Overhaul of rules for Coles, Woolies
The overhaul of pricing obligations will attempt to arrest so-called ‘shrinkflation’, where supermarkets and producers quietly cut product sizes rather than raise prices.
Politics
Experts take power out of Miles’ plan to cut energy costs
Steven Miles’s claim that a new state-owned electricity retailer would slash power prices in Queensland has been shot down by economists and energy experts who say the policy is superficial.
Welcome to Steven Miles’s nightmare: Queensland ALP faces election oblivion
Polls show that Queensland Labor is facing defeat at the October 26 election, and some ALP insiders fear the Premier and his likely leadership successor Shannon Fentiman could also lose their seats.
ACTU takes ‘sledgehammer to economy’
Employers call on the government to rule out legislating to scrap junior rates if Labor is re-elected.
‘Don’t stand for us’: Marginalised groups’ Greens backlash
A grassroots Queensland Jewish group has joined with Hindu and Iranian groups to launch a campaign against the Greens, declaring the party ‘no longer stands for all minorities’.
Watchdog casts doubt on aged care reforms
Labor’s $5.6bn aged care reform risks falling short of what was recommended by the royal commission and safeguards elderly Australians’ rights in a purely ‘aspirational’ way, the Inspector-General of Aged Care has warned.
Payman political party on verge of becoming a reality within weeks
West Australian senator Fatima Payman is set to establish and launch her own political party as early as next month, compounding electoral woes for Anthony Albanese and Labor.
Staff quit over cost cutting before Callide explosion
Safety managers at one of Queensland’s largest state-run power stations quit over state government-ordered cost cutting before it blew up in 2021, a court has heard.
Dutton’s pre-election pledge to ‘turn the tide of anti-Semitism’
Peter Dutton has portrayed himself as a leader with ‘moral clarity and courage’ who can restore social cohesion after declaring the Coalition ‘will not waver’ in its support for Israel and Australians of Jewish faith.
Albanese raises the white flag in new age of terror
Australia has broken ranks with the US in refusing to recognise the ‘necessity’ of dismantling Hezbollah’s strike capabilities against Israel, after the Jewish state launched a ground operation in Lebanon.
A-Gs no longer ‘defender of judiciary’: Chief Justice
Judges should not expect attorneys-general to defend them in the face of ‘ill-informed’ attacks, the top judge of Australia’s largest jurisdiction says, particularly when it would involve criticising their cabinet colleagues.
Councils push feds for housing partnership
Australian Local Government Association says some smaller councils are having to decide whether to close or reduce the hours of services, amid a push for a new housing partnership.
Signs seem to point to March poll
Jim Chalmers has borrowed Wayne Swan’s box of magic fiscal tricks to deliver a smoke and mirrors surplus that firms up expectations of a March election.
Anger in Muslim heartland and ‘ALP to blame’
A prominent Lebanese Muslim community leader has questioned Penny Wong’s fitness to serve and said Labor had itself to blame for Muslim voters abandoning it as he encouraged the community to vote with its ‘conscience’.
Stalled spend lifts surplus to $15bn
As Jim Chalmers heralded the budget upgrade as a result of expenditure restraint rather than higher taxes, Treasury figures showed the improvement was largely the result of deferred spending.
Treasurer dubious on negative gearing reform
As the political stoush over negative gearing intensifies, Jim Chalmers backed in Anthony Albanese’s scepticism over winding back the tax concession for property investors.
LNP gets election campaign jump start
Everyone on the LNP campaign bus was up before dawn for what turned out to be day one of the 2024 election campaign – just how David Crisafulli likes it.
Self-interest wins out every time … but only in short term
As Queensland officially kicks off the state election, both Labor and the Liberal National Party should be on a unity ticket when it comes to the Greens.
Islamophobia special envoy unveiled
The newly appointed special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, has vowed to advocate against both hate directed at the Muslim community and anti-Semitism.
Public servants union bankrolling Miles
Together, under the banner of ‘The Coalition of Working Families’, is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to help sandbag key seats at the October 26 poll.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/page/2