The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a “country report” on the Australian economy, warning that growth is weakening and inflation remains persistently high.
As 2024 starts, a reminder that across the nine federal, state and territory jurisdictions, there are eight Labor governments.
Current Australian Heads of Government & Opposition Leaders – from December 21, 2024
No.
Jurisdiction
PM/Premier/
Chief Minister
Age
Party
Since
Opposition Leader
Age
Party
Since
1.
AUSTRALIA
Anthony Albanese
62
ALP
23.05.2022
On the eve of the third anniversary of the January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill insurrection, President Joe Biden has made a swingeing attack on his putative Republican opponent in this year’s election, former President Donald Trump.
Speaking in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Biden told his audience: “Democracy is on the ballot. Freedom is on the ballot.”
Watch Biden’s speech (33m):
If you’re looking for clues about whether the Reserve Bank has any interest rate rises left, Governor Michele Bullock offered several in her statement after Tuesday’s board meeting, saying:
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the latest monthly figures showed inflation “continuing to moderate”
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inflation expectations remained “consistent with the inflation target”
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wages growth was “not expected to increase much further”.
Pay close enough attention to parliament these next few days, and you’re likely to witness something truly remarkable: politicians from both sides of politics uniting to remove the power of politicians to overrule the Reserve Bank.
As an instance of self-loathing, it’s hard to top.
Since Australia’s Reserve Bank hiked interest rates two weeks ago, there have been two important developments – one in the United States and the other in the United Kingdom.
If it’s not clear to you why events overseas influence Australia’s interest rates, which are meant to be set to control Australian inflation, read on.
US and UK inflation close to zero
We haven’t been complete masters of our own destiny since the Australian dollar was floated 40 years ago next month.
The Albanese government is about to have to make a really important decision.
It’s going to have to decide what’s more important: supporting Australians who are financially under water, or keeping an election promise.
And it’ll have to do it soon. It’s already working on its May budget, now just six months away.
That choice will affect almost every Australian, and it could shape whether you’re thousands of dollars a year better off – or not – from July next year.
Household budgets are shrinking
Among the seemingly endless coverage of Queen Elizabeth II dying at age 96 in Balmoral, Scotland, a legal fact gets lost: this event generates exactly zero change in law. There are non-law implications – historical, cultural, symbolic, administrative – but not legal change.
The Victorian Labor government has done some fantastic work, but principles have to count for something.
Just for the record, I canceled my membership to the Victorian Labor Party on the 13th May.
Those of you who know me well will know that this hasn’t been a decision I’ve taken lightly, however under the circumstances, it’s a decision that was easy to make.
You may find this hard to believe, but the 2016 federal election campaign was a full fortnight longer than this one. I remember journalists from the campaign bus complaining afterwards that Malcolm Turnbull was moribund and lazy, booking a single daily event.
Yes hello long time blogger, first time in almost two years post. In late 2020 my life (and writing) became consumed by completing a doctorate, which was eventually conferred in September 2021. I even popped on a floppy hat in December last year.
Labor’s Senate leadership under attack from within as three leading Senator’s are smeared in the ugliest factional fight to date from a repeat offending sub-faction of the Victorian Right. So what’s it all about and who’s involved?
Another Labor factional shitfight. What’s new eh?
The events over the next week in NSW could have massive ramifications for the whole country.
There is a lot going on the NSW at the moment, however, I fear worse may be yet to come.
Now that ‘Back In Black’ has transformed into ‘I See Red’ Australia is waking up to the fact that after years of Coalition mismanagement ‘The Honeymoon Is Over’.
Although many of us would like to think so, elections are not won from the left or the right, they are won from the centre. At the end of election day, it is the swinging voters that will decide the immediate future direction of the country.
And so it went in 2013 when as a nation we were afflicted with this Coalition government.