CHINA PLANS TO BYPASS HONG KONG GOVERNMENT

Following a year of protests in Hong Kong, the Chinese government will today table a resolution enabling its top legislative body, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, to pass national security legislation targeting the city-state.

While the exact details are yet to be published, Hong Kong paper the South China Morning Post reports the new bill would ban secessionist and subversive activity, foreign interference, and terrorism. As the ABC reports, Donald Trump has denounced the news, while social media posts are already emerging across Hong Kong urging another round of mass protests.

BAD TIMING: According to SCMP, Hong Kong has, with three exceptions, been free of community transmissions since April 19. Watch that space, post-mass protests.

MORE FUEL TO THE AUS-CHINA FIRE

Amidst an emerging trade war between Australia and China, analysts and industry insiders have told The Age that the Chinese government has begun warning state-owned utilities against purchasing Australian thermal coal and to instead focus on domestic orders.

DANDREWS GOES IT ALONE: According to The Australian ($), FOI documents obtained from the Victorian opposition show Daniel Andrews’ Department of Premier and Cabinet refused DFAT access to details of national security before signing up to China’s Belt and Road Initiative in October 2018.

CLASS ACTION CRACKDOWN

Finally, just two days after Crikey outlined why, in lieu of ASIC growing a spine, class action lawsuits are necessary for major businesses to play fair, The Australian ($) reports that Josh Frydenberg will today announce regulations requiring litigation funders to hold an Australian financial services ­licence and comply with the managed investment scheme regime.

PS: Sadly, The Guardian reports that the pandemic has forced Christian Porter to delay the draft bill for a Commonwealth Integrity Commission. Priorities!

STATE WRAP: EKKA LONG WEEKEND, VIRTUAL

• Queensland has moved the state’s Ekka Show public holiday from Wednesday August 12 to Friday August 14 to create a one-year-only ‘People’s Long Weekend’ and provide stimulus for the tourism industry.
  • The government also announced that they have made more than 100,000 phone calls to seniors across the state to find out how they are going during the crisis, and ask if the Care Army can help.
• The ABC reports that Victoria’s Year 12 students will sit their final exams in November and have results by the end of the year, following weeks of uncertainty.
  • Additionally, the government announced a virtual Regional Roundtable series, to be hosted by regional partnerships to understand local impacts of the pandemic, and revealed that 12 new Aboriginal Housing Victoria houses will be built under the new $500 million public and community housing fund, while $35 million will go to upgrades for existing Aboriginal social housing.
• The Western Australian government has established an urgent review of skills, training and workforce development in response to COVID-19.
• The ACT government announced that Libraries ACT’s 20th ‘National Simultaneous Storytime’ will launch online at 11 am on Wednesday 27 May 2020.
• Finally, in just a nice end to the week, the ABC reports that South Australia’s last remaining COVID-19 patient has left Royal Adelaide Hospital.