TRANSCRIPT
- The Treasurer rules out changes to negative gearing
- New South Wales police undergo a dangerous driving operation
- The Opals qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics for the tenth time.
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Treasurer Jim Chalmers has ruled out changes to negative gearing and capital gains.
Property investors are under the spotlight as the tax reform debate shifts to wealthier Australians.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are both under mounting pressure to revisit tax breaks on investment properties.
The Greens are proposing limiting negative gearing rules to a single investment property.
But Dr Chalmers tells Sky News any changes are off the table.
"It's not something that we're proposing, not something that we are considering, not something that we are working up. We've got, I think, a very broad and very ambitious housing agenda and we've got a pretty full book when it comes to tax reform. And our focus is on legislating that, not just our cost of living tax cuts for middle Australia, but also changes to the PRRT changes to superannuation tax concessions. We've got a whole multinational tax agenda."
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Opposition Treasurer Angus Taylor has criticised the Albanese government over what he calls 'calculated lies' around changes to the stage-three tax cuts.
He says the Coalition won’t support changes to negative gearing because it doesn’t want to see more competition in the housing market coming from industry super funds and international investment funds.
The opposition treasurer says the Coalition will once again go to the election with a policy to allow people to dip into their super to buy a house but won’t discuss Coalition policies on capital gains tax changes or trusts.
Mr Taylor has told the ABC if elected, the opposition's first priority before implementing tax reform would be to gain public trust.
"The erosion of trust I've seen in recent years for leadership in every domain of Australian society is I think terrifying for the implications for our future. So we've got to get that trust back. That's incumbent on you, on me, on everybody else."
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New South Wales police have revealed the results of a weekend dangerous driving operation.
From Friday to Saturday, 97 people were charged with offences related to drink driving, and 91 people returned positive drug tests.
Acting Superintendent Gregory Donaldson says it remains disappointing drivers continue to engage in dangerous behaviour on New South Wales roads.
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The Israeli military says it has discovered tunnels underneath the main headquarters of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza City.
It's alleging Hamas militants used the space as an electrical supply room.
Israel has accused the agency of collaborating with Hamas, suggesting a dozen staff members participated in the Hamas attack on Israel on the 7th of October.
Lieutenant Colonel Ido says they think the tunnels are being used for central command of intelligence for Hamas.
"There are no communications meant to go in the underground, it doesn’t matter if it is UNRWA, it doesn’t matter if it is any organisation. No organisation. Think of your house, what communications go underground? None. You have Wi-Fi, you have other communications, nothing goes underground. There is no need for cables going underground, unless you have underground system.”
It comes as medics say Israeli air strikes have killed 44 people in Gaza's Rafah overnight, as more than a million Palestinians await a full-blown offensive.
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Candidates supported by the party of imprisoned Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan plan to establish a government, amidst uncertainty following a closely contested general election.
Both Mr Khan and his main rival, three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, declared victory on Friday, increasing uncertainty over who will form the next government.
Aleema Khan, Imran Khan's sister, tells SBS of the plight of her imprisoned brother.
"We need to hold fair and free elections. That's all he ever asked for. He has gone through a lot over the past nine months. He's in jail. He's got 202 cases on him. And him being incarcerated. They thought he is they dismantled his party, they removed his top tier leadership then they removed the secondary that threatened them. They put them into other parties. That was pre poll."
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And in basketball, the Opals have qualified for the Olympics for the tenth time after defeating Germany 85-52 in Brazil.
Australia punched their ticket to the Paris Games with a commanding 54-24 first half, crushing Germany 24-10 and 30-14 in the opening two quarters.
In an authoritative performance, all 12 Opals got on the scoreboard against Germany, led by captain Tess Madgen's 15 points, including 13 without a miss in her side's commanding first half.
