logo
Voters head to the polls to elect Australia's next government

Voters head to the polls to elect Australia's next government

SBS Australia02-05-2025

Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with .
TRANSCRIPT
Voting booths open across the country as Australia elects its next government.
Gaza-bound aid activists attacked by a drone in international waters.
And in sport, surfer Stephanie Gilmore prepares to compete in the Gold Coast Pro. After five weeks of campaigning Australians head to the polls to decide the nation's political future with millions of voters casting a ballot today. A final YouGov poll of more than 3000 people released on today puts Labor in the box seat to form majority government. The poll reveals Labor is ahead 52.2 per cent to 47.8 per cent on a two-party preferred basis. The YouGov poll also revealed 38 per cent of those surveyed had cast their ballot during the pre-poll period. Labor goes into election day with 78 seats, while the coalition have 57 in the 150-seat House of Representatives. A majority of 76 seats is needed for a party to form government. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told SBS News that Australians can't trust that the Coalition won't impose new restrictions on pensioners who travel overseas. He says Coalition costing documents released on Thursday show the LNP plans to impose cuts on some pensions. "Including, of course, if pensioners go overseas for four weeks, then they'll have their pensions suspended. Now that will impact many of your listeners, elderly Greek Australians, Italian Australians, Portuguese Australians, so many Australians who do share their time between Australia and the country of their birth." Opposition leader Peter Dutton denies this, telling S-B-S the Coalition has no plan to change payments to pensioners based on overseas travel. "It's just completely false, and I think it's actually shameful that the prime minister would seek to scare older Australians. It's just another lie out of this campaign, unfortunately, and I've really made a focus on talking about our positive plan, and this is just a frankly misleading comment from the prime minister, and it's designed to scare people on the eve of an election." A ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists headed for Gaza has been bombed by drones in international waters off Malta. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition NGO uploaded footage showing a fire on one of its ships and accused Israel of the attack. Israel has so far not responded to these claims. The Maltese government says the 12 crew members and four civilians on board are safe. SBS spoke to Australian activist Surya McEwan who was due to join the Gaza aid ship and he says if the strike occurred hours later he would have been onboard. "It was shocking to all of us but we've had that feeling of being shocked by the atrocities that are happening over and over and over again for the last couple of years so maybe we shouldn't have been so shocked. It was a surprise though. Our intention today was to take a small crew out to tend to the injuries of those onboard and to assess the damage to the ship. The Maltese military intervened and we weren't able to get onto the ship." Nigel Farage's populist, right-wing Reform UK party has won a parliamentary seat in northwest England by the smallest ever margin in a parliamentary by-election in the country's history. Reform's Sarah Pochin beat Labour's candidate by just six votes in Runcorn and Helsby which had previously been a safe Labour seat with the party winning more than half the area's votes in last year's national election. The anti-immigration party also saw significant local wins, electing two regional mayors in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire. Party leader Nigel Farage says the wins are a sign of bigger things to come for Reform. 'This is phenomenal. We've got swings going on towards Reform, massive swings from Conservatives in Staffordshire, massive swings from Labor happening in Doncaster, happening right here in one of their safest seats in the country. So it's a big exciting night for us." Germany's domestic intelligence agency has classified the far-right Alternative for Germany party as an extremist threat, despite the party winning the second largest number of votes in February's federal election. The move will enable authorities to monitor the party more closely, including by using secret methods like recruiting confidential informants and intercepting communications. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser says the party pursues efforts against Germany's democratic order. "Their nationalist attitude is shown in racist remarks, especially against immigrants and Muslims. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has a clear legal mandate to combat extremism and protect our democracy, and it operates independently." Stephanie Gilmore says the competitive fires are still burning as she prepares to return to the World Surf League where she will take on rivals almost half her age. As an eight-time world champion and six-time winner of the Gold Coast Pro - which gets underway this weekend - Gilmore has nothing left to prove.
But the 36-year-old says the drive to compete has never gone away, which is why she's making a one-off appearance at the Gold Coast Pro before returning full-time to the tour next year.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rogue senator Dorinda Cox accuses Greens of ‘deep racism' in scathing resignation letter
Rogue senator Dorinda Cox accuses Greens of ‘deep racism' in scathing resignation letter

Sky News AU

time30 minutes ago

  • Sky News AU

Rogue senator Dorinda Cox accuses Greens of ‘deep racism' in scathing resignation letter

Senator Dorinda Cox has accused the Greens of being 'deeply racist' in a blistering resignation letter, years after she left Labor for patronising women of colour. Ms Cox previously said she chose to quit the minor party to join the Albanese government after some 'deep reflection' about her personal values. In a blistering resignation letter, revealed by the ABC on Wednesday, Ms Cox said the Greens had tolerated racism and failed to protect First Nations women. "In my experience, the Greens tolerate a culture that permits violence against First Nations women within its structures,' she said in the formal letter. 'In this respect, the party is deeply racist.' The letter followed Ms Cox's 2020 claims that she quit the Labor Party to join the Greens because Labor had a 'patronising attitude towards women and people of colour'. Ms Cox's dramatic defection to the Labor Party last week came after her unsuccessful bid to become the Greens' deputy leader. She was the party's only Indigenous senator at the time of her resignation, after independent senator Lidia Thorpe also quit the Greens in 2023. Ms Cox's accusations include claims that the Greens ignored her reports of serious incidents. This included an altercation at Perth Airport in 2023 involving former ACT Greens candidate and Blak Greens leader Tjanara Goreng Goreng. Ms Cox also claimed that there were further incidents involving staff who were 'isolated by the state and other MP's offices'. — Australian Greens (@Greens) October 17, 2021 A Labor MP told Sky News that Ms Cox's resignation exposed a deeper hypocrisy within the Greens' approach to Indigenous representation. The MP said that the Greens 'pretended' to represent Indigenous voices but in truth had done nothing to help Aboriginal communities. They also pointed to the defection of Aboriginal woman Lidia Thorpe from the party, who quit over disagreements surrounding the Voice to Parliament referendum. Ms Thorpe agreed with Ms Cox that there was racism within the Greens when asked about the resignation letter on Wednesday. 'I think there's racism everywhere in this country. And there's a lot of work that the Greens and answer other organisations need to do to stamp that out,' she told the ABC. Sky News has contacted the Greens for comment. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young blasted her former colleague last Thursday, calling on her to quit the Senate. 'I always think that it's not fair to the voters and indeed any of the parties involved that if somebody is elected to one party and then jumps ship later on,' she told reporters. 'I do think the honourable thing is to resign from the parliament, but that's not the rules, and so we're left where we are.' The comments follow a spate of criticism surrounding Ms Cox's abrupt resignation. Ms Cox only announced she would leave the party after she lost a deputy leadership ballot 9–3 to Senator Mehreen Faruqi. She then claimed 'deep reflection' had led her to realise her values were more closely aligned with Labor's. Greens leader Larissa Waters condemned her former colleague's decision and said she had only been informed of the move an hour before it was announced. 'The Greens are disappointed in Senator Cox's decision to leave the Greens and join the Labor party as a backbencher,' Ms Waters said at the time. Ms Cox's sudden transformation has met skepticism and accusations of political opportunism, particularly given her scathing past criticisms of the Labor Party. In 2020, Ms Cox said she left Labor because it was 'patronising to women and people of colour' and accused the party of caring more about donors than members. More recently, she accused Labor of having 'spectacularly failed' the public through its support for the North West Shelf gas project. Also resurfacing was her support for the controversial slogan 'from the river to the sea' - a phrase Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly condemned. Adding to the controversy was another leaked 2023 text message in which Ms Cox referred to One Nation leader Pauline Hanson as a 'f---ing retard'. Labor's apparent willingness to accept Ms Cox, despite these incidents, has drawn comparisons to Mr Albanese's prior treatment of former Labor Senator Fatima Payman. Ms Payman was hounded by Mr Albanese after she quit the Labor Party last year to form her own party, Australia's Voice. 'There is a bit of hypocrisy, of course, about how Labor has responded to this,' Ms Hanson-Young said. 'It wasn't okay to jump ship for Fatima Payman, but apparently when it's people coming to them, it's all okay.' Ms Payman herself chimed in, saying she was surprised Ms Cox had not suffered the "smear campaign' which she endured after her exit from Labor. Meanwhile, internal alleged complaints of staff bullying continue to hang over Ms Cox's legacy in the Greens. More than 20 staff reportedly quit her office, the SMH revealed, prompting an internal investigation—but the probe was abandoned following her defection. 'There has been a process, and an internal process is hard to run if somebody's gone to another party,' Ms Hanson-Young said. Former Labor minister Stephen Conroy added to criticism, calling for Ms Cox to 'resign from the Senate' and seek Labor preselection through the proper channels. 'She shouldn't steal something from the Greens; she should resign and ensure that it's passed back to the Greens,' Mr Conroy told Sky News.

Penny Wong spruiks PM's gift of the gab ahead of high stakes Trump meet
Penny Wong spruiks PM's gift of the gab ahead of high stakes Trump meet

West Australian

time31 minutes ago

  • West Australian

Penny Wong spruiks PM's gift of the gab ahead of high stakes Trump meet

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has praised Anthony Albanese's gift of the gab ahead of the Prime Minister's first face-to-face with Donald Trump. NewsWire understands the two leaders are set to meet on the sidelines of the G7 in Canada starting later this week but a time has not been confirmed. With a tariff carve out and defence spending straining relations between Canberra and Washington, Mr Albanese has no shortage of uncomfortable talking points for the US President. But Senator Wong said on Wednesday Mr Albanese was 'pretty good at handling meetings'. 'He's had a lot of experience, not just as prime minister but as a senior minister for a very long time,' she told Nine. 'Look, we don't agree with the President Trump's administration on tariffs. 'We've made that clear. We think it's not consistent with our free trade agreement. 'We don't think it's in the interests of American consumers. 'We think it's an act of economic self-harm. We've made that clear publicly, consistently, and we will continue to do so.' Senator Wong refused to 'speculate' if bumping up Australian defence spending — which the US has demanded be hiked to 3.5 per cent of GDP — would be on the table. 'We'll always do what is required to keep Australians safe,' she said. 'We've invested more money in defence over the next few years, and also forward over the (next) ten.' Senator Wong added that the Albanese government was 'very aware of the circumstances Australia faces' and that building up ties with Pacific neighbours was key to the strategy. 'A great part of my job is to work with other countries because those relationships contribute to stability and security in our region, which is where stability, security and ultimately our prosperity come from,' she said. More to come.

JACKSON HEWETT: Australia's appeal to global capital, if it gets the settings right, could see flood of funds
JACKSON HEWETT: Australia's appeal to global capital, if it gets the settings right, could see flood of funds

West Australian

time32 minutes ago

  • West Australian

JACKSON HEWETT: Australia's appeal to global capital, if it gets the settings right, could see flood of funds

Australia is in the box seat to receive a flood of capital seeking refuge from economic turbulence in the United States, according to some of the country's largest investors. At a symposium hosted by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Future Fund chief executive Dr Raphael Arndt said many of the world's largest fund managers are heavily exposed to US assets and are now looking for more stable jurisdictions to diversify. 'In the listed markets, the US is somewhere between 60 and 70 per cent of global market cap... in private markets, it's even more,' Dr Arndt said. 'So every investor in private markets in the world has a huge exposure to the US. Many investors, including us, are thinking hard about how we should diversify that exposure. Australia is right up there in terms of attractive investment destinations, alongside parts of Europe and Japan.' That sentiment was echoed by ASIC chair Joe Longo, who said recent discussions in Washington DC and Doha revealed Australia was seen as a safe harbour. 'Australia is seen as a sophisticated market, with strong rule of law and institutions. I'm certain that Australia has a real opportunity here, if we play our cards right,' Mr Longo said. The increased capital interest could drive further momentum in Australia's already buoyant equity market, which hit near-record highs this week despite volatility in global equities triggered by US President Donald Trump's new round of tariffs. But it's not just equities that may benefit. Panel participants noted that private investment markets are also experiencing rapid growth — particularly in private credit, where both demand for yield and investor appetite for uncorrelated returns are driving activity. Australia's largest super funds, such as AustralianSuper and Australian Retirement Trust, now invest around 30 per cent of their portfolios into unlisted assets encompassing infrastructure, private equity, property, and private credit. The Future Fund, which does not publish returns in the same way, also maintains substantial allocations to private markets. Jason Collins, Australian head of investment giant BlackRock, which manages $US11.6 trillion ($17.7 trillion) globally, said his firm had $280 billion in Australian public and private assets. Over the past five years, BlackRock had significantly expanded its private markets operations, deploying $30 billion across 50 local investments — a move Mr Collins said was driven by structural changes in the global economy. 'Governments around the world have high debt to GDP levels — above 90 per cent globally,' Mr Collins said. 'The US is under 125 per cent, Japan over 200 per cent. Governments also have reducing tax bases. In 22 of the 27 EU member states, the working age population is declining. In Australia, one in 10 people will retire in the next 10 years. 'So with high debt to GDP and a lower taxation base in the future, there's a real need for private capital to meet some pretty critical needs in the global economy, especially in infrastructure. That's the thinking behind our private markets expansion.' Global investor appetite has followed, and Australia is increasingly attractive, with 80 per cent of the capital flowing to Australia via BlackRock from international investors. 'Earlier in my career I was selling BlackRock to Australians. Now I sell Australia to BlackRock,' he said. ASIC has welcomed the interest in Australian assets but is also keen to understand the extent to which they are reshaping Australians' investment opportunities. While listed equities remain dominant at $3 trillion, private capital has surged 161 per cent over the past decade to $148 billion. With initial public offerings at a 20-year low in 2023, ASIC this week announced new regulations to fast-track the listing process. Even so, the panel noted, private markets are increasingly appealing as equity markets become more concentrated. That trend is partly driven by the rise of large superannuation funds, which are so closely benchmarked under the government's MySuper performance tests that they predominantly track the ASX index, investing heavily in top companies. Matthew Michelini, head of Asia Pacific for private equity firm Apollo Global, which manages $US785 billion, described the Australian market as a concentrated bet on a few miners and four major banks. He said that global monetary policy over the past two decades had channelled excess liquidity into financial markets, distorting public equities. 'Most of that surplus went into financial markets. There are very few places that can absorb that. So public markets, by and large, became indexed, correlated, concentrated, driven by passive money,' Mr Michelini said. As a result, traditional portfolio construction of 60 per cent equities and 40 per cent bonds no longer offers the same diversification. Investors are turning to private markets in search of uncorrelated returns. 'Public markets aren't particularly good places to fund a growth company that has to reinvest in its own business or acquire businesses to turn around,' Dr Arndt said. 'That's how you create a lot of value as an investor, and that's why we would expect higher returns in private markets.' However, ASIC has raised concerns about transparency in private investment, especially in private credit markets. Commissioner Simone Constant said several submissions to ASIC's inquiry warned about the lack of visibility. 'What did surprise me, actually, was the number of submissions that said this is something you should be worried about,' she said. 'It may not be a problem now, but you need to understand the size of this wall of money in case it becomes one.' Ms Constant also noted the sheer size of private enterprise in Australia. 'One of the numbers that stood out to me was that 96 per cent of Australian companies earning over $100 million a year are private. That's really significant when you look at the employment numbers; it's about 85 per cent of people employed in the private (sector)'. With one in ten Australians set to retire over the next decade, demand for higher-yielding private investments is likely to grow. Global giants like BlackRock and Apollo are looking to expand access, but the lack of data and investor understanding remains a risk. Peter Warne, a non-executive director at UniSuper and chair of Virgin Australia, said improving valuation standards for unlisted assets was crucial to building trust. 'One of the big triggers for the GFC was the poor mortgage lending market in the US. That was all done at the state level, and no one was collecting the data,' Mr Warne said. 'The Federal Reserve didn't actually know how big this thing was until it blew up. I think we'd all be better off with more data to assess whether systemic risks are building.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store