NSW Liberals on track to lose Wagga Wagga by-election 10/9/2018 (Translation of this article appears in Arabic Section) Sydney - M. E. Times Int'l: Early results in the Wagga Wagga by-election show the NSW Liberal Party is on track to lose the seat they have held since 1957. Independent candidate Joe McGirr has emerged as the frontrunner, telling supporters he was ‘quietly optimistic’ for the result to fall his way. The seat was vacated by former MP Daryl Maguire who resigned after an Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry revealed he sought property deal payments. Morrison government considering migration overhaul Canberra: The Prime Minister has suggested a region-by-region approach may be the best way to tackle migration and the surging population growth in Sydney and Melbourne. Scott Morrison told Fairfax Media the government is working on a region-by-region that would place a premium on migrants who go to parts of the country that need growth. The plan is set to be pushed by new Immigration Minister David Coleman and Cities Minister Alan Tudge. Government to send immigrants to regional areas for five years The government is reportedly considering a plan that would require new immigrants to settle outside of Sydney or Melbourne for up to five years. The Australian reports the plan is part of the Morrison government’s landmark population policy that aims to ease congestion. The plan was due to go to the Turnbull Cabinet but was postponed due to the leadership coup that saw Malcolm Turnbull ousted as prime minister. Mr Morrison is said to have reported the original package as Treasurer but has refused to comment on the development of the plan or when it would be put to Cabinet. Home Affairs Minister launches attack on former Border Force boss Canberra: Peter Dutton has launched an attack on the nation's former Border Force Commissioner over claims he made about Mr Dutton's interventions in visa matters. The Home Affairs Minister says allegations his Chief of Staff contacted Roman Quaedvlieg to sort out a visa issue for an Italian au pair for a 'friend' are simply 'fabricated'. Finance and Public Service Minister Mathias Cormann argues Mr Quadvlieg cannot be trusted. Scott Morrison scraps Government plans to raise pension age to 70 Canberra: Prime Minister Scott Morrison has dumped the plan to raise the pension age to 70, announcing the decision on breakfast television even before Cabinet has formally agreed to it. It was one of the issues on which Labor had repeatedly attacked the Government, especially highlighting the impact for people with physically difficult jobs. Former treasurer Joe Hockey announced the plan to lift the pension age from 67 to 70 in his controversial 2014 budget in a bid to help fund the cost of the ageing population. The Senate has refused to ever agree to legislation to formalise the change, but until today the Government had stuck to the policy. Mr Morrison told Channel Nine he did not think the measure was needed anymore. "It is one of the things I will be changing pretty quickly," Mr Morrison told Channel Nine this morning after facing a question on it from a viewer about why he thought it was a good idea to have everybody working until they are 70. Leading real estate expert tells struggling renters to get another job Sydney: Angry Aussie renters have hit back at a bold statement from one of Australia’s real estate experts who offered tenants some brutal advice overnight. Real Estate Institute of Australia (REI) president Malcolm Gunning told struggling Australians being locked out of the housing market in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to get another job. Failing that, he said they should move away from the major capitals or negotiate their rent. Australia's economic growth jumps to 3.4 per cent in the June quarter Sydney: Australian economic growth has picked up pace, growing by 3.4 per cent in the year to the end of June. It is a step up from the 3.1 per cent year-on-year GDP growth in the March quarter and above the 3 per cent the Reserve Bank had forecast. It is also the fastest annual rate of growth since September 2012 during the height of the post-GFC mining boom. In seasonally adjusted terms, the economy grew by a stronger-than-expected 0.9 per cent over the quarter, which was only marginally down on the strong and upwardly revised 1.1 per cent growth in the first three months of the year. Morrison follows Turnbull on world stage Canberra: At the end of Scott Morrison's first meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, he showed the foreign leader photos of his family and a dog. As first dates go, there was a lot of pressure on this one. But the prime minister was clearly determined to build a good relationship with the president, who had found a close friend and ally in Malcolm Turnbull. Malcolm Turnbull has lashed out at the media in New York, accusing them of stalking as he and wife Lucy seek privacy. If Mr Morrison's first overseas trip to Indonesia is a pointer to his other meetings with world leaders, he'll try to win them over with enthusiasm. |