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Penny Wong condemns reports of Hezbollah flags at Melbourne rally
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has responded to reports of protesters waving Hezbollah flags at a pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne at the weekend.
In a post to X, Wong wrote:
We condemn any indication of support for a terrorist organisation such as Hizballah. It not only threatens national security, but fuels fear and division in our communities. All of us – including every political leader – must stand together to reject terrorism and extremism.
AAP reported yesterday that a small group with Hezbollah flags – some holding what appeared to be framed photographs of the terror group’s slain leader Hassan Nasrallah – joined the Melbourne event as speeches ended and people began to march.
Victoria police said the display of terrorist symbols was a commonwealth offence and “appropriate referrals will be made to Australian Federal Police as the lead agency concerning prohibited symbols”.
Organisers of the rally told AAP the group was not affiliated with those running the demonstration.
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Asked if he was disappointed that news was leaked of Treasury looking at negative gearing and the capital gains tax, Jim Chalmers responded:
It’s not really worth getting too worried about it.
Asked if any housing initiatives or housing programmes were part of that underspend, Katy Gallagher responded:
There is one programme and it’s relating to the remote housing. It’s essentially delays in milestones being met through the states on a remote housing programme, and a lower than expected take up of home builder.
She said the decision there was $300m.
Labor ‘unconvinced’ of impact on housing supply if negative gearing reforms made
Circling back to negative gearing, Jim Chalmers was asked if there’s a way that changes could happen in a way that would actually boost supply?
He responded that “supply is our primary consideration and that’s what has motivated the $32bn worth of initiatives that we have announced”.
And one of the reasons why the changes that you’re asking me about are not part of our policy – and as the prime minister said last week – is that he is unconvinced and we are unconvinced of the impact on supply.
And so overwhelmingly building more homes for Australians to make it easier for people to find somewhere to rent or buy, that is our north star here.
Chalmers warns that cancelled visas possible for anyone ‘who seeks to invite discord in Australia’
Moving topics, Jim Chalmers was asked about reports of protesters waving Hezbollah flags at a pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne at the weekend – and whether he believes that warrants being disqualified for a visa on character grounds, if they are on one?
He said that “any indication of support for a terrorist organisation is completely and utterly unacceptable – whether it’s Hamas or Hezbollah.”
These are listed terrorist organisations, and I think any support for a terrorist organisation should and will immediately draw the attention of our security agencies.
Now, there is a higher level of scrutiny for people who are on a visa, and the home affairs minister has made it really clear from day one that he will consider refusing and cancelling visas for anyone who seeks to invite discord in Australia.
Jim Chalmers was asked to clarify foreign investment laws, and which country leads in terms of declined requests.
He said that no specific requests were raised by his counterparts in China, where he visited recently.
And in terms of knockbacks, there have been some investment bids knocked back, but they haven’t all been from one country. I think something like a bit more than 90% of bids from China have been approved. There have been some that haven’t been, but if you look at the ones that haven’t been approved, they haven’t all come from one place.
Asked what areas are being knocked back versus what areas are being approved?
Yeah, it’s a case by case analysis of risk. And I’ve identified in our Foreign Investment Review Board reforms the kinds of things that we are especially attentive to.
No plan to ban Chinese EVs, Chalmers says
Jim Chalmers is asked how confident he is that there are no security concerns about Chinese made electric vehicles, or other technologies like solar.
This comes as the US banned Chinese-made EVs, and s MP Barnaby Joyce invoked last week’s Hezbollah members’ pager explosions in raising his concern about technology he claimed could be made with a “malevolent purpose” by a “totalitarian state”.
The treasurer said “we don’t propose to ban EVs from any one country, but we do intend to continue to take advice from our relevant agencies”.
And if the situation changes at some future point, then we would take that into consideration. But as Chris Bowen has said, as I have said and I’m assuming others as well, we don’t intend to do what the Americans have done.
Chalmers says his job as treasurer is to seek advice on various proposals
Jim Chalmers was asked if he would look at the negative gearing modelling at all? He responded:
The sorts of advice that we seek from time to time is not especially unusual, especially when it comes to contentious issues. And frankly, when we’ve got housing challenge as acute as it is right now, I think it’s just doing our job – me doing my job as treasurer to seek advice on the various proposals that are in the public domain, and from time to time in the Senate.
Asked about negative gearing, Chalmers says biggest housing challenge is supply
A reporter asked: “People in your party and members of the caucus are eager for the government to be bold on negative gearing. Given you’re going to have some pretty schmick Treasury modelling on the subject, regardless of where it comes from, wouldn’t it be … responsible to at least keep that around, even if you’ve got a strongly-held view about your policy position?”
Jim Chalmers responded:
Well, we do have a strongly held view about our policy position because the primary challenge in housing right now is housing supply. And that’s why we found $32bn in three budgets, including $6bn in the last budget, to build more homes for Australians so that it’s easier to find somewhere to rent or buy.
Is a third consecutive surplus completely off the cards this financial year?
Jim Chalmers said a further update would be coming closer to Christmas:
But even if you take that budget forecast for this year’s deficit, which is around $28bn, don’t forget the deficit for that year when we came to office was going to be $47bn. So even where we’ve got a currently forecast deficit for the third year, it is a much smaller deficit than what we inherited from the Liberals and s.
I’m not going to speculate about what that update might say when we release it closer to Christmas. Clearly, a $28bn deficit is hard to get rid of in one whack, but we will continue to make the right decisions for the right reasons and manage the budget and the economy in the most responsible way.
Chalmers: ‘We’ve deliberately ensured that we have found room for that cost-of-living relief’
Chalmers asked if surplus is justified in cost-of-living struggle
A reporter asked how the government can justify a surplus when a lot of Australians are struggling to pay the bills?
Jim Chalmers responded that “we don’t see a surplus as an end in itself”.
You know, one of the reasons we are proud of the consecutive surpluses that we’ve delivered for the first time in almost two decades is we haven’t done that or cost of living relief. We’ve done that and cost of living relief.
So we understand the pressures that people are under, we’ve deliberately ensured that we have found room for that cost-of-living relief.
Surplus not the ‘end game’ but it makes room for ‘important things’, Gallagher says
Katy Gallagher said the government doesn’t see “just reaching a surplus as the end game”, echoing Jim Chalmers’ sentiment from a moment ago. She said:
It’s so that we can make room for the important things that people really value in the community. More housing, better Medicare services, cheaper medicines, and cost of living help when they’re doing it tough. We’ve only been able to find the room to do that because of the approach that we’ve taken in the last budget, three budgets since we came to office.
Gallagher says surplus is the ‘culmination of a lot of work’
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, was next up to speak to reporters.
She described the surplus as the “culmination of a lot of work over a couple of years” through the budget:
So that is finding savings, not just adding to expenditure but looking at ways that we can reprioritise spending, making ministers go back and do the hard work of looking within their departments. And they have all done that and Jim and I really appreciate the role that they have played in helping us tackle the budget mess that we inherited when we came to government.
Budget surplus is due to lower spending not higher taxes, Chalmers says
Jim Chalmers says the budget surplus is bigger “not because taxes are higher, but because spending is lower”.
Spending in the last financial year was much lower than anticipated at budget and revenue was lower as well. Spending was down by around twice as much as revenue was down.
He said the government doesn’t view a surplus as “an end in itself” but is about “fighting inflation, making room for cost-of-living relief, building a buffer against global economic uncertainty and also paying down the Liberal debt that we inherited”.
Chalmers speaks to reporters about budget surplus
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking to the media from Canberra amid news the government will deliver a $15.8bn budget surplus – more than $6bn higher than the surplus predicted at May’s federal budget.
Chalmers told reporters:
These are the first consecutive surpluses in almost two decades. In our first year, a $22bn surplus, which was a $100bn turnaround. In our second year, a $15.8bn surplus, which is a $72bn turnaround. That $172bn turnaround in just two years is the biggest nominal improvement in the budget in a parliamentary term ever.
Deaths rise in June 2024 compared to previous year, ABS figures show
ABS releases provisional deaths data for January to June
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its provisional deaths data, for measuring changes in patterns of mortality.
The data covers January to June this year, and shows:
91,319 deaths occurred between January and June 2024, 1.3% more than 2023 but 2.5% fewer than 2022.
16,855 deaths occurred in June 2024, 4.6% more than 2023 but 1.9% fewer than 2022.
There were 667 deaths due to Covid-19 in June 2024, the highest number since 753 deaths in January 2023.
You can read the full data online here.
Hip hop group Public Enemy to reschedule Australian concert dates
The hip hop group Public Enemy has announced its upcoming Australian concerts have been postponed and will be rescheduled.
Their tour included shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane throughout October.
Chuck D, the group’s frontman, needs to undergo immediate eye surgery and said in a statement:
I’m sorry to make you wait a little longer but I need to get this eye surgery done, so I can really rock the house for you and Bring The Noise. Stay tuned for the new dates.
The statement said all existing ticket holders would be notified of the new dates once confirmed, with original purchases remaining valid for the rescheduled date. Ticket holders can also request a refund.
NSW’s bushfire season officially begins tomorrow
Tomorrow marks the official start of the 2024-25 bushfire season in New South Wales.
In a statement, the New South Wales government said high fuel loads were presenting challenges for fire agencies across the state, with the RFS responding to more than 1,600 bush and grass fires since 1 July.
The minister for emergency services, Jihad Dib, encouraged people to prepare their bushfire survival plans:
We have already seen dangerous fire conditions in NSW, with recent hot, dry and windy weather rapidly drying out bush and grass land areas, increasing the fire risk. With high temperatures forecast this summer, we cannot be complacent.
And the commissioner of the RFS, Rob Rogers, said:
Consecutive years of wet weather have fuelled growth of vegetation like grass lands, particularly west of the Great Dividing Range. Grass fires can be especially dangerous because they start quickly and spread rapidly, destroying homes and stock.
Our firefighters are out on the ground doing everything they can to mitigate the risk of fire, but preparation is a shared responsibility, and we need property owners to do their part, too.
Australian shares round out September with fresh record
The Australian share market is ending the month with a fresh all-time high, AAP reports, while the local currency is also near a 19-month high.
In the first minutes of trading today, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index had climbed as high as 8,271.9, eclipsing the previous intraday record of 8,246.2 set on September 20.
Just before 10.30am, the index was at 8,249.8, up 37.6 points, or 0.46%, from Friday’s close.
Nine of the ASX’s 11 sectors were higher in early trading, all but consumer discretionary and telecommunications. The energy sector was the biggest gainer, up 2.0%, possibly responding to the threat of a broader Middle East war after Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
In currency, the Australian dollar was buying 69.07 US cents, from 68.86 US cents at Friday’s ASX close. The Aussie breached the 69 US cent level briefly last week, but otherwise hasn’t traded that high since February 2023.
Penny Wong condemns reports of Hezbollah flags at Melbourne rally
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has responded to reports of protesters waving Hezbollah flags at a pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne at the weekend.
In a post to X, Wong wrote:
We condemn any indication of support for a terrorist organisation such as Hizballah. It not only threatens national security, but fuels fear and division in our communities. All of us – including every political leader – must stand together to reject terrorism and extremism.
AAP reported yesterday that a small group with Hezbollah flags – some holding what appeared to be framed photographs of the terror group’s slain leader Hassan Nasrallah – joined the Melbourne event as speeches ended and people began to march.
Victoria police said the display of terrorist symbols was a commonwealth offence and “appropriate referrals will be made to Australian Federal Police as the lead agency concerning prohibited symbols”.
Organisers of the rally told AAP the group was not affiliated with those running the demonstration.
