Newspoll survey published in the Australian newspaper on Monday. The poll comes just days after the referendum legislation cleared its first parliamentary hurdle as it was passed in the House of Representatives. This is the first survey to poll voters on the precise question they will be asked at the ballot box when the referendum is held, expected between October and December. Another poll last month found the yes vote dipping to 53% from 58% earlier this year. While a majority of Indigenous people support the Voice, others argue it is a distraction from achieving practical and positive outcomes.

Persons: Read, Anthony Albanese, Praveen Menon, Ediring, Michael Perry Organizations: Australian, Torres Strait, Thomson Locations: Rio Tinto, Perth, Australia, SYDNEY, Australia's

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