Category: Australian News

New analysis today by ACOSS shows property investors are buying almost twice as many homes as first-home buyers, thanks to government tax breaks.

The analysis shows that the average property investor loan is around $100,000 larger than the average loan taken out by a first-home buyer, which guarantees investors a leg up at auctions.

The Greens say Labor’s tax breaks are directly responsible for investor advantage and have effectively created an investor playground that leaves first-home buyers behind.

Greens spokesperson for finance, housing and homelessness Senator Barbara Pocock:

“Australia’s housing market has become an investor’s playground. 

“Every time you crunch the numbers it gets worse and worse and that’s because of Labor.

“It’s no wonder that property investors bought twice as many homes as first-home buyers in the most recent December 2025 quarter.

“Labor’s tax breaks are directly responsible for investor advantage, giving first-home buyers no chance at auctions.

“It’s shameful that in the midst of a housing crisis, property investors get to treat the housing market like a game of monopoly, while first-home buyers and renters sigh in disbelief.

“The CGT discount and negative gearing are pushing up house prices, leaving renters and first-home buyers behind.

“Labor cares more about rewarding property investors with tax breaks than it does about building good quality homes at prices people can actually afford to rent or buy.

“The government must scrap the tax breaks for wealthy property investors. Labor has an opportunity to fix the housing crisis — but if they keep dodging real reform, they’ll lock a whole generation out of ever owning a home.”

Just a day after shutting down a bill to give anti-corruption watchdog more powers, it has been revealed that Jacinta Allan’s Labor Government failed to alert the Big Build police taskforce that a Swiss corporation was found to be stealing $6 million dollars from the Metro Tunnel project. 

The Greens say this latest scandal is more evidence that the anti-corruption watchdog, IBAC, needs more powers. 

Last night the Greens secured support from the opposition and crossbenchers to support the laws to strengthen IBAC – Labor promptly shut down any debate on the bill to avoid the Greens amendments even going to a vote. 

This latest revelation proves that Jacinta Allan’s Labor government can’t be trusted to ensure corruption is properly investigated and stamped out. 

Victorian Greens integrity spokesperson, Tim Read:

“This is seriously dodgy, Jacinta Allan’s Labor government did everything they could to block laws to give our independent anti- corruption watchdog more powers, and the very next day we find out they have concealed corruption on their Metro Tunnel project.

“After this week, Victorians will rightly be asking themselves – what else has Jacinta Allan’s Labor government got to hide?

“Victoria has some of the weakest anti-corruption laws in the country and Jacinta Allan’s Labor government wants to keep it this way.”

A Legislative Assembly inquiry that heard from Uber Eats, DoorDash, frontline services and industry bodies has today handed down its recommendations on a proposed liquor law change in the ACT. 

Greens Leader and spokesperson on health Shane Rattenbury MLA was a member of the inquiry committee and says stories from victim survivors of alcohol-related violence were particularly powerful.

“Convenience shouldn’t come at a cost to people’s health and safety,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“One of the key recommendations of the committee was that protecting people from alcohol-related harm should be the most important aim of the ACT’s liquor legislation.”

The committee has made further recommendations, including:

• Same-day delivery of alcohol should be limited to between 10am and 10pm (based on evidence from NSW that when deliveries were extended from 10pm to 11pm, there was a statistical increase in rates of family, domestic and sexual violence reported to police)
• There should be a two-hour pause between online order and delivery of alcohol
• Same-day delivery providers should allow customers to opt out of marketing and advertising of alcohol.

“During the inquiry we heard that alcohol is estimated to be involved in 23 to 65 percent of all family violence reported to police,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“Advocacy body FARE cited evidence that there was one person dying every 90 minutes and one person being hospitalised every three minutes because of alcohol.

“Since alcohol is such a key contributor to domestic and family violence, adopting these evidence-based recommendations around same-day delivery of alcohol will be an important way of reducing these harms for people in the ACT.”

Northern Beaches companion animals, long-nosed bandicoots, kookaburras, powerful owls, and all wildlife will now be safe from 1080 poisoning thanks to Northern Beaches Council voting (11–3) to ban the use of 1080 poison on council land.

The motion to ban the cruel poison was led by Greens Councillor Ethan Hrnjak with the support of many stakeholders from animal welfare, dogwalking and environmental groups and strongly supported by the Northern Beaches local community. A dog named ‘Bo’ was the most recent victim to 1080 poison in the Northern Beaches in January this year. Hopefully he will be the last animal to die a cruel and painful death in this LGA.

This decision will see Northern Beaches Council become the third council in NSW to ban 1080 poison from council operations, joining Campbelltown and the Blue Mountains councils.

Ethan Hrnjak, Greens Northern Beaches Councillor:

“Thanks to the combined efforts of local residents, support from the Coalition against 1080 and the Northern Beaches Animal Justice Branch, I was thrilled that a majority of Councillors agreed on Tuesday night that toxic, outdated 1080 poison has no place on the Northern Beaches.

“Sodium fluoroacetate—1080—is not a targeted control method. It does not distinguish between a fox, a bandicoot, a goanna, a companion animal, or a raptor that scavenges a poisoned carcass. It is an indiscriminate, broad-spectrum toxin that causes convulsions, vomiting, cardiac distress and hours of prolonged suffering before death.

“In this day and age, we cannot continue to allow the use of a chemical that is banned in most of the world and recognised as inhumane by leading vet and animal welfare bodies.

“This effort was initiated by a report I requested in August last year into humane alternatives. The report came back confirming that staff already use and prefer more accurate, effective and humane alternatives to 1080 such as shooting, trapping and den fumigation. I’m thrilled this ban means companion animals, wildlife and our community on the Northern Beaches don’t have to fear the terrible outcomes of accidental or secondary 1080 poisoning in our council reserves again.”

Kristyn Glanville, Greens Northern Beaches Councillor:

“The Greens are committed to leading sustainable management of invasive species by council, pushing for humane and evidence based approaches, rather than reactively waiting for other regulators to finally take action.

“This achievement builds on ongoing work by the Greens on Northern Beaches Council in 2022 and 2023, where I led a phase out of use of Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs), an audit on Council’s use of chemicals, and discontinuing use of Thiamethoxan.”

Abigail Boyd, Greens NSW MLC and Spokesperson for Animal Welfare:

“This is a fantastic win for the Northern Beaches native wildlife, as well as great news for all of the pets of the Northern Beaches, and their families, who can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that going off-leash at a park won’t end up being a painful death sentence.

“The use of 1080 poison is a cruel, ineffective and antiquated method of managing non-native species, and is wreaking havoc on ecosystems across our state, killing native wildlife indiscriminately.

“Death by 1080 poison is slow, painful and uncontrollable, and it is simply impossible for this highly toxic poison to discriminate between pests and native animals. The result? Countless native quolls, dingoes, birds, possums, and even unsuspecting pet dogs who come across the poison, end up being killed by accident.

“What we urgently need is a statewide ban on the use of 1080 as well as other harmful pesticides like Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs), paired with government investment in evidence-based, non-lethal pest management alternatives.”

We express grave concern over the continued deadly unlawful attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian operations as heavy fighting across the Kordofan and Darfur States continues. The recent severe escalation in drone and aerial attacks including those affecting displaced civilians, health facilities, food convoys and areas near humanitarian compounds have resulted in a significant number of civilian deaths and injuries and is further disrupting humanitarian access and supply lines.

In recent weeks alone, drone and rocket strikes on trucks and warehouses of the World Food Programme, as well as on health facilities, have resulted in the deaths and severe injuries of civilians and humanitarian personnel and the destruction of urgently needed humanitarian supplies and infrastructure. Intentional attacks against humanitarian personnel, vehicles, or supplies, as well as wilfully impeding relief supplies, are contrary to international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.

The Darfur and Kordofan States remain at the epicenter of the world’s largest humanitarian and protection crisis. Sexual and gender-based violence is rampant, famine is confirmed and severe hunger continues to spread. Up to 100.000 people have been displaced in recent months in the Kordofan states alone. According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, violations and abuses committed by the RSF and its allied militias in and around El Fasher last October risk being repeated in the Kordofan region. We urgently repeat our call to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their allied militias to immediately cease hostilities.

We condemn the abhorrent violence against civilians, particularly women and children and all serious violations of international humanitarian law in the strongest terms. These violations may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity and must be promptly and impartially investigated, with those responsible for international crimes brought to justice.

All parties must respect international humanitarian law which includes an obligation to allow and facilitate the rapid, safe and unimpeded access of food, medicine, and other essential supplies to civilians in need. Civilians including humanitarian personnel must be protected at all times, particularly women and girls, who remain at risk of sexual and gender-based violence. Those fleeing must be granted safe passage.

We stand with the people of Sudan and humanitarian organisations – local and international – who are working tirelessly and under extremely challenging conditions to assist them.

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The Statement has been signed by

Johann Wadephul, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany

Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada

Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy

Baiba Braže, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia

Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria

Constantinos Kombos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus

David van Weel, Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands

Dr. Ian Borg, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta

Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland

Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway

Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management

Helen McEntee TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland

Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France

Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain

Juraj Blanár, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic

Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark

Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia

Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden

Maxime Prévot, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation of Belgium

Oana Țoiu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania

Rt Hon Winston Peters, Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand

Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom

Senator the Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia

Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia

Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland

Xavier Bettel, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Minster for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of Luxembourg

Ana Isabel Xavier, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Portugal

Dominik Stillhart, Head of Swiss Humanitarian Aid, Deputy Director General of Swiss Development Cooperation

Jiri Brodsky, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

Nikolay Berievski, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria

Péter Sztáray, State Secretary for Security Policy and Energy Security of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary

Croatia

Poland

Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for Pacific Island Affairs, Pat Conroy MP, will travel to the United Kingdom this week. 

The United Kingdom is one of our closest friends and oldest defence partner.

Minister Conroy will attend the Australia-United Kingdom Defence Industry Dialogue (AUKDID) alongside UK Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP. 

This will be the first iteration of AUKDID since 2018 and follows agreement between ministers at the 2025 Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations to reinvigorate the dialogue.

Minister Conroy will visit several key sites to observe progress in the delivery of the SSN-AUKUS program. He will engage with UK Government counterparts and industry partners critical to building Australia’s skilled nuclear-capable workforce and delivering more opportunities for Australian companies to tap into the UK submarine industrial base. 

Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy MP:

“The Australia-United Kingdom Defence Industry Dialogue is an opportunity to discuss deeper defence industry collaboration and ways we can collectively strengthen our defence capability.

“The tyranny of distance, which has long been a challenge to closer cooperation, is now a strength. It gives us a chance to share lessons from opposite ends of the world and it allows us to achieve global strategic effects.” 

Family First National Director and NSW Legislative Council candidate Lyle Shelton today said One Nation’s promotion of its Victorian state secretary, Bianca Colecchia — who publicly celebrates her long-term management of a strip club — demonstrates that the party is not serious about upholding the dignity of women or strengthening families.
 
Mr Shelton said Australia needs political parties that will unapologetically put families first and defend the inherent worth and dignity of every woman — not normalise industries built on the commodification of women’s bodies for male entertainment.
 
“The sex trade is not empowering. It is an industry that too often exploits vulnerable young women and reduces them to products for consumption,” Mr Shelton said.
 
“Mainstream Australians want their daughters valued for their character, intelligence and contribution to society — not encouraged into an industry that thrives on objectification.”
 
Mr Shelton said Family First was established to promote strong families as the foundation of a healthy nation.
 
“Few things undermine marriage, family and the security of children more than the sex trade.
 
“A party that elevates and celebrates involvement in the commercial sex industry cannot credibly claim to be family-focused or pro-women,” he said.
 
“The dignity of women matters. The protection of families matters. Cultural signals from political leaders matter. This is something Pauline Hanson, Barnaby Joyce and Cory Bernardi should reflect on.”
 
Mr Shelton said One Nation’s inability to recognise the importance of upholding the family and resisting the normalisation of the sex trade makes it unworthy of the support of Australians who want their communities to be safe, stable and family-centred.
 
“If elected to the NSW Parliament in 2027, I will continue to advocate for laws and policies that strengthen families and resist the cultural forces that seek to exploit women and harm families.”

To turbo charge our home-grown defence industry, the Australian Government is seeking proposals from Australia’s private capital market for potential co-investments in local industry.

The Albanese Government has dramatically increased funding for our defence force and we are making record investments in our defence industry. 

To further drive growth and innovation in Australia’s defence industry, the Government is seeking proposals from the private capital market to co-invest in Australian businesses developing defence and dual‑use advanced capabilities.

These investments will target the advanced capabilities and exports of tomorrow, including cyber, artificial intelligence and autonomy, electronic warfare, quantum technologies, and undersea warfare. 

Investing in advanced capabilities that have export potential helps build a bigger defence industry and supply chain, that’s more resilient and better for local businesses. 

The Request for Expressions of Interest is now open on AusTender to identify one or more suitable private capital partner/s to potentially manage the investment.

The size of investment that may be considered would be for a co-contribution of up to $500 million from the Government, with the decision to invest and final terms, to be determined in partnership with the successful fund manager/s and subject to further Government consideration. 

Once selected by Defence, the successful firm or firms will work with Government to develop the investment proposal further for the Government’s consideration. 

This initiative reflects the Government’s commitment, as outlined in the 2024 Defence Industry Development Strategy, to work with venture capital fund managers and other investors to explore opportunities for private capital investment in Australian businesses developing critical defence capabilities. 

Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy:

“Australia’s current strategic environment tells us that we need to do all we can to drive investment in new capabilities. 

“Joint investment between the government and private sector has enormous potential to further unlock Australian jobs and innovation. 

“In developing potential options for co-investment, the government is looking for ways to catalyse growth of Australia’s innovation ecosystem, sovereign industry capability and exports potential, all while putting money back into Australian pockets.

“The Government will explore options to partner with private capital to invest in eligible Australian small and medium enterprises that are developing the capabilities we need.”

New quarterly ABS data released today show wages are not keeping up with inflation, as yet another bank, NAB, announces a quarterly profit of $2.1 billion.

While wages rose 0.8% in the December quarter and 3.4% over the year, inflation climbed even faster at 3.8% – meaning workers’ pay packets are going backwards in real terms.

Government decisions are driving this real reduction in wages – with the housing crisis spurred on by handouts to wealthy property investors, a 5% deposit scheme debacle that is fuelling house price rises, and government approval of a 4.4% rise to healthcare premiums, the biggest in eight years. 

While the big banks’ rake in the profits of a housing crisis spurred on by Labor’s policies, working Australians struggle to afford soaring rents and rising mortgages, let alone get into the housing market. 

The Greens say Labor needs to start making policies for renters, first home buyers and mortgage holders instead of working for the banks and property hoarders.

Greens spokesperson for finance, workplace relations, employment and housing Senator Barbara Pocock: 

“Working people are seeing their real wages go backwards, while interest rates rise and Labor lets the cost of housing and healthcare surge out of control.

“Working Australians have had enough. They’re fed up with seeing the banks and wealthy property investors profit from a housing crisis out of control, while wages aren’t keeping up and workers are going backwards.

“The cost of living and housing crisis are being felt across the country. When national rents have risen 2.5 times faster than wages over the past five years, working households fall further behind through no fault of their own.

“The big banks are profiting off rising house prices and increased mortgages, while homeowners and renters pay the price of rising inflation. How is that fair?

“Amid rising cost-of-living pressures, renters are having to fork out more than one-third of their income just to keep a roof over their heads. That’s the definition of housing stress. 

“Labor’s policies – such as the 5% deposit scheme and the $181b tax breaks for property hoarders – are adding fuel to the fire, driving up house prices while the banks take all the profit.

“Labor must reform the tax concessions that are fuelling house prices and turbocharging inequality.  Scrapping the CGT discount is an opportunity for this government to change course and help fix, rather than fuel, the housing crisis.

“Without tackling the root causes of the housing crisis – which are the tax breaks for wealthy property hoarders and the lack of social and affordable housing – house prices will continue to spike, banks will continue to rake in the profits and workers will be thrown into more and more stress.”

The Victorian Greens will today move to establish a powerful parliamentary inquiry into the scale and scope of anti-LGBTQIA+ hate crimes across the state, following a disturbing string of attacks on gay and bi+ men.

This comes following a troubling string of attacks on gay and bi+ men which have seen them lured to public places through fake online dating profiles and violently attacked.

The inquiry, to be conducted by the Legal and Social Issues Committee, would examine how anti-LGBTQIA+ influencers and hate groups operate online, including far-right, misogynistic, and homophobic ‘alpha-male’ content, and explore strategies to protect young people from this influence.

It would also look at the adequacy of existing responses to preventing these crimes, and the support available to victim survivors.
The inquiry would examine ways to improve LGBTQIA+ community safety and support victim survivors of these and other hate crimes, as well as look into ways to combat anti-LGBTQI+ influence on young people particularly through hateful online content.

The Greens are urging all political parties to support the inquiry, which is due to report by 1 September 2026.

Victorian Greens equality spokesperson, Aiv Puglielli:

“No one should have to fear for their safety because of who they love.

“We are seeing gay and bi+ men being lured to public places through fake online dating profiles and violently attacked just for being who they are. As a queer person, it is genuinely terrifying to see this terrifying escalation of violence towards my community happening before our eyes.

“This doesn’t come out of nowhere. We know there’s a “manosphere” of anti-queer influences and far-right “alpha-male” networks that are grooming and radicalising young men online, building these hate networks and fuelling this very real hatred and people are being seriously harmed.

“We can’t look the other way while LGBTQIA+ people are being harassed, threatened, and terrorised. Enough is enough. We need to get to the root of this.”