The Liberals have launched a last-ditch attempt to overturn one of the federal election’s tightest results, but they might not have a leg to stand on.

One week before the new parliamentary term kicks off, Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian has begun a challenge in the Court of Disputed Returns over the north Sydney seat of Bradfield.

Independent Nicolette Boele won the electorate by 26 votes after a month-long tally and recount.

While the margin is slim, any change could take months to cement and election analyst Kevin Bonham said precedents could work against the Liberals.

If the Australian Electoral Commission follows principles better understood after a High Court challenge to 2007 election results in Melbourne electorate McEwen, he said it may well be that the Liberals “don’t have a lot of leg to stand on”.

“It sounds like a lot to turn around,” Dr Bonham told AAP.

More than 118,000 ballots were cast in the seat of Bradfield at the May election, with Ms Kapterian leading the original count by eight votes before the automatic recount declared Ms Boele the winner.

Although the result was confirmed in early June, the Liberal candidate did not announce her bid until Monday evening.

Ms Kapterian stressed her confidence in the integrity of Australia’s electoral system but said there was a need to re-examine the papers given the “highly subjective nature of decisions relating to interpreting voter intentions”.

She wanted a targeted review of some “line ball” ballots.

This commonly refers to votes where numbers are written in an unclear way and a decision must be made on whether the characters are distinct enough to count the ballot, or if it must be regarded as an informal vote.

“Pursuing this final step will provide collective confidence that the final result reflects the true wishes of the voters in Bradfield and remove any remaining doubt created by the two conflicting counts,” Ms Kapterian said.

Dr Bonham did not know the exact grounds of the challenge, but said there was good reason margins changed throughout the count because they depend on which votes were scrutinised and at what stage of the process.

If there was an obvious problem with the electoral commission’s rulings, then that would have likely appeared earlier in the tally.

That doesn’t mean the result cannot change, with Dr Bonham noting the margin during the McEwen count in 2007 shifted by 19 votes to extend the Liberal’s lead from 12 to 31, more than seven months after the 2007 contest.

But the expert did not see an unusual level of complaints from Liberal scrutineers in the aftermath of the May election.

“It may be that they don’t necessarily have a lot of hope,” Dr Bonham said.

“But they just want to be able to say, ‘we didn’t die wondering, we did everything we could to try to win’.”

Ms Boele affirmed her confidence in the process that led to the result and said she would defend her victory, though she reached out to her community for help to pay her legal bills.

“Everything we’ve worked for is on the line,” she said.

“The Liberal Party has a legal team and enormous resources. I have community.

“But we can’t rely on volunteers in the High Court, we need good lawyers and that is expensive.”

If Ms Boele won and the Liberals were asked to cover her legal costs, she committed to offering every donor a refund.

The independent has already attended an orientation workshop on the procedures of the lower house before parliament’s return on July 22.

Removing surcharges fees on debit and credit card transactions could save consumers more than $1 billion, but small businesses say the changes will just hide the costs in increased prices.

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s review of merchant card payment costs recommends the fees be scrapped on EFTPOS, Mastercard and Visa card transactions because they don’t help consumers make more efficient payment choices.

Consumers are estimated to pay $1.2 billion in surcharges on payments each year, the equivalent of $60 per card-using adult.

Lowering the cap on interchange fees paid by businesses – another recommendation – would save Australians $1.2 billion.

The fee is paid by a business to a customer’s card issuer when a transaction occurs.

But the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association slapped down the proposal, and suggested the “tone deaf” policy would simply drive up menu prices.

“Who the hell does the RBA think will bear the cost of this ridiculous decision?” chief executive Wes Lambert said.

“A blanket ban on surcharging will undermine small businesses, reduce price transparency and mandate price hikes across every menu in Australia.”

The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia said businesses would just raise their prices and the changes would hide, rather than remove, surcharges.

The Independents Payment Forum – a body that represents small businesses including retailers, cafes, service stations and convenience stores – said other merchant fees would still eat into profit margins.

“The proposed regulatory options fail small businesses and the local communities they serve,” co-founder Bradford Kelly said.

“They benefit big business, big banks and big offshore companies.” 

The RBA’s proposals go further than previous federal government suggestions and are likely to be pushed through by the central bank, pending the outcome of a short feedback window.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers had said the government was prepared to ban fees on debit card transactions from the start of 2026.

But the RBA has included credit cards.

The government will consider the recommendation, but Dr Chalmers on Tuesday noted the RBA expected to be able to make the changes under its existing powers.

The central bank proposed removing prohibitions on “no surcharge” rules to achieve scrapping the fees.

It expected the card networks would then follow by implementing “no surcharge” rules based on historical experience and arrangements in other jurisdictions.

If that did not occur, the RBA would recommend the government legislate to ban surcharge fees.

Canstar data insights director Sally Tindall said consumers were fed up with being slugged with extra fees at the checkout.

“Our research shows the vast majority of Australians want this annoying bugbear off their backs for good,” she said.

Banks and other payment systems backed the changes because they kept pace with the reality of the modern-day transaction.

“It makes sense that consumers know the final price before they get to the checkout,” an Australian Banking Association spokesperson said.

“Banks will work with the government to provide Australians with more certainty and transparency on the costs of digital payments.”

RBA governor Michele Bullock said consumers and businesses would benefit as fewer and fewer Australians made cash payments.

“The time has come to address some of these high costs and inefficiencies in the system,” she said.

Lowering the cap on interchange fees by businesses is predicted to benefit small businesses the most, because they often pay higher fees.

The central bank found small businesses would be $185 million better off under the changes, with 90 per cent of them benefiting.

Better transparency achieved by forcing card networks and large acquirers to publish what fees they are charging has also been recommended to foster competition between networks.

Any changes won’t kick in until July 2026.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has hailed improved relations with Australia as he met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Beijing.

Mr Xi was all smiles as he greeted his Australian guest in the East Hall – one of the many ornate chambers in the Great Hall of the People.

With the Australian and Chinese national flags adorning the walls, the leaders sat on opposite sides of a long polished table, where Mr Xi praised Mr Albanese for fostering stronger ties.

“The most important thing we can learn from this is that a commitment to equal treatment, to seeking common ground while sharing differences, pursuing mutually beneficial co-operation, for our countries and peoples,” he said.

China’s president pointed to past meetings as “in-depth discussions on the strategic overarching issues critical to the direction of China-Australia relations”

“With joint efforts from both sides the China-Australia relationship has recovered from the setback and turned around,” Mr Xi said.

Tuesday’s bilateral meetings with President Xi, Premier Li Qiang and Communist Party Chairman Zhao Leji – the three highest-ranking members of China’s ruling committee – mark the centrepiece of Mr Albanese’s six-day tour of the Middle Kingdom.

With China and Australia’s comprehensive strategic partnership entering its second decade, Mr Xi said he was ready to push the relationship further to reap greater benefits for both peoples. 

Mr Albanese was keen to echo his host, adding that he looked forward to working on areas of shared interest such as steel decarbonisation. 

“It is my pleasure to meet with you again here today,” he said, adding that he “very much” appreciated the Chinese hospitality.

“I note your comments in your opening remarks about seeking common ground while sharing differences,” he said.

“That approach has indeed produced very positive benefits for both Australia and for China.”

The meeting comes as the Chinese-Australian free trade agreement passes its 10th anniversary.

Co-operation between the two nations has increased following a falling out during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Albanese is likely to raise Australian concerns over increased Chinese militarism, including Chinese naval exercises off Australian waters, and the detention of Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun.

Beijing’s dissatisfaction over Australia’s plan to tear up a Chinese-owned company’s lease of Darwin Port is also likely to be broached. 

An article by a Chinese state media influencer suggested Beijing could restrict Australian imports as retaliation, risking financial blowback for Australian companies.

It comes as Chinese security officials tried to stop Australian journalists, who were travelling with the prime minister’s delegation, from leaving a tourist attraction in Beijing after filming in the area.

The group of reporters had permission to film at the location, but were stopped by security officials and were told to hand over footage before police arrived.

The journalists were able to leave the site with the footage, despite being followed by security.

RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA’S PROPOSED SURCHARGES BAN

*The Reserve Bank of Australia has proposed removing surcharges on EFTPOS, Mastercard and Visa card transactions, which it says will save consumers $1.2 billion a year

*It would also lower the cap on interchange fees businesses pay, to try and save them $1.2 billion and offset the surcharge changes

*Card networks will have to publish the fees they charge to increase transparency and competition

*The RBA’s recommendations went beyond the government’s proposal, which suggested banning surcharge fees only on debit card transactions

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

* “The payments landscape is always evolving and it’s critically important we keep pace to ensure it remains safe, competitive and efficient.”

– RBA Governor Michele Bullock

* “We take the RBA’s views seriously and will consider their recommendations along with broader industry feedback.” 

– Treasurer Jim Chalmers

* “The rules around surcharging are more than 20 years old and consumers rightly expect them to keep pace with changes in how they make payments.” 

– Australian Banking Association spokesperson

* “For small businesses already managing tight margins, this means those costs would have to be absorbed into base prices.” 

– Council of Small Business Organisations Australia chair Matthew Addison

* “A blanket ban on surcharging will undermine small businesses, reduce price transparency and mandate price hikes across every menu in Australia.”

 –  Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association CEO Wes Lambert

* “Without fundamental reform and more legislative intervention, these unfair and inflated fees will continue to decimate small business profit margins, increase prices, reduce productivity and possibly lead to closures.” 

– Independents Payment Forum co-founder Bradford Kelly

* “More people are paying by card out of necessity and they shouldn’t be penalised for it. Surcharges act as a barrier to people using their own money.”

– Anglicare Sydney food and financial assistance head Paul Fitzpatrick

Australia’s peak business lobby has played down concerns over Chinese economic coercion, saying increased trade between the two nations is actively encouraged.

Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black said business leaders should continue to pursue diversification as an “inherent good in and of itself” while also strengthening ties with China.

Australia’s economic reliance on China was exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Beijing imposed restrictions across $20 billion worth of key exports over political grievances with Canberra.

At the time, Australia pursued a policy of trade diversification, successfully making up much of the trade shortfall with increased exports to countries such as Japan, South Korea and India.

But since a thaw in relations with Zhongnanhai following Labor’s election victory in 2022, trade between Australia and China has rebounded.

Speaking ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping  in Beijing, Mr Black said the meeting would set the tone at a business-to-business level and send a signal that further engagement is welcome.

But Australian CEOs should still be encouraged to diversify because it was good for business as well as managing risk.

“So from our perspective, we say let’s try and have the best possible relationship that we can with China. Let’s try and make sure that we can establish trade opportunities that help jobs and businesses back home,” he told reporters in Beijing.

“But let’s also concentrate on the engagements that we have overseas with countries like the United Arab Emirates, countries like India, countries like those in Southeast Asia.”

A risk remains that China could once again resort to economic penalties on Australia in retaliation for political disagreements.

Speculation has emerged that Beijing could apply countermeasures if Canberra follows through on its plan to tear up a Chinese-owned company’s lease of Darwin Port.

An article by a Chinese state media-linked influencer suggested Beijing could restrict Australian imports, including iron ore trade valued at more than $100 billion, in response.

Mr Black refused to say whether businesses were concerned about blowback from the Darwin Port decision, backing the government’s right to make decisions regarding the national interest.

In a press conference on Monday, Mr Albanese said he was not concerned about Chinese retaliation.

“We had a very clear position that we want the port to go into Australian ownership,” he told reporters in Shanghai.

“We’ve been clear about it, we’ve been orderly about it, and we will go through that process.”

The mother of a former police officer accused of murdering two men with his service weapon has attended court as her son’s case faces further delays.

Beaumont Lamarre-Condon has been charged with two counts of murder over the deaths of flight attendant Luke Davies, 29, and TV presenter Jesse Baird, 26, in February 2024. 

Lamarre-Condon is accused of shooting the couple at Mr Baird’s Paddington home in Sydney’s east, before bundling their bodies in surfboard bags and dumping them at a rural property.

They were found after Lamarre-Condon, 29, handed himself in.

He has been remanded in custody, but more than a year later has not yet entered any pleas. 

Lamarre-Condon did not appear in Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, when his legal team sought leave to withdraw from his case after “an issue arose”.

State-funded legal service Legal Aid has arranged for the brief of evidence – which runs in excess of 20 volumes – to be handed over to his new lawyer, Benjamin Archbold. 

Crown prosecutor Brendan Donnelly opposed any further delays in the case, citing the fact that the charges were certified against Lamarre-Condon in July 2024.

Negotiations had been ongoing for “many, many months” and the alleged murderer was given “plenty of opportunity” to enter pleas, Mr Donnelly said. 

“The Crown is ready for this matter to proceed to trial,” he said.

“Any further delay … is unreasonable.”

Magistrate Christopher Halburd decided to err on the side of caution so Lamarre-Condon could have an opportunity to enter pleas after speaking with Mr Archbold. 

“You don’t get any more serious allegations than this,” he said.

The magistrate adjourned the matter for six weeks to allow the parties to figure out “what’s actually happening”. 

The accused murderer’s mother, Coleen Lamarre, watched on in the courtroom but remained silent as she left.

The proceedings were also monitored via an audiovisual link by family of one of the men Lamarre-Condon is accused of murdering. 

It is the second time the former police officer has changed legal representation.

His previous lawyer withdrew in November when Lamarre-Condon was expected to enter pleas. 

The decision caused months of delays in the double-murder case. 

Lamarre-Condon is facing two counts of domestic violence-related murder and two aggravated break and enter charges. 

NSW Police allege the attack was premeditated and followed a months-long campaign of “predatory behaviour” targeting Mr Baird.

Lamarre-Condon briefly dated the TV presenter before Mr Baird began a relationship with Mr Davies.

Police allege the former senior constable used his service weapon to shoot the couple before attempting to dispose of their bodies.

Lamarre-Condon was sacked by the NSW Police Force in March 2024.

He had joined the force in 2019 and previously ran a celebrity blog, posing in photos with dozens of A-listers including Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Harry Styles.

His matter will return to court in August. 

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China’s economy has grown at a slightly faster pace than expected in the second quarter, showing resilience in the face of US tariffs, though analysts warn of intensifying headwinds that will ramp up pressure on policymakers to roll out more stimulus.

The world’s number two economy has so far avoided a sharp slowdown in part due to a fragile US-China trade truce and policy support, but markets are bracing for a weaker second half as exports lose momentum, prices continue to fall, and consumer confidence remains low.

Data on Tuesday showed China’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5.2 per cent in the April-June quarter from a year earlier, slowing from 5.4 per cent in the first quarter, but just ahead of analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a rise of 5.1 per cent.

“China achieved growth above the official target of five per cent in Q2 partly because of front loading of exports,” said Zhiwei Zhang, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management.

“The above target growth in Q1 and Q2 give the government room to tolerate some slowdown in the second half of the year.”

On a quarterly basis, GDP grew 1.1 per cent in April-June, the National Bureau of Statistics data showed, compared with a forecast 0.9 per cent increase and a 1.2 per cent gain in the previous quarter.

Investors are closely watching for signs of fresh stimulus at the upcoming Politburo meeting due in late July, which is likely to shape economic policy for the remainder of the year.

Beijing has ramped up infrastructure spending and consumer subsidies, alongside steady monetary easing. In May, the central bank cut interest rates and injected liquidity as part of broader efforts to cushion the economy from US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs.

Further monetary easing is expected in the coming months, while some analysts believe the government could ramp up deficit spending if growth slows sharply.

But China observers and analysts say stimulus alone may not be enough to tackle entrenched deflationary pressures, with producer prices in June falling at their fastest pace in nearly two years.

Data on Monday showed China’s exports regained some momentum in June while imports rebounded, as factories rushed out shipments to capitalise on a fragile tariff truce between Beijing and Washington ahead of a looming August deadline. China is aiming for full-year growth of around five per cent.

The latest Reuters poll projected GDP growth to slow to 4.5 per cent in the third quarter and 4.0 per cent in the fourth, underscoring mounting economic headwinds as US President Donald Trump’s global trade war leaves Beijing with the tough task of getting households to spend more at a time of uncertainty.

June activity data also released on Tuesday painted a mixed picture – industrial output grew 6.8 per cent year-on-year in June, quickening from the 5.8 per cent pace in May and beating forecasts, but retail sales growth slowed down.

Fixed-asset investment grew 2.8 per cent in the first six months from a year earlier, slowing from 3.7 per cent in January-May and missing analysts’ forecast of 3.6 per cent.

Australia’s central bank wants to remove surcharge fees on both debit and credit cards in a move it expects would save consumer more than $1 billion.

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s review of merchant card payment costs recommends the fees be scrapped on EFTPOS, Mastercard and Visa card transactions as they don’t help consumers make more efficient payment choices.

Lowering the cap on interchange fees paid by businesses – another recommendation of the paper – as well would save Australian $1.2 billion.

An interchange fee is paid by a business to a customer’s card issuer when a transaction occurs.

The bank’s proposals go further than what the federal government has previously suggested.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers had said the government was prepared to ban fees on debit card transactions from the start of 2026, but the RBA has included credit cards.

Consumers are estimated to pay $1.2 billion in surcharges on payments each year, the equivalent of $60 per card-using adult.

Scrapping surcharges would also mean consumers don’t need to switch between payment methods to try and avoid a fee, the report stated.

RBA Governor Michele Bullock said both consumers and businesses benefited from the proposal as fewer Australians make cash payments.

Customers would avoid paying surcharges, while businesses would no longer be forced to face high costs of accepting card payments.

“We think the time has come to address some of these high costs and inefficiencies in the system,” she said.

“The payments landscape is always evolving, and it’s critically important that we keep pace to ensure it remains safe, competitive and efficient.”

The RBA proposed removing its own prohibition on ‘no-surcharge’ rules to achieve scrapping the fees.

It expected the card networks would then follow by implementing ‘no-surcharge’ rules based on historical experience and arrangements in other jurisdictions.

If that did not occur, the RBA would recommend the federal government legislate to ban surcharge fees.

Lowering the cap on interchange fees by businesses is predicted to benefit small businesses the most, because they often pay higher fees.

The central bank found small businesses would be $185 million better off under the changes, with 90 per cent of them benefiting.

Better transparency achieved by forcing card networks and large acquirers to publish what fees they are charging has also been recommended, in a bid for better competition between the networks.

Ms Bullock predicted the proposals would spark much discussion particularly among businesses that do surcharge, prompting a six-week consultation period on their plan.

Any changes won’t kick in until July 2026.

The US government says it is placing a 17 per cent duty on most fresh Mexican tomatoes after negotiations ended without an agreement to avert the tariff.

The US Commerce Department announced it was withdrawing from a 2019 deal suspending an anti-dumping duty investigation on tomatoes from Mexico.

Anti-dumping duties are calculated to measure the percentage by which Mexican tomatoes have been sold in the United States at “unfair prices,” the Commerce Department said in its statement.

President Donald Trump on Saturday had separately threatened to impose a 30 per cent tariff on imports from Mexico starting on August 1, after weeks of negotiations with the major US trading partner failed to reach a comprehensive trade deal.

Mexico’s agriculture ministry and economy ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mexico said in April it was confident that it can renew the tomato agreement with the United States. Washington had said in April that it intended to withdraw from the deal.

The agreement, which regulates Mexican tomato exports to the US in a bid to allow US producers to compete fairly, was first struck in 1996 and last renewed in 2019 to avert an anti-dumping investigation and end a tariff dispute.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that “for far too long our farmers have been crushed by unfair trade practices that undercut pricing on produce like tomatoes.”

Tim Richards, a professor at the Morrison School of Agribusiness at Arizona State University, said US retail prices for tomatoes will likely rise around 8.5 per cent.

Jacob Jensen, a trade policy analyst at the American Action Forum, a right-leaning policy institute, said areas with a higher reliance on Mexican tomatoes could see price increases close to 10 per cent, since it will be more difficult to replace that supply.

According to official figures, Mexico exported $US3.3 billion ($A5 billion) of tomatoes last year, the vast majority to the US.

with AP

Starbucks is requiring some remote workers to return to its headquarters and increasing the number of days that corporate employees are required to work in an office.

In a letter to employees posted on Monday, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol said corporate employees would need to be in the office four days a week starting in early October instead of three days a week.

The Seattle-based company said that all corporate “people leaders” must be based in either Seattle or Toronto within 12 months.

That is a change from February, when it required vice presidents to relocate to Seattle or Toronto.

Starbucks said individual employees working under those leaders would not be asked to relocate.

But the company said all hiring for future roles and lateral moves will require employees to be based in Seattle or Toronto.

“We are re-establishing our in-office culture because we do our best work when we’re together. We share ideas more effectively, creatively solve hard problems, and move much faster,” Niccol wrote in the letter.

Niccol said affected workers who choose not to relocate will be eligible for a one-time voluntary exit program with a cash payment.

While many workers grew to enjoy working from home during the pandemic, the call for workers to return to offices full-time has been growing over the past year.

Major US employers such as Amazon, AT&T and the federal government have required employees to work in office sites five days per week.

Competition for fully-remote jobs is fierce.

Starbucks spokeswoman Lori Torgerson said she did not have a count of employees who are currently working as “people leaders” or are working remotely.

Starbucks has 16,000 corporate support employees worldwide but that includes coffee roasters and warehouse staff.

Niccol was not required to relocate to Seattle when he was hired to lead Starbucks last August.

Instead, the company said it would help him set up an office near his home in Newport Beach, California, and would give him the use of a corporate jet to commute to Seattle.

Since then, Niccol has bought a home in Seattle and is frequently seen at the company’s headquarters, Torgerson said.