Jane Hume Criticizes Negative Gearing Reform as Hypocritical
Jane Hume, deputy Liberal leader, sharply criticized the government’s proposed tax changes, describing them as "entirely unfair" and accusing politicians of hypocrisy for attempting to roll back negative gearing incentives after having benefited from them themselves.
The Coalition has declared it will not support the government’s negative gearing and capital gains tax reforms, labeling them an "assault on aspiration." Treasurer Jim Chalmers recently announced "generous" exemptions for small businesses, estimating that approximately 2.7 million entities would benefit from this carve-out. Labor plans to appeal to the Greens to secure parliamentary approval for these changes this week.
"Negative gearing has been a way for people to create wealth for generations, and that includes plenty of politicians, particularly from Labor and from the Greens. And I think people should be asking … politicians whether they have ever used negative gearing to build wealth and to get ahead, because I’ll lay you odds that they have.
What extraordinary hypocrisy that they are now trying to deny that ability from the next generation."
Hume emphasized that the Senate has a responsibility to scrutinize legislation but noted it has only a few days to review changes that would impact "millions" of Australians.
Angus Taylor on Housing Affordability Amid Falling Auction Clearance Rates
Opposition leader Angus Taylor stated he wants housing to be "more affordable" but did not clarify whether this means house prices should decrease or merely rise more slowly, the latter being the Treasury’s budget projection. New data reveals auction clearance rates are declining.
Taylor is continuing his tour around the nation’s capital suburbs, holding press conferences outside Parliament House and elsewhere.
"I want to see house prices being more affordable, I want to see housing being more affordable, and you know how you do that, you have lower interest rates, lower inflation and higher real incomes, higher purchasing power of your pay packet… this government has completely failed on affordability."
Labor Senator Deborah O’Neill on KPMG Data Misuse Scandal
Labor senator Deborah O’Neill commented on the federal government’s limited regulatory powers over the big four accounting firms amid the KPMG client data misuse scandal. She shared whistleblower testimony under parliamentary privilege on 24 March and described the parliamentary inquiry on Friday as "extraordinary."
"What struck me on reflection was how much we were actually helping KPMG understand exactly how bad this is … I don’t think KPMG fully understands the problems that they have generated. And I don’t know that the team to clean up this mess is there.
So the federal powers at this point are quite limited and Asic can only go after … company auditors. So the problem is that there’s a gap between state and federal for starters. But I think that the finance minister is well across the reality of concerns that were raised after PWC. And I know that the finance minister is going to have a look at what happened with this particular set of bids from KPMG for government work."
Environment Minister Murray Watt on Bird Flu Cases
Environment Minister Murray Watt confirmed one case of bird flu in Australia, detected in Western Australia, with a second case awaiting confirmation. He expressed concern about the threat to Australian wildlife but assured that the country is as prepared as possible to manage the outbreak.
Watt plans to convene a meeting with state and territory environment ministers and receive briefings from the chief veterinary officer and threatened species commissioner.
"We’ve been working very hard with states, industry, environment groups, scientists over the last couple of years to make sure that we are as well prepared as we possibly could be. As a government, we’ve invested $113m including $11m in the most recent budget in those preparedness efforts. So I feel confident that we’ve got the systems in place, and that we’re working cooperatively with states, territories and others to make sure that we can manage this outbreak if it does get more serious."
Zali Steggall to Reintroduce Truth in Political Advertising Bill
Independent MP Zali Steggall will reintroduce her bill aimed at regulating AI-generated political deepfakes and misleading advertisements. The bill, to be introduced on Monday, would require political ads to be truthful, accurate, and supported by evidence, with AI-generated content clearly identified.
The government had previously promised to act on truth in political advertising but did not advance its bill. The proposed legislation could impose fines up to $300,000 for violations, potentially affecting campaigns such as One Nation’s "fire the liar" blitz.
"Australians expect honesty from the people asking for their vote, yet in 2026, politicians can still publish misleading advertisements, fake endorsements and AI-generated content designed to deceive voters, without being held accountable.
As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful and accessible, the risks to our democracy are growing … Our electoral laws must keep pace."
Declining Auction Clearance Rates Across Capitals
Auction clearance rates have continued to fall, currently standing at 47.4% across combined capital cities. Sydney’s clearance rate is 47.4%, Melbourne’s 50.6%, and Brisbane’s 33.3%, with Sydney also seeing 166 homes withdrawn from auction.
These figures follow three consecutive interest rate hikes earlier in the year and come as the government debates capital gains tax and negative gearing reforms, which have already affected property investor participation at auctions nationwide.
Monique Ryan Rejects Joining Any 'Teal Party'
Independent MP Monique Ryan has again ruled out joining any political party amid renewed speculation about a new "teal party" forming to counter donation laws favoring major parties and to oppose One Nation. The Australian Financial Review reported that such a party could launch soon, with Zali Steggall reportedly involved.
Ryan expressed satisfaction with her status as an independent and noted public dissatisfaction with political parties.
"I don’t have any intention of joining a party. I’m very, very happy as an independent."
Women’s Groups Oppose Bill to Define Sex in Discrimination Act
A coalition of women’s organizations, feminists, and community groups oppose a private member’s bill introduced by Nationals MP Alison Penfold, which seeks to amend the Sex Discrimination Act to include "biological and binary" definitions of women and men. The bill has support from senior Coalition figures including Nationals leader Matt Canavan and Liberal leader Angus Taylor.
Opponents argue the bill narrows the definition of women and risks reversing progress on gender equality.
"This bill strikes at the core of gender equality by narrowly defining women. It risks taking us back to a time when an idealised definition of ‘the woman’ only allowed us to be caregivers defined by our reproductive function, who should not own property and were not suited to leadership, capable of rational thought or physically strong."
Sally Moyle, chair of the National Foundation for Australian Women, made the statement.
Jane Hume Supports Temporary Fuel Excise Tax Cut Extension
Jane Hume stated that a temporary extension to the fuel excise tax cut "makes sense," particularly given uncertainties around the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on fuel prices. However, she emphasized that Labor must find budget offsets to avoid inflationary effects.
"We think that a reduced temporary extension is a practical step and that makes sense, particularly with renewed uncertainty around the reopening of the strait of Hormuz.
The budget is already in tatters just one month after it was delivered, and Australians can’t afford a budget that keeps borrowing from the future to pay for today’s politics."
Regarding Senator Pauline Hanson’s recent comments about the number of Australians speaking languages other than English at home, Hume responded:
"Look, my partner is Greek. My partner’s mother speaks Greek at home. His family spoke Greek at home. I don’t think it’s affected their social cohesion one little bit. That said, English is our national language and we expect people to be able to speak it proficiently for them to enable to fully participate economically as well as socially."
Hume on NDIS Changes and Parliamentary Scrutiny
Jane Hume expressed willingness to support increased scrutiny of proposed changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), but criticized what she described as "horse trading" between Labor and the Greens.
"I suppose one of our concerns is that perhaps the changes don’t go far enough in addressing the rorts and the criminal behaviour that we’ve seen embedded in the NDIS system now. We want to make sure that they are appropriately addressed.
And we also want to make sure that Australia’s most vulnerable are well cared for. And there does seem to be some oversights in there. So I have no problems with scrutiny of legislation."
"It’s no surprise that the Greens have got into horse trading with Labor over this. We know exactly what it is that they do. This is their modus operandi."
She highlighted the irony that scrutiny for NDIS changes, affecting hundreds of thousands, would be longer than for tax changes affecting millions.
"I think that speaks volumes of this Labor government’s priorities."
Michelle Rowland Calls on States to Prioritize Firearms Reform
Michelle Rowland urged states to cooperate with the federal government to implement firearms reforms promised after the Bondi terror attack. Some states, including Queensland, have resisted key recommendations from the Bondi royal commission’s interim report.
"We’ve had the interim report of the royal commission. Two recommendations out of 14 went to the states and territories on the issue of prioritising firearms reform and the buyback scheme … So the obligation there is on the states to work with the commonwealth to deliver these vital reforms.
My message is twofold. First, firearms reform has the overwhelming majority of Australian citizens. And secondly, as we saw with the horrific events in Bondi, that occurred because the perpetrators had hate in their hearts but also guns in their hands."
Search for New National Anti-Corruption Commission Commissioners
Attorney General Michelle Rowland announced the commencement of applications for new commissioners of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) following the resignation of inaugural commissioner Paul Brereton.
The selection process will be open, competitive, and merit-based, with an eminent panel preparing a shortlist for the attorney-general’s consideration. The Parliamentary Joint Committee on the NACC will then approve candidates before the governor-general appoints them. Applications close on 13 July.
"The government is committed to strengthening the Nacc, including by continuing to make appointments through an open, competitive and merit-based selection process.
This is an opportunity for the Nacc to refresh and reset, and I look forward to working across the Parliament to appoint the best possible candidates for these roles."
Brereton resigned in May, citing that criticism of him was distracting from the commission’s work.
Greens Criticize Allowing Existing Properties to Retain Negative Gearing
Greens senator Larissa Waters expressed satisfaction that the government addressed some concerns in the tax changes, such as limiting ministerial discretion, but criticized the decision to allow existing property owners to continue negative gearing.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers argued that most owners negatively gear for five to ten years, so the incentive will phase out over time.
"Grandfathering in those negative gearing and capital gains tax perks that have seen homes become so ridiculously unaffordable in this country is just condemning whole generations of people to never being able to afford their own home."
When asked if this was a deal breaker, Waters said the Greens would review the final package as changes were still being made.
Greens Consider Negotiations on NDIS and Property Tax Legislation
The government seeks to pass two major bills: changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax requiring Greens support, and NDIS reforms needing Coalition backing. Both bills underwent brief Senate inquiries, which dissatisfied both the Greens and Coalition.
Greens leader Larissa Waters stated that the party evaluates issues on their merits and is actively opposing the NDIS bill, which they say would negatively impact over 340,000 people.
"We take these issues on their merits, Mel [Clarke], and we’ll have a chance to talk about how these tax reforms we don’t think are actually going to fix the housing crisis. They could have, they could have been designed to do so.
We are doing everything we can to try to stop this cruel NDIS bill that will see more than 340,000 people left without the ability to have a shower or even leave the house in some cases. So we are having those discussions, but we are using everything we’ve got to make sure that these cuts actually are stopped completely, but at the very least inquired into even further. We saw through the inquiry last week the scale of the depravity of these cuts and the real human impacts that they would have."
Labor Faces Questions Over Cooling House Prices
Labor MPs face scrutiny over falling house prices in some capital cities, balancing the interests of younger homebuyers and existing homeowners. A Resolve poll of 1,800 people indicated 54% support for lower house prices, with 11% opposed.
Minister Murray Watt stated that some cooling in auction markets could facilitate first-time home purchases, aligning with Treasury modelling predicting slowed price growth but continued long-term increases.
"Allowing young Australians, in particular, to get into the housing market for the first time, was the central focus of our budget, and that’s why we put forward those changes around both negative gearing and capital gains tax.
We’re not surprised to see some level of cooling in auction markets. And if that makes it more possible for Australians to get into the housing market for the first time, that’s a good thing.
So our modelling from Treasury did suggest that there may well be a short-term impact in housing prices, but that they would continue to grow over time."
Australia Prepared for H5N1 Bird Flu Outbreak, Says Environment Minister
Environment Minister Murray Watt acknowledged the potential severe impact of a widespread H5N1 bird flu outbreak on Australian wildlife but affirmed the country’s preparedness. The confirmed case in Western Australia involves a wild migratory bird, with no evidence of poultry infection so far.
"There’s no doubt, James [Glenday], that if we were to have a widespread outbreak of this deadly strain that would have a very significant impact on wildlife in Australia.
There’s no evidence at all, that this has affected poultry stocks in Australia. It’s a wildlife matter at this point in time. In terms of the species, As I say, we know that bird flu can not only impact on birds, but also mammals as well …
We are as well prepared as we possibly could be for this, but it is a risk that we need to take seriously."
Search for New NACC Commissioners Underway
Attorney General Michelle Rowland has opened applications for new commissioners of the National Anti-Corruption Commission following Paul Brereton’s resignation. The selection process will be transparent and merit-based, involving consultation with parliamentary committees and integrity bodies.
"This is an opportunity for a reset and a refresh … we recognise the importance of transparency in this process. It’s why we have consulted with the parliamentary committee that has oversight for the Nacc. We’ve also consulted with key integrity bodies about how this should look.
… I think people are sometimes surprised … about the sheer amount of work that the Nacc does. It’s had some 7,500 referrals, it’s finalised the vast majority of them. There have been 34 investigations completed and about the same number that are on foot and 11 convictions arising from its work. So ...
