Joyce defends One Nation super plan as Albanese labels it a threat
The Australian government confirmed on Tuesday that one citizen who had been uncontactable in Nepal has been located safe and well and does not require consular assistance. The confirmation came in a daily summary of consular activity as authorities continued efforts to account for citizens affected by the disaster. Thirty-five Australians remain missing.
The update arrived against a backdrop of substantial domestic political developments. Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce defended One Nation’s superannuation policy, saying it would have a “minute” impact on inflation. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the plan was ‘a threat to the compulsory super rules,’ according to the Guardian’s summary. The exchange came as Guardian Australia and the ABC were again refused entry to a One Nation press conference in Victoria on the same day.
Former prime minister John Howard entered the immigration debate, warning political parties against banning migration from certain countries. The intervention came amid an ongoing debate over Australia’s immigration settings.
In state-level news, Victorian Premier Ben Carroll announced that two key pieces of legislation will be introduced to parliament this week to tackle corruption in the state. In federal court proceedings, lawyers for an outlawed neo-Nazi political party argued that anti-hate laws passed after the Bondi terror attack rely on the opinion of a politician and are “authoritarian in nature.”
The federal government also unveiled a new online-safety measure that will allow social media account holders to opt out of the algorithms pushing dangerous and divisive content into users’ feeds. Treasurer Jim Chalmers separately announced that he will release the latest intergenerational report on 21 September, describing it as “a snapshot of all of the changes we expect to see in our economy and in our society over the next 40 years.”
On the economy, rising fuel prices, fears of further interest rate hikes and falling house prices have taken household confidence back towards the “deeply pessimistic” levels of last year, according to Westpac’s latest monthly survey.
In other developments, about 80 protesters gathered to demand an independent investigation into the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom. Workers at the Arts Centre Melbourne voted to go on strike for 24 hours this Friday, disrupting a one-night-only performance by US singer Macy Gray and the opening night of an international dance act. A dairy company founder and his daughter were identified as the two people killed in a light plane crash.