Latest news with #FederalElection
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Costed energy policy, real cost of living relief: What Sussan Ley must offer voters to haul the Coalition back from pitiful 40-year polling low
The 2025 Federal Election was a landslide victory to Labor and a massive blow to the Liberal Party. Compounding that, data released this week, revealed support for the Coalition has sunk to a 40-year low, although Labor has failed to capitalise on the exodus. Despite the uphill battle the Liberal Party now face, there is no assurance that Labor will secure a next-term win, and in fact, it is now anyone's game. The biggest lesson that can be taken from the Federal Election is that when any party strays from its core values, they will be punished at the polls. The 2025 primary vote for Labor was 34.6 per cent while the LNP primary vote was 31.8 per cent. Contrast that to the 2019 Morrison versus Shorten election, with Labor's primary at 33 per cent while the Morrison-led coalition achieved a primary of 41 per cent. The 2019 LNP result looks like a dream compared to the nightmare they just endured. The Liberals in particular, have been dealt the worst hand, with previous supporters voting for minor parties and independents, and the preferences heavily in favour of Labor. The Greens are another party who are paying the price for jumping into issues without a clear agenda. The group remain a force in the Senate but lost three out of four of their Lower House seats, including that of Greens leader, Adam Bandt. On the other hand, One Nation has doubled their numbers in the Senate, increasing to four Senators. People know what they are voting for and the renewed numbers for One Nation is the outcome delivered from disgruntled voters who look towards alternate parties who show their cards and stick to the values that voters align with. Parties are also defined by their action or inaction in opposition. In 2007, Kevin Rudd easily took down a stale Howard-Costello government who had been in power for a decade and had begun messing with Industrial Relations laws to the detriment of the average Aussie battler. Mr Rudd was a clean slate, and announced he would abolish Howard's 'unfair dismissal' laws, which affected everyone employed by small and medium businesses with under 100, employees, and on the flipside, promised climate change action, laptops in classrooms and a faster internet. Then, when Tony Abbott became opposition leader, he was so effective and aggressive in his relentless attacks on a chaotic and dysfunctional Rudd-led Labor Party, that he was credited for the internal toppling of Rudd, who was replace by Julia Gillard. Mr Abbott outlined everything that was different between the Liberal's path compared to the disastrous paths Mr Rudd had led Australia down. Mr Abbott pledged to "stop the boats", and get rid of the carbon and mining taxes. It should have been an easy task for Peter Dutton, as opposition leader, to show the public the contrast between the Liberal outlook compared to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's failures as Labor leader. But with policy on the fly, such as the not-so-well-thought-out nuclear power stations (without costings), the appeal of the Liberals remained flat in the recent election with a lower primary vote even to Labor's. The Liberals have the most to lose – and the most to gain over the next three years as they navigate a new path forward. They will need to prove to a skeptical voting public that they have the better policies to help make Australia's economy stronger, cost of living cheaper, and its social values uncompromised. New Liberal opposition leader Sussan Ley and her deputy Ted O'Brien are off to a shaky start with a messy split between the Liberals and Nationals after a breakdown in talks between Ms Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud, before the parties made amends. Then, during her first major address as opposition leader at the National Press Club, Ms Ley touted the possibility of quotas for higher female participation within the party as her first big idea. It was the only take away from that all-important first address. Ms Ley looks like a leader without a clear direction. She does have some grace of a new leader of a party facing a massive slump in numbers, which have been halved to their potential size. But that window will close by the end of the year and those who look to the Liberals as a plausible alternative to Labor will judge whether they are on track in finding their true north. The Liberals will need to have a coherent energy policy and renewables agenda while putting forward their ideas to provide baseload power to support manufacturing while bringing down power prices, rather than a nuclear policy without any costings. They will need to explain exactly how they will drive down inflation and cost of living expenses, stabilise housing and rental prices, and show that they have been better at bulk billing and Medicare than Labor. Slogans will no longer do, and strong policy direction will need to be coupled with reliable costings before the next election – so the work starts now. Robert Weir is a freelance journalist whose work has also been published in The Spectator Australia. He enjoys writing political, lifestyle, and environmental stories as well as film reviews
9 News
6 days ago
- Politics
- 9 News
Clive Palmer's two political parties suffer cyberattack
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Clive Palmer's two political parties, United Australia Party (UAP) and Trumpet of Patriots, have suffered a data breach. UAP confirmed it identified unauthorised access to the political parties' servers on June 23, which resulted in the access and possible removal of data records. "We were the subject of a ransomware cyberattack," UAP said in a statement today. Clive Palmer's two political parties have suffered a data breach. (AAP) The data records include all emails to and from the two political parties, including their attachments, and documents and records created and held electronically by the political parties. People's personal information, including email address, phone number, identity records, banking records, and employment history, has been affected. "We do not know comprehensively what information of yours was on the server, but you should assume that any information you have provided would have been stored on the server," UAP said. The political parties do not keep a record of everyone who was on the server, so they deemed it "impracticable" to notify those affected by the breach. Instead, they are securing their systems and restoring recoverable data from back-ups. Anyone who has emailed either of the political parties is advised to review their communications. (Getty) "We sincerely apologise for this incident and are taking steps to ensure it does not happen again," UAP said. Anyone who has emailed either of the political parties is advised to review their communications to identify what information was provided and potentially compromised. "We recommend you carefully consider whether you need to take any action in response to the data breach on the assumption that the hackers may have accessed your data," UAP said. "The action you might take could include monitoring your bank accounts, changing passwords, using multi-factor authentication, contacting your bank and being vigilant about use of your identity." The breach has been reported to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Australian Signals Directorate. Clive Palmer has launched a new political party Trumpet of Patriots. (X) Palmer voluntarily deregistered UAP in September 2022. Ahead of this year's federal election, he was forced to form a new party so his candidates could appear under a party on the ballot papers. He started the Trumpet of Patriots in February and won no seats at the election. data hackers national Australia Politics Federal Election 2025 Clive Palmer CONTACT US
Sky News AU
7 days ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
August interest rate cut all but locked in after unemployment rises to 4.3 per cent in June, surpassing market expectations
The unemployment rate came in higher than expected for June, boosting hopes for an August rate cut after the Reserve Bank of Australia surprisingly held rates in July. Fresh data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the unemployment rate rose 0.2 per cent to 4.3 per cent after it sat near historic lows following the pandemic. Employment rose by 2,000 people this month with part-time employment up 40,000, which was offset by a 38,000 person decline in full-time employment. The unemployment rate is a critical piece of data for the RBA's cash rate decision. This jump has boosted chances of a rate cut when the central bank next meets in August, with money markets now forecasting an 87 per cent chance of a cut, up from a 77 per cent chance before the call. KPMG's chief economist Brendan Rynne said the latest data showed the private market continued to struggle with poor business conditions in Australia and heaped pressure on the central bank to cut rates. 'While quarterly inflation data is still a week or so away, today's data will reinforce the weakness that is continuing within the private side of the Australian economy, and even by itself should be enough for the RBA to drop the cash rate at its next meeting,' Mr Rynne said. Similarly, Capital Economics senior APAC economist Abhijit Surya called into question the RBA's recent rate hold after the new unemployment data was released. 'The sharp rise in unemployment in June makes the RBA's decision to leave rates on hold earlier this month look like a policy error,' Mr Surya said. 'We're increasingly convinced that the incoming data flow will prompt the Bank to cut rates further than most are currently anticipating.' Sky News' Business Editor Ross Greenwood said the employment slump comes as public sector employment booms over the past few years, with Labor now wanting the private sector to pick up the slack. 'If the government starts to drop out of employing public servants and employing other people associated with government policy - childcare, age care, the NDIS - then you start to see that the private sector is not fast enough in picking up those employees,' Greenwood said. 'I get a sense that that's what we're seeing right now.' Greenwood said the jump in June was, in part, due to many part-time and full-time jobs going as work required for the recent election in May was phased out. 'The Federal Election sees significant numbers of people employed, not just through the Australian Electoral Commission, but through the political parties themselves,' he said. Monthly hours worked fell about 1.3 per cent as there was a 0.4 per cent drop in the number of full time employees. ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick said the unemployment jump was driven by a 34,000 increase in the number of unemployed people. If the RBA is to cut rates in August, it will be the third rate cut this year and will bring the cash rate down to 3.6 per cent.
The Advertiser
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Man faces court for alleged social media threats to federal politician
A man who allegedly threatened a federal politician on social media is facing court. Threats against a Commonwealth parliamentarian were allegedly posted on social media ahead of the 2025 Federal Election, police said. The NSW man has been charged with threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official after Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers identified the author of the posts. AFP Acting Commander Mark Baron said all threats against the safety and security of parliamentarians were taken seriously. "The AFP supports freedom of speech and political expression," Acting Commander Baron said. "But I want to make it clear we will never tolerate criminal behaviour, including threats and harassment." The investigation, launched in March 2025, led AFP officers to search a home in Kingswood, in western Sydney, on May 7. Police forensically examined the man's devices, which were seized during the search, and the alleged menace was issued with a court attendance notice. The maximum sentence for threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official is nine years' imprisonment. The man is due to face Downing Centre Local Court on July 11. A man who allegedly threatened a federal politician on social media is facing court. Threats against a Commonwealth parliamentarian were allegedly posted on social media ahead of the 2025 Federal Election, police said. The NSW man has been charged with threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official after Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers identified the author of the posts. AFP Acting Commander Mark Baron said all threats against the safety and security of parliamentarians were taken seriously. "The AFP supports freedom of speech and political expression," Acting Commander Baron said. "But I want to make it clear we will never tolerate criminal behaviour, including threats and harassment." The investigation, launched in March 2025, led AFP officers to search a home in Kingswood, in western Sydney, on May 7. Police forensically examined the man's devices, which were seized during the search, and the alleged menace was issued with a court attendance notice. The maximum sentence for threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official is nine years' imprisonment. The man is due to face Downing Centre Local Court on July 11. A man who allegedly threatened a federal politician on social media is facing court. Threats against a Commonwealth parliamentarian were allegedly posted on social media ahead of the 2025 Federal Election, police said. The NSW man has been charged with threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official after Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers identified the author of the posts. AFP Acting Commander Mark Baron said all threats against the safety and security of parliamentarians were taken seriously. "The AFP supports freedom of speech and political expression," Acting Commander Baron said. "But I want to make it clear we will never tolerate criminal behaviour, including threats and harassment." The investigation, launched in March 2025, led AFP officers to search a home in Kingswood, in western Sydney, on May 7. Police forensically examined the man's devices, which were seized during the search, and the alleged menace was issued with a court attendance notice. The maximum sentence for threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official is nine years' imprisonment. The man is due to face Downing Centre Local Court on July 11. A man who allegedly threatened a federal politician on social media is facing court. Threats against a Commonwealth parliamentarian were allegedly posted on social media ahead of the 2025 Federal Election, police said. The NSW man has been charged with threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official after Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers identified the author of the posts. AFP Acting Commander Mark Baron said all threats against the safety and security of parliamentarians were taken seriously. "The AFP supports freedom of speech and political expression," Acting Commander Baron said. "But I want to make it clear we will never tolerate criminal behaviour, including threats and harassment." The investigation, launched in March 2025, led AFP officers to search a home in Kingswood, in western Sydney, on May 7. Police forensically examined the man's devices, which were seized during the search, and the alleged menace was issued with a court attendance notice. The maximum sentence for threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official is nine years' imprisonment. The man is due to face Downing Centre Local Court on July 11.
New Straits Times
04-07-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Malaysia committed to elevating ties with Canada, says PM
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia remains committed to elevating ties with Canada, encompassing strategic sectors such as trade and investment, defence cooperation, clean energy, digital transformation and emerging technologies. This was conveyed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is currently on an official visit to France, to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during a phone call, during which he also congratulated Carney on his Liberal Party's recent victory in Canada's Federal Election. "I welcome Petronas' continued involvement in the LNG Canada project, which stands as a strong symbol of energy cooperation between the two countries and has the potential to catalyse future green and energy transition initiatives," he said. He noted that as members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Malaysia and Canada share a commitment to upholding the principles of free, open and multilateral trade that is fair and inclusive. Anwar also expressed hope that Canada would reconsider its visa exemption policy for Malaysian citizens, in line with the treatment granted to other Commonwealth countries, in order to strengthen people-to-people ties and expand multilateral exchanges. "We also underscored the importance of enhancing the Asean-Canada Strategic Partnership and expressed hope that negotiations on the Asean-Canada Free Trade Agreement can be concluded as soon as possible for mutual benefit," he added. Anwar also extended an invitation to Carney to make an official visit to Malaysia soon to further strengthen the friendship between both nations.
