Australia news LIVE: Dutton poised to shake-up opposition frontbench; Voice debate continues as one in 10 Australians unlikely to vote in referendum
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Key posts
- Economy on knife-edge and facing consumer recession: Deloitte
- Barnaby Joyce’s heated radio interview over No campaign
- Dutton poised to unveil Voice-led reshuffle
- One in 10 say they’re unlikely to vote in Voice referendum
- White House criticises Brazil’s Lula over Ukraine comments
- This morning’s headlines at a glance
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Economy on knife-edge and facing consumer recession: Deloitte
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been warned that the economy is on a knife-edge, as a forecast consumer recession centred on NSW and Victoria threatens to push up unemployment while hundreds of thousands of home buyers struggle with rising mortgage repayments.
As the key financial elements of Chalmers’ second federal budget are finalised this week, respected fiscal monitor Deloitte Access Economics issued the gloomiest outlook for the economy yet, saying the country faced its toughest non-COVID phase since the devastating recession of 1990-91.
The economy is on a knife-edge due to Reserve Bank interest rate rises, says Deloitte Access Economics.Credit: Luis Ascui
Deloitte partner Stephen Smith said on Monday that the Reserve Bank’s past two interest rate increases, which took the official cash rate to an 11-year high of 3.6 per cent, were unnecessary and would create real pain for households and the broader economy.
Read more on this here.
Barnaby Joyce’s heated radio interview over No campaign
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce is a prominent No campaigner against the Voice to parliament and spoke on ABC radio about his stance this morning.
He told ABC RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas his party agreed with the Liberal Party’s stance on the local and regional voices but had other issues with constitutional changes.
“We agree with the local and regional bodies … I just don’t believe we should be inserting a racial clause in our Constitution in 2023,” Joyce said this morning.
Barnaby Joyce was questioned about his and the Nationals stance on constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians. Credit: James Brickwood
He said the country’s founding document should be free of racial, class, religion and colour differentiation.
But the exchange between the pair became heated when Joyce was asked about whether he supported a referendum on constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians alone.
Here’s the exchange, edited for length and clarity.
Karvelas: “You don’t believe in constitutional recognition at all?”
Joyce: “It’s the form it comes in … I’ve got no problems with the statement of fact that Indigenous Australians are the first people of Australia…”
Karvelas: “Is it your policy to insert that in and have a referendum on that?”
Joyce: “My policy is that we should be seeing such things in the solicitor-general’s advice…”
Karvelas: “No, no … I asked something else, just answer that.”
Joyce: “I’m asking you to give me the details of what you propose, and I’ll give you answer … rather than an answer that’s just flying by the seat of our pants which is what we’re doing.”
Karvelas: “Do you support a constitutional recognition referendum?”
Joyce: “I’ve got no problems with constitutional recognition referendum on the premise that we see the details…we haven’t seen the solicitor general’s advice when they’re talking.”
Karvelas: “I’m talking about the alternative policy approach, not the government’s policy.”
Joyce: “I’m talking to you about the more pertinent and proper, alternative approach which means we get all the details, not some of the details. We see the legislation before we vote, we don’t give them a blank cheque. We also make sure we see the proper legal opinion before we vote, not some of the opinion … we actually want to see exactly what that means because that affects all Australians not just Indigenous Australians.”
Dutton poised to unveil Voice-led reshuffle
Liberal leader Peter Dutton is expected to unveil a frontbench shake up on Tuesday, with two Indigenous senators tipped to be promoted to assistant ministers in the run-up to the Voice referendum.
Multiple sources within the federal coalition, who asked not to be named, so they could speak freely, told this masthead the reshuffle was due to take place on Tuesday morning and could be wider than expected.
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Western Australia shadow minister for employment and workplace relations Michaelia Cash is tipped to add the shadow attorney-general’s portfolio to her responsibilities.
Cash was attorney-general in the former Scott Morrison-led government for a little over 12 months.
We’ll bring you updates as they happen, but read the full exclusive here.
One in 10 say they’re unlikely to vote in Voice referendum
Returning to Australian news, millions of voters are yet to commit to casting a ballot on the Indigenous Voice despite competing efforts from Yes and No campaigners to galvanise the community on the issue.
Up to 10 per cent of Australian voters say they are unlikely to vote and another 9 per cent are unsure about doing so.
The exclusive findings of a Resolve Political Monitor poll heighten the pressure on the rival campaigns to convince Australians to turn out at polling stations for the referendum later this year.
The survey shows that 58 per cent of voters support the Voice and only 42 per cent oppose the change when people are asked a Yes or No question without the option of saying they are undecided.
More on this issue here.
White House criticises Brazil’s Lula over Ukraine comments
In overseas news, the White House offered a rebuke of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for accusing the United States of encouraging the Ukraine war.
The Brazilian president was “parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda,” according the White House national security spokesperson John Kirby.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, inspects an honour guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony held outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.Credit: Getty
He said Lula’s comments were “simply misguided.”
Reuters.
This morning’s headlines at a glance
Good morning, and thanks for your company.
It’s Tuesday, April 18. I’m Caroline Schelle, and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day.
Here’s what you need to know before we get started:
- Australia’s economy is on a knife-edge and facing consumer recession, the treasurer has been warned.
- The National Mental Health commission chief executive stepped aside amid a bullying investigation.
- Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is expected to unveil a Voice-led reshuffle today, and will promote two Indigenous senators.
- According to polling, one in 10 Australians say they’re unlikely to vote in the Voice referendum later this year. No campaigner Barnaby Joyce is set to speak more about the campaign this morning.
- Foreign Minister Penny Wong used her press club speech yesterday to hit out at critics, but attracted more criticism from former Labor prime minister Paul Keating.
- In state news, NSW Health is set to dispose of more than 12.7 million unused and damaged rapid antigen COVID-19 tests.
- Meanwhile, Victoria’s housing minister was warned about risks months before Porter Davis collapsed.
- Overseas, two people were arrested in New York for allegedly operating a Chinese “secret police station”.
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Airbus and Air France have been cleared of manslaughter charges over their role in the 2009 crash from Brazil to France that killed all 228 people on board.
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