Australia is being very explicit in response to concerns about China at the moment, increasingly prepared to put aside the imperatives of diplomacy when necessary.
- Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Under the government’s draft religious discrimination legislation, big companies would face tougher rules in relation to indirect discrimination.
As the Australian government continues to pressure China over Yang Hengjun’s formal arrest, Yang has appealed to Scott Morrison to please “help me go home as soon as possible”.
The NSW Labor party’s general secretary Kaila Murnain was suspended on Wednesday night after sensational evidence about an alleged $100,000 donation from Chinese property developer Huang Xiangmo.
Professor of Public Ethics, Clive Hamilton, has accused “many” vice-chancellors of of losing sight of academic freedom, under the pressure of revenue and influence from China.
The Morrison government is setting up a University Foreign Interference Taskforce, as it grapples with encroachments by China into Australia’s higher education sector.
The Victorian Supreme Court has dismissed the John Setka’s bid to prevent the Labor party from expelling him, saying the legitimacy of the motion to expel him was not within the court’s jurisdiction.
Outspoken Australian-Chinese democracy advocate Dr Yang Hengjun has been formally arrested in China on suspicion of spying, further straining relations between the two countries.
In his valedictory address, outgoing secretary of the Prime Minister’s Department Martin Parkinson, condemned “entrenched disadvantage” in Australia.
PM’s advisor Christine Morgan on tackling Australia’s rising suicide rates
The Conversation, CC BY34.5 MB (download)
On this episode, the PM's national suicide prevention advisor speaks with Michelle Grattan on what we know so far about suicide rates, and what needs more clarity.
Michelle Grattan reflects on Tim Fischer’s personal and political legacy, and discusses the kind of leader Scott Morrison is with the anniversary of his prime ministership approaching on Saturday.
After 12 months as prime minister, Morrison looks the strong leader, clearly in charge, with few constraints. But will he make a substantial entry in the history book of Australian prime ministers?
Tim Fischer leaves behind a political and personal legacy. He defied sceptics, managed his troops, and the support he provided to John Howard was crucial in achieving gun control.
Scott Morrison has announced a long-expected commitment to join the US-led coalition in the Strait of Hormuz, expressing concerns over incidents in the Strait: “It is a threat to our economy”.
Ahead of the formal receipt of the Thodey report on the public service, Morrison stresses the service must be responsive to both its ministers and the “quiet Australians”.
“The need for change is undeniable,” says Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, issuing a timetable for dealing with recommendations from the royal commission into banking, superannuation and financial services.
Michelle Grattan reviews another busy week in federal politics, and take a look at the prime minister’s major speech on Monday on the public service.
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg is one of the Coalition backbenchers who oppose the scheduled superannuation guarantee rise to 12%. They are looking to the retirement incomes inquiry to leverage change.
The Australia Institute says Scott Morrison’s “pollution loophole” is equivalent to seven years of fossil-fuel emissions from the rest of the Pacific and New Zealand.
On the ‘creeping crisis’ in the public service
The Conversation, CC BY28.8 MB (download)
A timely study of the public service, titled Today's problems, Yesterday's toolkit discusses the ‘creeping crisis’ of effectiveness and legitimacy the Australian public service is facing.
The government is trying to shut down backbench contributions in the name of the “national interest”, but it is more an exercise of attempted control in its own interest.
Federal home affairs minister Peter Dutton says the government’s “expectation” is that federal police should consider the importance of press freedom before investigating leaks to journalists.
University of Canberra Deputy Vice-Chancellor Geoff Crisp speaks with Michelle Grattan about the week in politics.
The public service is a soft target, and Scott Morrison has already had it in his sights, telling it to remember the old adage – that it is on tap and the government is on top.
Scott Morrison has flagged the government is working with the United States and Britain on details for an Australian role in helping safeguard shipping passages in the Middle East.
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