The first few weeks after an election are usually relatively quiet as people get themselves organised in their new portfolios. This week was going that way, until the Australian Federal Police (AFP) raided the home of News Corp Journalist Annika Smethurst, and then the Headquarters of the ABC, as part of two unrelated national security investigations.
Annika Smethurst’s home was raided after she revealed that the Australian Signals Directorate (Australia’s national surveillance agency) was seeking to increase their powers to be able to spy on Australians without their knowledge. Smethurst was quickly joined by News Corp lawyers as the AFP went through her home. Smethurst revealed that the AFP was so thorough that officers found things she forgot she even had and even went through her underwear drawer (this was reported in The Australian, but I can’t link it as it’s now behind a paywall).
The ABC was raided over their revelations in 2017 about incidents between civilians and the Australian Army in Afghanistan – known as the ‘Afghan Files’ – allegedly because discussions between the AFP and the ABC’s legal team ‘broke down’, something the ABC’s lawyers deny. Senior ABC news executives defended the ABC with news boss Gaven Morris and Editorial Director Craig McMurtrie saying that the ABC will continue to report the news that is in the public interest, while ABC Chairwoman Ita Buttrose declared that the raids were “clearly designed to intimidate” the ABC, News Corp and whistleblowers.
International media outlets including the BBC and CNN have reported on the raids, and also declared their support for a free press in Australia. As it happens, Australia has some of the weakest whistleblower protection legislation compared to the UK, USA and some European nations. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that he supported the AFP’s actions, as they were acting within the legislation. However, he has also suggested the government might review the legislation.
Meanwhile, Morrison and his wife Jenny went on a whirlwind diplomatic trip to the Solomon Islands, United Kingdom and Singapore. In the Solomon Islands, one of the few nations that still recognises Taiwan (Under the PRC’s “One China Policy” you either recognise and have diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China (China) or the Republic of China (Taiwan) as a legitimate nation, not both), Morrison announced a change to aid funding that provides aid funding for health, education and national security, while also countering the PRC’s influence.
Morrison then travelled onto the UK, where he met Queen Elizabeth II (which was probably a far more pleasant meeting for her than the one she had with Trump earlier in the week), and attended the 75th Anniversary D-Day Commemorations. Morrison then travelled onto Singapore on the way home to Australia.
Anthony Albanese announced his shadow cabinet this week, which has 12 men and 12 women. Former opposition leader Bill Shorten will be the Minister for the NDIS and Government Services, while several of Shorten’s shadow cabinet have remained in their roles, including Tanya Plibersek, Penny Wong, Richard Marles (with added Deputy Leadership) and Mark Butler.
There has also been a slight “pass the portfolio” act amongst some of the other members of Shorten’s last shadow cabinet – Jim Chalmers will be Shadow Treasurer, taking the role from Chris Bowen, who has the health portfolio. Bowen has taken the health portfolio from Catherine King, who is now Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Tony Burke keeps his Arts portfolio and his Manager of Opposition Business in the House, but passes on the Environment portfolio, and takes up Industrial Relations.
Burke’s Environment portfolio now goes to Terri Butler, a new addition to Shadow Cabinet, along with Katy Gallagher who becomes Shadow Finance Minister, Madeleine King who is to be Shadow Trade Minister and Kristina Keneally, who will take up the Home Affairs and Immigration portfolios, alongside her Deputy Senate Leader Role.
Peter Dutton has decided that Keneally’s elevation to be his jousting partner on Home Affairs is a bad idea because, he says, she is the least qualified person to do it. Dutton says that Keneally doesn’t believe in turning asylum seeker boats back – but given Albanese basically said they would keep the government’s policy, I think that’s probably not going to be much of an issue. In some ways, I think Dutton might be a teensy bit nervous about Keneally.
Also this week, Sydney received a (not so) surprise visit from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, as three warships pulled into Garden Island to restock and give some naval personnel some shore leave. It turns out, while the trip was a surprise to the majority of the Australian population, the government did know the Chinese Navy was coming, as they asked for permission about two months ago. However, there is also concern over the timing, highlighted by government senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, as they arrived on the eve of June 4th, which is the 30th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
Finally this week, there seems to be a disconnect between what the government and what the experts are saying about the Australian economy. The government has been touting their superior economic management and the fact that the economy is growing under them. While the latter point is essentially true, the fact is that the economic growth rate is very slow.
This slow growth in the economy and the added concern of rising unemployment has resulted in the Reserve Bank cutting interest rates for the first time in nearly three years to a record low of 1.25%. There are suggestions that interest rates could be cut frequently over the next 12 months and many economists are urging the government to spend some money to stimulate the economy – which if the government were “good economic managers” as they call themselves, you’d think they wouldn’t need to do. But then again, economics is not my strong suit so I could be wrong there.
Tweets of the Week
As the Smethurst/ABC raids inundated the news cycle, that’s what most of the tweets are about….
Things I’ve Been Looking at Online
ABC’s Head of Investigative Journalism John Lyons tweeted the AFP raid – ABC Online
Tom Iggulden on Labor’s Sliding Doors moment between Albo and Shorten – ABC Online
How climbs on Mount Everest can end so badly – ABC Online
Kara L 