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Australia election 2025 live: Peter Dutton to reveal Coalition policy costings; house prices rise again

Australia election 2025 live: Peter Dutton to reveal Coalition policy costings; house prices rise again

The Guardian30-04-2025

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Good morning and welcome to our live election blog. I'm Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Krishani Dhanji will take over.
Our top story this morning is on the 'handshake' deal by the Nationals to move One Nation up its preference list that could help win the New South Wales electorate of Hunter. The deal has been made despite Pauline Hanson's candidate being known for calling public health officials 'little Hitlers' and promoting a conspiracy theory that the climate crisis has been used to control every aspect of people's lives.
The Coalition will release its long-awaited policy costings today, claiming that they will show the budget would be more than $10bn better off and debt would be $40bn lower over the next four years than under Labor. A re-elected Coalition government would have to slash net migration of students and temporary skilled workers by 90% to reach its 'impossibly heroic' goal of reducing net migration to 160,000 next financial year, a Guardian analysis shows.
The median price of a home has risen for the third month in a row, according to data this morning from the research firm Cotality. The median value of an Australian dwelling increased about $2,720 in April, according to Cotality's national home value index. More coming up. Share

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Kate Forbes: The world is ignoring those who talk Scotland down
Kate Forbes: The world is ignoring those who talk Scotland down

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time28 minutes ago

  • The National

Kate Forbes: The world is ignoring those who talk Scotland down

It's why we talk about a Team Scotland approach to economic growth – finding solutions, fixing problems and delivering results. The various moving parts of Team Scotland work together to attract, secure and support investment in exciting opportunities. With various public and private sector partners, Team Scotland works together to create momentum. Despite persistent global headwinds, recent data from EY highlighted Scotland's attractiveness to global investment, and comparatively greater resilience in the face of general economic turbulence. EY's data places Scotland firmly as the UK's top destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) outside of London – for the tenth year in a row – while Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow remain among the top six UK cities for FDI projects. Although the total number of new projects in Scotland fell 4.9% from record figures in 2023, that number is marginal compared to a drop of 13% in the rest of the UK, 14% in France and 17% in Germany. READ MORE: Scottish Government announces £23.5 million for active travel programmes Despite a slight dip in the total number of projects in 2024 (135 projects, down from a record 142 in 2023), Scotland's share of overall UK projects actually increased to 15.8% (from 14.4% in 2023). This shows Scotland's relative strength compared to broader declines in FDI across the UK and Europe. EY's survey of global investors found that a quarter of those planning to invest in the UK are targeting Scotland, maintaining the country's long-standing position in investors' eyes as the UK's preferred FDI destination outside of London. I recently visited the Glasgow offices of Canadian IT and business consulting services firm CGI Inc, which employs around 750 people across its Glasgow, Edinburgh, Borders and Aberdeen offices, and has nearly 100,000 employees globally. CGI Inc is one of the many thriving international businesses choosing to call Scotland home. The fascinating ZeroAvia, hailing from the US (and developing full hydrogen-electric aircraft engines), is another new resident, along with the Australian not-for-profit ticketing hub Humanitix, who recently opened an office in Edinburgh. 2025 is bringing further significant investment and exciting projects to Scotland. I realise some may be wondering why this is important, or what Scotland's leading place in FDI means. How does FDI benefit the people of Scotland? FDI plays a crucial role in Scotland's economy, contributing significantly to job creation, economic growth, innovation and exports. Quite simply, foreign-owned companies in Scotland, although representing a smaller percentage of all businesses, have a disproportionately large impact on the economy. READ MORE: Scottish Government launches new 'milestone' plan for disability equality These companies account for a substantial share of employment in Scotland, contributing significantly to job creation. These jobs often offer higher average wages than those in domestically owned businesses. Foreign-owned businesses contribute a disproportionately high percentage to Scotland's Gross Value Added (GVA), indicating that these companies possess high productivity and make an outsized economic impact. Inward investors have outstripped domestic businesses in investing in business research and development spending, which fosters innovation and technological advancement within the nation. These innovators also generate a large portion of the total business turnover in Scotland and become major drivers behind Scottish exports. FDI can bring new skills and management practices, which can 'spill over' and benefit domestic Scottish businesses through supply-chain opportunities, hiring and knowledge sharing. Geopolitical headwinds are clearly affecting investor confidence globally. Scotland's FDI resilience in the face of this crisis of confidence is an incredible endorsement of Scotland as a destination for global investment. Scotland's ability to maintain high project numbers and even increase its share of UK projects comes against a backdrop of a marked decline in FDI across Europe and the UK overall. READ MORE: Scottish Labour drop below Alba and Greens as by-election results called A huge amount of work, across both the private and public sectors, goes into securing these projects, which are vital for economic growth, job creation and bringing benefits across our towns and cities. It's a privilege to work with Team Scotland to secure these global opportunities, and the Scottish Government will continue to work with business partners to build our country's reputation as a world-class location for investment. In this digital and hyper-connected world, the continued pursuit of strategic inward investment will propel Scotland towards being a fairer and more prosperous nation. It's also a sign that investors from abroad don't listen to the relentless whingeing of the opposition in the Scottish Parliament about Scotland. Where the opposition see weakness, international allies see strengths.

The numbers prove the world is ignoring those who talk Scotland down
The numbers prove the world is ignoring those who talk Scotland down

The National

time5 hours ago

  • The National

The numbers prove the world is ignoring those who talk Scotland down

Despite persistent global headwinds, recent data from EY highlighted Scotland's attractiveness to global investment, and comparatively greater resilience in the face of general economic turbulence. EY's data places Scotland firmly as the UK's top destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) outside of London – for the tenth year in a row – while Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow remain among the top six UK cities for FDI projects. Although the total number of new projects in Scotland fell 4.9% from record figures in 2023, that number is marginal compared to a drop of 13% in the rest of the UK, 14% in France and 17% in Germany. READ MORE: Scottish Government announces £23.5 million for active travel programmes Despite a slight dip in the total number of projects in 2024 (135 projects, down from a record 142 in 2023), Scotland's share of overall UK projects actually increased to 15.8% (from 14.4% in 2023). This shows Scotland's relative strength compared to broader declines in FDI across the UK and Europe. EY's survey of global investors found that a quarter of those planning to invest in the UK are targeting Scotland, maintaining the country's long-standing position in investors' eyes as the UK's preferred FDI destination outside of London. I recently visited the Glasgow offices of Canadian IT and business consulting services firm CGI Inc, which employs around 750 people across its Glasgow, Edinburgh, Borders and Aberdeen offices, and has nearly 100,000 employees globally. CGI Inc is one of the many thriving international businesses choosing to call Scotland home. The fascinating ZeroAvia, hailing from the US (and developing full hydrogen-electric aircraft engines), is another new resident, along with the Australian not-for-profit ticketing hub Humanitix, who recently opened an office in Edinburgh. 2025 is bringing further significant investment and exciting projects to Scotland. I realise some may be wondering why this is important, or what Scotland's leading place in FDI means. How does FDI benefit the people of Scotland? FDI plays a crucial role in Scotland's economy, contributing significantly to job creation, economic growth, innovation and exports. Quite simply, foreign-owned companies in Scotland, although representing a smaller percentage of all businesses, have a disproportionately large impact on the economy. READ MORE: Scottish Government launches new 'milestone' plan for disability equality These companies account for a substantial share of employment in Scotland, contributing significantly to job creation. These jobs often offer higher average wages than those in domestically owned businesses. Foreign-owned businesses contribute a disproportionately high percentage to Scotland's Gross Value Added (GVA), indicating that these companies possess high productivity and make an outsized economic impact. Inward investors have outstripped domestic businesses in investing in business research and development spending, which fosters innovation and technological advancement within the nation. These innovators also generate a large portion of the total business turnover in Scotland and become major drivers behind Scottish exports. FDI can bring new skills and management practices, which can 'spill over' and benefit domestic Scottish businesses through supply-chain opportunities, hiring and knowledge sharing. Geopolitical headwinds are clearly affecting investor confidence globally. Scotland's FDI resilience in the face of this crisis of confidence is an incredible endorsement of Scotland as a destination for global investment. Scotland's ability to maintain high project numbers and even increase its share of UK projects comes against a backdrop of a marked decline in FDI across Europe and the UK overall. READ MORE: Scottish Labour drop below Alba and Greens as by-election results called A huge amount of work, across both the private and public sectors, goes into securing these projects, which are vital for economic growth, job creation and bringing benefits across our towns and cities. It's a privilege to work with Team Scotland to secure these global opportunities, and the Scottish Government will continue to work with business partners to build our country's reputation as a world-class location for investment. In this digital and hyper-connected world, the continued pursuit of strategic inward investment will propel Scotland towards being a fairer and more prosperous nation. It's also a sign that investors from abroad don't listen to the relentless whingeing of the opposition in the Scottish Parliament about Scotland. Where the opposition see weakness, international allies see strengths.

Eager Edinburgh customers in huge queue stretching up road as new cafe opens
Eager Edinburgh customers in huge queue stretching up road as new cafe opens

Edinburgh Live

time16 hours ago

  • Edinburgh Live

Eager Edinburgh customers in huge queue stretching up road as new cafe opens

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Hundreds of Edinburgh customers were spotted in a huge queue on a busy street to celebrate the opening of a new bubble tea shop. The team at HeyTea previously announced the opening of their new location in the capital and they officially welcomed customers in on Friday morning. Based at South Bridge, fans of the chain flocked to the new venue to make the most of the 'buy one get one free offer' and hoped to get their hands on the Edinburgh themed magnets - prompting a huge queue. A video taken opposite the road shows the line stretching up South Bridge as customers couldn't wait to get their hands on a drink. A post on Instagram reads: "A fresh sense of taste, awakened by the history tucked in the alleyways. Brew a pot of tea, adding a bit of depth, a bit of layers. "Feel it, gather it, and wait, for another renaissance to unfold. "Grand opening on 20th June. Buy one get one free on our exclusive opening menu. Limited-edition Edinburgh fridge magnets available." An application for HeyTea branded signage was submitted to Edinburgh Council in February of this year and approved in late March. The shop will occupy the premises formerly occupied by another bubble tea shop, HI TEA, now closed. HeyTea is a popular bubble tea brand originating in China. They brand themselves as starting the "new tea style", which innovates traditional tea by adding ingredients like milk, fruit, and various toppings. They sell fruit tea and milk teas, experimenting with unusual ingredients like cheese foam. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. Their website reads: "As the originator of the New Style Tea, we hav ebeen infusing our teas with eccentric inspiration, giving traditional tea a new life. We want to create a tea brand for young minds who are tired of mediocracy and who dare to drink differently." This will be the franchise's second Scotland store after their first opened in Glasgow. The brand also operates a number of cafes in London and Manchester. They also operate stores across the world in Australian, America, Canada, and Asia.

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