The Federal Government flags tax reforms aimed at helping more young Australians buy a home; Australia imposes fresh sanctions on Iran over its crackdown on protesters and women; and Carlton faces fresh questions after Michael Voss quits as coach.
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TRANSCRIPT
- The Federal Government flags tax reforms aimed at helping more young Australians buy a home.
- Australia imposes fresh sanctions on Iran over its crackdown on protesters and women.
- Carlton faces fresh questions after Michael Voss quits as coach.
Improving housing affordability for young people is being positioned as a centrepiece of tonight's federal budget.
The budget papers will announce tax reform towards that end, as well as measures designed to boost housing supply.
The government claims the measures will help 75,000 Australians buy their first home.
In a video posted to social media to promote the announcement, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Treasurer Jim Chalmers , and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher say the move will restoring fairness to the system.
"Buying your first home shouldn't feel impossible/ But right now, too many young people feel locked out of the housing market/Tonight, we are changing Australia's tax system to level the playing field for them/This is about doing the right thing to help more young Australians buy a home of their own."
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Australia’s ambassador to the Netherlands has met with Australians evacuated from a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak.
Doctor Greg French spoke briefly with the group from a distance, due to health protocols.
Four Australian citizens, a permanent resident and a New Zealander are now in initial quarantine in the Netherlands, before continuing their journey to Australia.
Health Minister Mark Butler says the group is in good spirits despite the ordeal.
"They're all in good health and relatively good spirits. They've obviously been subject to a pretty difficult period on that cruise ship, as all the passengers have been. But they've been kept informed by the government about the arrangements we're putting in place."
None are understood to be showing symptoms, but they’ll spend at least three weeks in a quarantine facility north of Perth.
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An Australian soldier who died during a parachuting training exercise on Monday has been identified as Warrant Officer Class Two Lachlan Muddle, from the Special Air Services Regiment.
Warrant Officer Muddle was fatally injured during a specialist parachute training activity at the Australian Defence Force Parachute School in Jarvis Bay, when he collided with another paratrooper mid-air.
The second soldier survived with minor injuries.
Special Operations Commander, Major General Garth Gould, says Warrant Officer Muddle's death is being felt deeply by his colleagues, friends and family.
" He was skilled, professional and he will be remembered for his sense of humor, and his genuine and deep commitment to serving the nation, serving in the Army, and serving in the Special Air Services Regiment."
The ADF has temporarily paused all parachuting training, pending an investigation of the incident.
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A spokesperson for the Online Hate Prevention Institute has told the Antisemitism Royal Commission online platforms like Gab and X have become a 'safe haven' for far right views.
Today marks day 7 of the first round of hearings, which is focusing on the lived experiences of Jewish people in Australia.
The commission was established following a terror attack on a Hanukkah event at Bondi in December last year, where 15 people were killed and 40 others injured.
CEO of the Online Hate Prevention institute, Andre Oboler, says instances of online antisemitism increased after October 7 across all platforms monitored by the Institute, the most significant increase was evident on the platform Gab, followed by X.
"The platform that had the most antisemitism, that contributed most to that aggregated data was Gab, which is a far-right platform, a platform that a lot of people went to after the insurrection in the US, people were kicked off FaceBook and Twitter and they went looking for somewhere else to go, they ended up there."
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The federal government has imposed further sanctions on Iran.
Seven individuals and four entities have been targeted, in a move Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong says is related to the killings and arrests the Iranian government carried out in January against protesters, as well as the oppression of women and girls via surveillance and compulsory hijab-laws.
Ms Wong says the sanctions also target what she calls Iran's shadow banking system, which the government says allows Iran to buy weapons, and fund organisations like Hezbollah.
The action has been taken alongside similar actions recently announced by the United Kingdom.
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In AFL News, Carlton bosses say Michael Voss’s resignation was mutual, after the Blues failed to improve in key areas under his leadership.
Voss stepped down this morning, with Carlton sitting 16th on the ladder after seven straight losses.
President Rob Priestley says the club needed a circuit breaker.
Chief Executive Graham Wright has praised Voss as diligent and hardworking, but says the club had not made the progress it wanted this season.
Blues assistant Josh Fraser will take over as interim coach.
