On Notice: PM speaks to big end of town, Pacific leaders gather, and Telstra boss outlines future ‘vision’

The prime minister will use a speech to the Business Council of Australia (BCA) to indicate corporate tax changes could be on the cards, Honiara hosts a top-level summit, and the governor-general is abroad. Welcome to another week in Australian politics.

Anthony Albanese will give the keynote address to a BCA dinner tonight, and is expected to say that his government will look at “fair and affordable ways to incentivise greater business investment and capital deepening”, according to ABC News.

The Australian highlights some other parts of his prepared remarks, which were dropped to reporters ahead of time: “Albanese will put ­corporate tax reform on the table and urge business leaders to back Labor’s plans for an ambitious 2035 emissions-reduction target … [and] will back Australia as a destination for data centres and label artificial intelligence as a productivity opportunity, as long as there are regulations to protect workers and businesses from its risks.”

Are you interested in some further economic analysis? Why not read contributor Amy Remeikis on what she calls the “key problem” with the government’s recent productivity roundtable? Crikey’s politics editor Bernard Keane and contributor Glenn Dyer have weighed in as well, last week lamenting what they call the Albanese government’s “deep strand of resistance to free trade”.

Governor-General Sam Mostyn is continuing her ongoing trip abroad, which began on September 1. The trip includes stops in Japan, Vietnam, and Mongolia. According to The West Australian, her visit to Mongolia over the weekend included a stop at Rio Tinto’s Oyu Tolgoi copper mine, which she described as “one of the greatest examples” of Australia’s partnership with the country.

On Tuesday, Albanese will fly to Vanuatu for a meeting with Prime Minister Jotham Napat, according to the Australian Associated Press. The following day he will fly to Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands, to attend the Pacific Islands Forum. ABC’s Pacific Beat radio show reports the agenda will include discussions on climate change, security, and the economy. In what the program describes as a controversial move, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has blocked Taiwan, China, and the US from attending this year’s meeting.

In recent years, Australia’s new foray into nuclear-powered submarine acquisition has rankled some other members of the forum. I wrote about how “Australia became radioactive” ahead of the meeting in 2023.

Also on Wednesday, Telstra chief executive Vicki Brady will address the National Press Club on the topic of “a shared national vision for Australia’s digital future”. If you are looking for deeper coverage of Australia’s telco market, check out Crikey contributor Michael Sainsbury’s recent piece on how Telstra “went full Trump” in a battle with Vodafone for market supremacy. The federal parliament is on a break, but the parliaments of Tasmania, Victoria and NSW will sit. Follow Crikey’s state politics coverage to stay up to date.