A Victorian taskforce will examine police powers after a spate of alleged antisemitic incidents<\/a> in Melbourne in recent days, including an alleged arson on the East Melbourne synagogue that forced 20 worshippers inside to flee.<\/p>\n The Executive Council of Australian Jewry<\/strong>, an umbrella group for the nation\u2019s Jews, feared further alleged antisemitic attacks and said more than state-based action was needed. It urged the federal government to adopt a 15-point action plan, including the establishment of a national taskforce to clamp down on antisemitism.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know where the next attack will be or when or how, all I can say is that it is statistically likely that it will occur,\u201d the council\u2019s president, Daniel Aghion,<\/strong> said. \u201cSo far, we have been lucky in that no one has died.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Tariff disruption is an opportunity for Australia, says economist As the world braces for more weeks of watching and waiting to see what Trump will do with tariffs, the good news is that \u201cAustralia\u2019s in probably the best position to handle\u201d the fallout from the US president\u2019s assault on global trade.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the view of Warwick McKibbin, <\/strong>an ANU economics professor and a recognised world leader on modelling the potential impact from America\u2019s new era of trade protectionism.<\/p>\n As news emerged that the US administration had flagged countries had another three weeks<\/a> after the 9 July deadline to do a deal and avoid higher \u201creciprocal\u201d import taxes, McKibbin told the Australian Conference of Economists<\/strong> on Monday that we should be looking at these disruptions as an \u201copportunity\u201d to expand trade with our partners.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should be doing trade negotiations. We should be lowering barriers which make trade harder.\u201d<\/p>\n In April, US president Donald Trump revealed a slew of reciprocal tariffs on nations including Australia. Photograph: Carlos Barr\u00eda\/Reuters<\/p>\n McKibbin\u2019s conclusion that Australia would be left relatively unscathed by US-led trade disruptions was backed up by separate Productivity Commission<\/strong> analysis which showed our economy could even receive a small boost from America\u2019s higher trade barriers, and concluded that retaliating with our own tariffs would be counterproductive \u2013 a bipartisan position in Canberra.<\/p>\n This \u201csmall, positive effect\u201d comes about as goods previously sold to the US are diverted to us at a cheaper rate and as we also scoop up some of the investment that flows out of America and heavily tariffed countries, the PC said.<\/p>\n But Alex Robson<\/strong>, the PC\u2019s deputy chair, warned the 0.4% modelled lift in GDP did not account for other, harder to model knock-on effects.<\/p>\n \u201cThe proposed tariffs are likely to have a relatively small direct effect on us, but the global uncertainty they\u2019ve brought about could affect living standards in Australia and around the world,\u201d Robson said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Bondi Junction stabbing copyright case ends<\/strong><\/p>\n The copyright case brought by the fiance of Bondi Junction stabbing victim Dawn Singleton<\/strong> has ended with a judgment in favour of defendants, Nine, on the eve of the trial.<\/p>\n Nine had been accused by Singleton\u2019s partner, Ashley Wildey<\/strong>, of breaching copyright by republishing the young woman\u2019s social media photos in the wake of her murder by Joel Cauchi<\/strong> before he was shot dead by police last in April 2024.<\/p>\n The copyright case was set down for two days in the supreme court of New South Wales before both sides agreed to a judgment in favour of the defendants on Monday. No order was made as to costs. Nine\u2019s statement reads:<\/p>\n \u201cNine welcomes the NSW supreme court judgment in favour of Nine confirming that the photos, which were widely published by multiple media outlets throughout Australia and overseas after being placed on social media, were appropriately used by Nine.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how we reported the case:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Reserve Bank widely tipped to cut rates today Borrowers should be in for some welcome good news today, with the Reserve Bank<\/strong> board widely expected<\/a> to deliver an interest rate cut at 2:30pm, Sydney time.<\/p>\n Financial markets and economists agree that a second straight cut is essentially a done deal \u2013 though there\u2019s always a chance that the central bank will surprise us all and hold.<\/p>\n If they do follow up with a 0.25 percentage-point move lower to 3.6%, it will be the third cut in the RBA\u2019s cash rate target after moves in February and May.<\/p>\n Weak household spending and a bigger-than-expected drop in inflation in May both supported the case for lower rates, economists say, not to mention the looming threat of Donald Trump\u2019s trade war.<\/p>\n A rate cut today would trim $76 from the monthly interest bill on a $500,000 mortgage, bringing the total benefit of this year\u2019s cuts to nearly $230 once lenders pass them on to their customers. Of course, what\u2019s good news for existing homeowners is more problematic for would-be homeowners, who are seeing property prices accelerating again<\/a> as borrowing costs fall.<\/p>\n The RBA\u2019s governor, Michele Bullock<\/strong>, will hold a press conference at 3:30pm where she will no doubt be asked whether we can expect further rate cuts this year.<\/p>\n![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Patrick_Commins.png\")
Patrick Commins<\/p>\nPatrick Commins<\/p>\n