- The referendum on a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament?will be held on 14 October, giving its proponents — including the federal government — six-and-a-half weeks to convince Australians to vote “yes”. In announcing the date of the referendum, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese — who has invested significant political capital in the push for a Voice — said it was an opportunity for Australians to “vote for recognition, listening and better results”.
- Australia’s?inflation rate has dropped?to its lowest level in 17 months, strengthening the chances of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) keeping interest rates steady. The consumer price index (CPI) for July came in at an annual rate of 4.9 per cent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) — lower than June’s 5.4 per cent and economists’ expectations of 5.2 per cent.
- The United Kingdom’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee has recommended that Australia, the United States and UK ask?Japan and South Korea to join the AUKUS?pact to help develop advanced defence technology. The proposed expansion would not include work on the development of nuclear-powered submarines, but would instead focus on activities such as cyber, artificial intelligence, quantum and undersea technologies.
- The federal government’s new 60-day prescription scheme comes into effect from today, with pharmacists still opposing the measure, saying it will cost them money. However, patients are likely to save on some medicines, and will also require fewer visits to their GP for prescriptions. The roll-out of 60-day scripts will be in three stages, with the first covering medicines for cardiovascular disease, heart failure, high cholesterol, gout, osteoporosis, and the gut conditions Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- The federal government will?fast-track permanent residency for hundreds of aged care workers?under a new Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement. However, the sector has raised concerns that?temporary workers are being told to leave the country because they are too old. Meanwhile, aged care homes have reportedly outsourced safety and quality inspections to consultancy firms, despite warnings the practice presented a “significant risk”.
- The federal government will allocate?A$3 billion to projects that will?expand and modernise Western Australia’s energy grid, with a focus on the Pilbara region in the state’s north-west. Climate Change and Energy Minister, Chris Bowen, said the funding was necessary to help industry transition to renewable energy.
The full CMAX Advisory Australian Weekly Report is available on our?website?every Friday.
