POLITICS

‘The Australian Human Rights Commission, representing Jewish, Palestinian and Muslim communities, is taking legal action against Peter Dutton with a suit lodged under the Racial Discrimination Act. ‘ – reported at michaelwest.com.au

‘the action accuses Dutton of dehumanising Palestinians, Muslims, and Jews while stigmatising Australians who support Palestinian rights.’

‘Teal MPs are proposing to cut “red tape” for smaller businesses in a pitch to owners, as a federal election looms.’ – reported at www.abc.net.au

‘Eight independents have joined a push to change the definition of “small business” from 15 employees to at least 25. ‘

From themandarin.com.au: ‘The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has raised the alarm about AI use in public service recruitment. ‘

‘CPSU deputy secretary Rebecca Fawcett said the union had anecdotal reports of algorithmic selection processes favouring cover letters generated by other large language models (LLMs).’

‘Senator Birmingham has been appointed as head of Asia Pacific engagement and South Australian chairman for banking giant ANZ.’ – reported at www.theadvocate.com.au

‘In late November, the coalition’s upper chamber leader announced he will leave parliament at the 2025 federal election ‘

‘The ABC understands NSW Premier Chris Minns will be referred to the state’s corruption watchdog over his relationship with one of the key figures behind the redevelopment of the Rosehill Racecourse.’ – reported by the ABC

‘The parliamentary committee looking at the development proposal has voted to make the referral in its report which will be released on Friday.’

From The Guardian: ‘As the Australian federal election approaches, political polls are coming thick and fast.’

‘Looking at two-party support alone can obscure one of the biggest stories of the last election: almost a third of votes were for independents and other parties.’

‘Peter Dutton has promised to “rescind” the declared offshore wind zone off the coast of Port Stephens and the Hunter region in New South Wales if a Coalition government is elected in 2025, scuppering the $10 billion plans for a 2 gigawatt project proposed for development there.’ – reported at reneweconomy.com.au

‘ “The Albanese government has deliberately ignored serious economic, social and environmental concerns raised by local residents by this proposed wind zone,” Dutton said in a statement on Thursday.’

‘WA Senator Fatima Payman attended the United Workers Union picket line, in Dandenong South, at 5am on December 5 to show her solidarity with their fight for respect at work.’ – reported at www.greenleft.org.au

‘She told Green Left that “an incredible bunch of delegates and union members who are calling on Woolworths to come to the table and pay their fair share”. ‘

From theconversation.com: ‘Australia 2024 tells us that around one third of Australians are very interested in politics.’

‘Interviews with 60 voters highlighted that perceptions of political journalism were described as biased, full of conflict and complicated.’

The Albanese government has released its National Dementia Action Plan 2024-2034 , aimed at creating a nation that’s more “dementia inclusive.” – reported at www.agedcareinsite.com.au

The government’s objectives are threefold: to increase national awareness and knowledge of dementia; reduce the entire population’s risk of developing the disease; and to develop better quality and more coordinated national dementia services.

From antonygreen.com.au: At the 2025 Federal election, more than half of seats in the House of Representatives will be contested on new electoral boundaries.

In this post I summarise the state of play going into the election and provide estimated margins for all seats affected by the redistribution. You can find a listing of margins for all seats at this link.

‘Artificial intelligence was previously thought to be ‘uncontrollable’ and aptly dubbed as ‘Pandora’s Box‘ — once unleashed, it can’t be stopped. Fortunately, this may not be true as we’ve seen with recent developments.’ – reported at independentaustralia.net

The National AI Centre ( NAIC ) has developed its first iteration of its Voluntary AI Safety Standard to support the government’s efforts.

From The Guardian: The Australian Greens plan to call News Corp executives to answer questions from a Senate committee investigation into greenwashing, after a gas-industry sponsored series of stories was presented as news on the front pages of its newspapers.

‘A handful of major employment service providers have failed to adequately support Australians with disabilities in the job market as the federal government hands down its first public report card on the industry. ‘- reported at www.theguardian.com

‘The federal government’s new scorecard, which will be released quarterly, shows the majority were meeting expectations on quality and effectiveness. ‘

From ASIC media release: ‘ASIC today released Consultation paper 381 Updates to INFO 225: Digital Assets: Financial Products and Services (CP 381) outlining proposals to update Information Sheet 225 Crypto Assets (INFO 225).’

The proposed updates include 13 practical examples of how the current financial product definitions apply to digital assets and related products.

From Assistant Treasurer’s media release: ‘The Albanese Government is working with industry and regulators to develop a fit for purpose digital asset regulatory regime, to build a more dynamic and competitive economy.’

‘We welcome the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s announcement today that it will work with stakeholders to update its advice on digital assets, including cryptocurrency.’

From the ABC: The Spirit of Tasmania IV ferry has arrived at the Port of Leith in Edinburgh after a journey from Finland, where it will be temporarily docked at a cost of $47,534 per week due to infrastructure issues in Tasmania.

The ship, too large to operate in its intended routes, is expected to remain in Scotland until early 2027 when new port facilities will be ready.

From: censusnoreligion.org.au: The Victorian Premier’s own department believes the proposed changes to the Census religion question will have a positive impact in fostering greater inclusion of non-religious people.

As part of phase 2 of the Australia Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) 2026 Census topic consultation, the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet identified the “assumption of religiosity” as a problem in the existing question.

‘Australia has changed its position to support a UN resolution demanding “Israel bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible”.’ reported at www.abc.net.au

‘The resolution, passed by the UN General Assembly, also calls for an end to all new settlement activities and for settlers to be removed from the occupied territory.’

From Pearls and Irritations: The Australian Productivity Commission’s report A Path to Universal Early Childhood Education and Care’s focus on increased childcare subsidies is overly simplistic.

The author calls for a rethinking of childcare policy, emphasizing targeted subsidies, streamlined support structures, and measures to enhance workforce participation and reduce career penalties for families.