Here is a look at what is making news around the country today.
Today’s national news includes Shareholders ending the Origin takeover bid, the Neo-Nazi movement could threaten national security, Food retailers facing inquiry into price gouging allegations, and Australia and France signed a military access agreement.
Politics
The neo-Nazi movement is a serious threat to national security
A neo-Nazi group that staged a frightening protest in a regional city on Sunday poses a serious threat to national security and community safety, News.com reported. About 30 men wearing all black, as well as balaclavas and sunglasses to obscure their identities, marched through Ballarat in Victoria holding a sign that read “Australia for the white man” and bearing the name National Socialist Network. “The numbers we saw yesterday suggest the group’s membership isn’t growing, but while it might be small, it’s very active. But we should always take extremism seriously. If history teaches us anything, it’s that groups and individuals who idolise Hitler and Nazism should not be ignored,” Josh Roose an expert on extremism at Deakin University said.
Economy
Food retailers face an inquiry into price gouging allegations
Australia’s biggest food retailers are facing a parliamentary inquiry into alleged price gouging after the country’s centre-left Labor government agreed to an investigation amid an ongoing steep jump in the cost of living, Market Screener has reported. “This inquiry is a critical step toward dismantling the market concentration that’s led to unfair pricing and stifled competition,” Greens senator Nick McKim said. “We’ll find a way to dismantle their power and bring grocery prices down.” Inflation in Australia raced at an annual rate of more than 8% in 2022 but has since cooled sharply.
Business
Shareholders end Origin takeover bid
One of the longest-running takeover sagas in Australia’s recent corporate history is over after Origin Energy shareholders rejected a $20 billion bid by private equity firms Brookfield and EIG, Shepparton News reported. Some 69 per cent of shareholders voted in favour of the proposal, short of the 75 per cent threshold required for the deal to go ahead. Origin will continue as an independent ASX-listed company with the takeover dead in the water.
https://www.sheppnews.com.au/national/shareholders-pull-the-plug-on-origin-takeover-bid/
Defence
Australia and France sign a military access agreement
Australia and France have promised to grant access to each other’s military bases and training facilities in a clear break from their post-Aukus blues, The Guardian reported. The reciprocal access agreement is expected to allow Australian forces to access French bases in the Pacific region, while also giving France access to Australian facilities.
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