Australia politics live: Labor’s big reforms face test as parliament returns; national cabinet to debate fuel security | Australian politics
important events
New Nacc commissioners have opportunity to ‘start over’, attorney general says
Michelle Rowland He says he understands the importance of transparency as the national anti-corruption commission searches for a new commissioner.
As my colleague Tom McIlroy I brought you before, after you take office, the search for a new commissioner begins, Paul Breretonresigned.
Speaking to ABC’s RN Breakfast programme, Rowland said:
This is an opportunity to reset and renew… I think this is an opportunity for two reasons. First of all, this is important when it comes to new staff. And it is significant that we are making the first round of new appointments since the inaugural appointments of these commissioner positions.
The other is that we are aware of the importance of transparency in this process. That’s why we consulted the parliamentary committee that oversees the Nacc. We also consulted key integrity bodies on what this should look like.
Asked whether the agency should hold public hearings or release further findings, Rowland said it had the opportunity to hold public hearings if it was in the public interest but would “never interfere with its independence.”
Nick Visser
Jane Hume says bid to undo ‘hypocrisy’ in CGT cut by politicians who probably benefited from it
Jane HumeThe Liberal deputy leader has slammed new capital gains tax changes for small businesses, telling Sky News this morning the policies remain an “attack on aspirations”.
Accountant Jim Chalmers Last week, following the reactions to the budget, he announced “generous” exemptions for small businesses and said that approximately 2.7 million businesses will benefit from this share. Labor will call on the Greens to implement these changes in parliament this week.
Hume told Sky today that Australians knew the changes were “completely unfair” and accused lawmakers of moving the ladder behind them after “many politicians” used negative tools to create wealth.
Negative steering has been a way for people to create wealth for generations, and this includes many politicians, particularly from the Labor and Greens. And I think people should ask politicians if they’ve ever used negative tools to build wealth and get ahead, because I’m going to give you the odds that they have.
What an extraordinary hypocrisy that they are now trying to deny this talent to the next generation.
Hume said the Senate had a duty to examine the legislation but only had a few days to do so for a change that would affect “millions” of Australians.
Greens say ‘missed opportunity’ has led to existing properties going downhill
Larissa Waters The Greens say they are pleased the government has addressed some of their concerns about the tax changes, including rolling back ministers’ discretionary powers.
But he says the party is unhappy that it continues to negatively impact existing owners’ properties. (Accountant, Jim ChalmersHe argued that most property owners had a negative impact on their property for five to 10 years at most, so the tax incentive would phase out.
Waters tells AM:
Grandfathering these negative practices and capital gains tax benefits that have made homes ridiculously unaffordable in this country is dooming entire generations to never be able to afford their own home.
Asked whether this would break the deal and whether the Greens were ready to leave if the government continued incentives for existing owners, Waters said: “We’ll look at the final shape of the package. They were still making changes until last week.”
Greens consider Labor NDIS and property tax proposal
There are currently two very big pieces of legislation the government wants to pass: changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax, which the Greens want to pass, and NDIS reforms, for which it needs the Coalition’s support.
Both bills passed very brief investigations in the Senate; Neither the Greens nor the Coalition were very happy about this.
Greens leader, Larissa Waters, The ABC’s AM program asks whether his party would pass tax changes in exchange for a longer investigation into the disability insurance scheme.
Waters says:
We deal with these issues according to their principles, Mel [Clarke]and we’ll have a chance to talk about how these tax reforms that we don’t think will actually solve the housing crisis. They could, they might have been designed to do that.
We’re doing everything we can to stop this draconian NDIS law, which will leave more than 340,000 people unable to shower or even leave the house in some cases. That’s why we’re having these discussions, but we’re using everything we can to make sure that these outages are completely stopped, but at least we’re investigating further. Throughout last week’s investigation we saw the immorality of these cuts and the real humanitarian impact they will have.
Labor faces pressure as house prices cool
Labor MPs face a barrage of questions about falling house prices in some capitals; This means they are walking a tightrope in sending a kind of message between wanting young people to own homes and ensuring that people who already own homes don’t fall further behind.
(Although the Resolve poll, published in Nine newspapers this morning, showed 54% of 1,800 people supported lower house prices, while 11% were opposed).
Murray Watt He says it’s a good thing that the auction market has cooled slightly, making it easier for young Australians to buy their first home.
He also points out that Treasury modeling shows price growth will slow.
Allowing young Australians in particular to enter the housing market for the first time was a focus of our budget, and so we brought forward changes around both negative gearing and capital gains tax.
We are not surprised to see some cooling in auction markets. And if this makes it more possible for Australians to enter the housing market for the first time, that’s a good thing.
So our modeling from the Treasury suggested that there may be a short-term impact on house prices, but that they will continue to increase over time.
Australia is ‘as well prepared as possible’ for the arrival of H5N1 bird flu, environment minister says
Minister of Environment, Murray WattA widespread bird flu outbreak in Australia could seriously impact wildlife, he says, but Australia is well prepared.
He says so far the outbreak in Western Australia is not close to a poultry farm, but the government is working closely with the industry.
A wild migratory bird was found in Western Australia and died from the H5N1 virus, the government confirmed on Friday.
Watt tells ABC News Breakfast:
There is no doubt James [Glenday]If there was a widespread outbreak of this deadly strain it would have a very significant impact on wildlife in Australia.
There is no evidence that this is affecting poultry stocks in Australia. At this point it’s a wildlife issue. From a species perspective, as I said, we know that bird flu can affect not only birds but also mammals…
We are as prepared for this as we can, but it is a risk we must take seriously.
Tom McIlroy
Search begins for new Nacc commissioners
Chief Public Prosecutor, Michelle Rowlandopened applications for new leaders of the National Anti-Corruption Commission after his resignation Paul Brereton.
A new commissioner and deputy commissioner will be appointed through an open, competitive and merit-based selection process, Rowland said.
Applications will be evaluated by a select panel tasked with preparing a shortlist of suitable candidates for the attorney general’s evaluation.
Rowland will then ask the Parliamentary Joint Committee of the National Anti-Corruption Commission to approve her preferred candidates for each role before recommending them to the governor-general for appointment. Applications close on July 13.
Rowland said:
The Government is committed to strengthening the Nacc, including continuing to make appointments through an open, competitive and merit-based selection process.
This is an opportunity for renewal and reset for the Nacc, and I look forward to working across Parliament to appoint the best possible candidates for these roles.
Brereton resigned in May, saying criticism of him “diverted attention from the commission’s work”.
Welcome
Krishani Dhanji
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji We are here for the last session for two weeks before winter break.
With just days left before the end of the financial year and some major legislation that Labor desperately wants to introduce, expect some drama at home and plenty of behind-the-scenes deal making.
Last week the government announced significant concessions to capital gains tax legislation; The question is, will this be enough to get the Greens over the line? These talks will take place in the coming days and the Coalition will promise to repeal the law if it comes to power.
And this morning the prime minister is holding a national cabinet meeting on fuel safety, just days after promising to extend the fuel excise cut (albeit at a lower rate). Abroad, Iranian negotiators suspended talks with the United States in Switzerland.
I’m here with our news blogger Nick Visserwill be making a guest appearance in the national capital this week – so stay with us!
