SA Labor Academy Viewpoints.

Puff, The Magic Dragon Uncategorized

Viewpoints #324 – Friday 18 July 2025


Viewpoints shares access to articles in the media curated weekly by Labor Academy SA.


For all previous editions, click https://laboracademysa.org/blog/archive/

China sees Australia as the Western partner worth resetting with and Anthony
Albanese made it happen By Bang Xiao in ABC Online https://tinyurl.com/2khmvfe8


Tax reform talk heats up after Treasury FOI error, and that might just suit Jim
Chalmers nicely By Michael Janda in ABC Online https://tinyurl.com/2ta3avjb


South Australia’s leap into the unknown with political finance changes
By Bill Browne in InDaily https://tinyurl.com/5da3kmf2


Segal’s antisemitism plan gives government controversy, not clarity
By Michelle Grattan in The Conversation https://tinyurl.com/4xmw99st


‘New thinking’: Australian Medical Association SA reveals ramping
recommendations By Claude Dichiera in InDaily https://tinyurl.com/y26wxvk8


Almost half of young workers expected to work unpaid overtime, while a quarter
aren’t paid … By John Howe and … in The Conversationhttps://tinyurl.com/4vrmp7sh


Sack the NACC [National Anti-Corruption Commission]
By John Hewson in The Saturday Paper https://tinyurl.com/23pr37ft


How to disappear a problem – The school system has spent 50 years not fixing one
of its central flaws By Dean Ashenden in Inside Story https://tinyurl.com/2kwhuc3p


Raise taxes to fix budget, Treasury advises Labor in accidentally published advice
By Daniel Ziffer and … in ABC Online https://tinyurl.com/28x7fdfk


Serious burns, fire damage: Alarming spike in powerbank recalls
By The New Daily https://tinyurl.com/475t8esk


How lobsters help us start to make sense of Donald Trump’s trade chaos
By Annabel Crabb in ABC Online https://tinyurl.com/5c27mffn

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We pay our respect to Kaurna elders past, present and emerging.


Some articles may require reader registration. We try to avoid pay-walled articles. The Advertiser and The
Australian are not included for paywall reasons.

e: michael_cowling@mac.com w: https://laboracademysa.org


Copyright © 2019 – 2025 Michael Cowling on behalf of Labor Academy SA. All rights reserved.


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Video: PM Anthony Albanese
speaks at Great Wall of China

I am sorry I have not been contributing lately but I was unwell and not up to writing.

These links are sent out by email and while the focus is on South Australia, national topics dominate.

I do however point out for your perusal, this obe, which may become the blueprint for the rest of Australia l in regard to political donations.

South Australia’s leap into the unknown with political finance changes
By Bill Browne in InDaily https://tinyurl.com/5da3kmf2

Quote: ‘

…

In South Australia, sitting MPs and registered political parties are now banned from receiving political donations. However, the laws include loopholes: Political parties can still charge their own MPs and staff levies (worth millions of dollars) and still take money from “nominated entities”, such as an established investment vehicle. 

Of course, the small political parties and independent candidates who compete with major parties do not have many or any MPs to extract levies from, and have no investment vehicles that could operate outside the donation ban. 

In exchange for limiting political donations, South Australians will pay about $18 million more in taxpayer funding of political parties and candidates every four-year cycle. Of this, the Australia Institute estimates about 75 per cent will go to the major parties and only 1-2 per cent to new entrants.

…”

Endquote

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Australian Election Day 2025

Kirsdarke election night, Featured Posts, Friday night, Political Observation , , ,

Finally it’s here, the day of the Australian Federal Election, 3 May 2025.

Polling has the Two-Party Preferred vote at roughly 52-48 to 53-47 to Labor, with primary votes for both Labor and the Coalition being in the mid-30’s, the Greens vote between 12-15%, One Nation being around 7-8%, and a large Other vote to fill the rest.

Feel free to post predictions, events that take place today, speculations, observations once the votes are counted, all are welcome.

There’s a high chance that things won’t be decided tomorrow night, there’s a lot of things up in the air, especially the Senate, but hopefully over the next few days they’ll be sorted out and determined for sure, and hopefully will result in a government that’s beneficial to Australia.

2025 Australian and Canadian Federal Elections

Kirsdarke election night, Featured Posts, Political Observation ,

As promised, now that the Election has been called for the 3rd of May, the Federal campaign has officially started in Australia, so here is the thread to discuss it.

Currently, polling indicates things are roughly 51-49 either way, with a minority government most likely, given the size of the crossbench makes it unlikely either Labor or the Coalition will reach the 76 seats needed to form a majority government. Of course there is an outside possibility that it could happen, but we’ll have to see how things pan out over the next 5 weeks.

Incidentally, in that same week is the Canadian election that will take place on 28 April, where the incumbent Liberal party is seeking a fourth term under its new leader Mark Carney, and their main opposition is the Conservative party under Pierre Pollievre. Polling over there has seen a dramatic turnaround over the past 2 months, where the Liberals had been trailing the Conservatives by over 20 points in December, and they now are in the lead in most polls.

Probably the biggest issue for both Commonwealth nations in our elections is the “situation” (or “binfire”, depending on what you want to call it) in the USA under the Trump administration looming large over us.

Lots of things are going to happen between now and polling day. Debates, polls, Easter, talking heads news analysis, the usual talk is welcome here.