Anthony Albanese Labor leadership federal election
(Image: AAP/Dean Lewins)

LABOR BACKS TAX

Labor is preparing to vote for the Coalition’ full three-stage tax plan, so as not to be responsible for delaying the July 1 cut for low-income earners. The shadow cabinet will meet today to discuss approving stage three, which will see the 32.5% tax rate cut to 30% from 2024, and bringing forward stage two, leaving the door open to a future repeal, The New Daily reports.

Leader Anthony Albanese and treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers have tried to walk back Labor’s previous class rhetoric, with Chalmers telling Insiders that workers on $200,000 are not “the top end of town”. ACTU secretary Sally McManus told The New Daily unions remain concerned about the third stage, which “reduces the progressive nature of the taxation system”.

FRIENDSHIP ENDED WITH COALITION

The Coalition has reportedly jeopardised its chances of gaining approval from the crossbench, with Centre Alliance Senator Stirling Griff furious at the way Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton is characterising the medivac law, The Age reports. 

On Sunday, Dutton claimed asylum seekers are refusing resettlement in the US because of the law and that applications for medical transfer are being reviewed by “activist” doctors. As the Sydney Morning Herald revealed yesterday, the expert medical panel has only overturned two cases in four months, siding with the government seven out of nine times, despite Dutton’s claims a Federal Court decision was going to “open the floodgates”.

“This will certainly undermine the relationship,” Griff said.

PM (FINALLY) ANNOUNCES PLANS

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will outline his economic agenda in a speech in Perth today, targeting “unions, red tape and green rules”, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Morrison will announce a plan to speed up approvals for major projects in an effort led by assistant minister Ben Morton. Morrison will also signal his intention to bring 2017’s failed Ensuring Integrity Bill back to parliament next week, while also announcing a wider review of industrial law under Christian Porter. Porter last week called for John Setka’s CFMMEU to be deregistered as the Coalition attempts to exploit the ongoing scandal to push for reform, The Guardian reports.

[free_worm]

THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

That is stupid… Do they think their country is much better than New Zealand? Do they think Australia is a piece of cake? Everyone here hates Australia.

Behrouz Boochani

The Manus Island detainee and journalist responds to Morrison’s suggestion that refugees would use the NZ resettlement offer as a backdoor to gain entry to Australia.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Sharrouf children returning home from Syria after half-decade of hell

Secret plans for new port outside Darwin to accommodate US Marines

Four children charged with burning down Big Brother house near Dreamworld on Gold Coast

Ethiopia says coup attempt thwarted, regional president and military chief killed

A matter of trust: NSW Labor leader contenders make final pleas for top job

Child victims of crime wait years for compo amid Victims Services outcry

Police replace QC over stance on public disclosure in Gobbo probe

Plan to help farmers after Victorian bushfire inspires emergency relief around Australia

‘Not good enough’:  Liz Ellis slams netball’s stance on Maria Folau

Write uni free speech into law, union urges ($)

Albo’s ‘Dear John’ letter says Setka has hurt Labor, must go ($)

Bodies of seven mountaineers missing in the Himalayas recovered

Children’s sports clubs issued guidelines for transgender players ($)

City of Sydney set to vote on ‘climate emergency’

Trump dismisses UN request for FBI to investigate Jamal Khashoggi’s murder

Global markets braced for turmoil as US prepares Iran sanctions

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

This story should be front-page news, every single day

Jun 24, 2019

62

“Mid-afternoon, or in the evening, the thinking starts for the next day’s story. You look through a few jotted paragraphs, saved URLs, single-word notes, check the news websites as they turn. Something big, oracular? You’ve done a couple of those on the trot. Opinionated on a cultural issue? Labor Party skullduggery? Something about something that taught you the meaning of something? Grab a news hook to write about something urgent? Yet all the time at the back of your head there is the simple admonition: you should be writing about, acting on, the crisis. There is now nothing else; or at least there is not not anything that does not have any connection to it.”

It’s time to pay attention to Russia’s rising power in the Pacfic

Jun 24, 2019

15

“Yet for all the talk of the US-China strategic battle for the Pacific, the world’s equal number one nuclear power (according to the latest weapons data) has been all but forgotten by Australia. This is despite public anger over the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines plane over the Ukraine in 2014, leading to a promise by prime minister Tony Abbott to “shirtfront” Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

Exclusive: Michael McCormack’s top ideas to fix the ABC

Jun 24, 2019

8

“List of items suitable for elimination from the ABC, with a view to paying down the national debt.

  1. ABC headquarters in Ultimo. A ludicrous white elephant, all of whose functions can be performed in decentralised locations.
  2. All ABC buildings in capital cities. Just common sense. Living in the city is incredibly expensive and gives people funny ideas.
  3. In fact, all ABC buildings of any kind. It’s all podcasts and YouTube now: let them do it in their lounge rooms like normal people.
  4. ABC Kids. A whole channel for ‘kids’? Why are kids even watching TV? Ever heard of READING A BOOK?
  5. Investigative journalism. Costly, pointless and basically just a way to justify snooping on me and my friends. Why should I pay to be snooped on?”

THE COMMENTARIAT

Australian media need to accept Julian Assange is one of them ($) – Greg Barns (The Daily Telegraph): “While Claire Harvey on these pages last week, and recently Peter Greste, the former Al Jazeera journalist who was detained by the Egyptian government, have both claimed that Assange is not a journalist because, they argue, his 2010 publication was reckless because it risked lives. That assertion is rejected and it is notable that a year after the release of the war logs Assange was awarded a Walkley, Australian journalism’s gold medal, for his work. As recently as April 16 this year the Walkley Foundation was not backing away from its actions 8 years ago.”

With a fuel crisis looming, Australia’s tank is nearly empty  ($) – Jim Molan (The Daily Telegraph): “Australia should be involved in US actions in the Gulf to ensure that the tankers keep moving, because we have far more at stake than does the US, which is approaching self-sufficiency in oil. Despite the good work conducted by the Coalition government in Defence over the last six years, our lack of resilience in liquid fuels is a symptom of a larger national security problem that extends to food, water, energy, transportation, defence, extreme emergency management and our alliances. Australia’s strategic circumstances have been changing at a rate not seen since the 1930s, and Australia must adapt to emphasise our national self-reliance and resilience.”

Why the fight for press freedom should unite us all – Michael Miller (The Age): “The fight over press freedom is not a fight to protect media organisations. It is a fight to protect the the public’s right to be fully informed. The issue is not new, but AFP raids on both Annika Smethurst and the ABC newsroom have brought it to a head. This week Hugh Marks, CEO of Nine Entertainment Company (publisher of this newspaper); David Anderson, managing director of the ABC and I will address the National Press Club in Canberra to raise our strong objection to the recent raids and demand immediate changes to Federal legislation that can put journalists in jail for doing their job.”

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE

The Latest Headlines

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Australia

  • Crikey launches its first ever Inq investigation.

Perth

  • Scott Morrison will outline the government’s economic priorities at a Perth Chamber of Business and Commerce breakfast.

  • The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety in Perth will hold a hearing, focus on aged care for indigenous Australians, person-centred care and the delivery of aged care in remote locations.

  • The WA Liberal Party will host “Politics in the pub”, with new leader of the opposition Liza Harvey.

Brisbane

  • Seljak Brand will host “It’s A Climate Emergency: what do we do now?”, a panel discussion with change makers, agitators and enterprises who are acting urgently on the climate emergency.

  • Former executives of failed company Linc Energy, one of the worst polluters in Queensland history, will appear in the Magistrates Court.

  • My Ut Trinh will appear in the Magistrates Court, charged with food contamination offences after police allege they identified her DNA on a needle found in a strawberry punnet in Victoria.

Adelaide

  • Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Bruce Lander will appear before state parliament’s Crime and Public Integrity Committee.

  • SA public servant Michael William King will appear in the Magistrates Court, charged with failing to act honestly as a public sector employee while he was at the Department of Transport.

Sydney

  • A judgement will be handed down in Dylan Voller v Fairfax, after Voller sued for defamation over posts about him on their Facebook pages.

  • The Glebe Society will host Radical Glebe, with panelists Meredith Burgmann, Josefa Sobski, and Nadia Wheatley, all at the forefront of major activist movements based in Glebe in the 60s and 70s.

Melbourne

  • Australia’s first trial of connected vehicle technology will take place at a test track, with VicRoads chief executive Robyn Seymour, Lexus Aus CEO Scott Thompson and Telstra executive Nikos Katinakis in attendance.

  • The Australian Society of Horticultural Science will host “The Future of Hort 2019”, promoting Australian horticultural science and industry.