ABC News ends horror month with humiliating correction over claims 14,000 babies in Gaza would starve to death in 48 hours
The national newsroom headed by News Director Justin Stevens admitted it had reported an 'incorrect' claim made by a UN spokesperson in its 11th correction published this month.
The UN's Tom Fletcher had claimed during an interview with the BBC last week that '14,000 babies would be at risk of dying in Gaza within a 48-hour period due to starvation', the claim was then picked up by multiple international media outlets and was repeated by ABC News Breakfast, ABC News Mornings and Afternoon Briefing.
Just hours after the BBC published the claims online, it had added a clarification, quoting a UN figure who admitted the initial claim had overstated findings from an IPC report that was projecting there could be 14,100 cases of severe acute malnutrition in Gaza over the next year.
Not only does the IPC report's projection cover an entire year – from April 2025 to March 2026 – rather than 48 hours, it also refers to severe acute malnutrition among children aged between six months and five years.
In its own correction, published on Wednesday, May 28 – a full week after the BBC had added its own correction - the ABC admitted its reporting was wrong.
'The remarks were based on an IPC report that warned 14,100 severe cases of acute malnutrition were expected to occur between April 2025 and March 2026 among children aged between six months and five years,' the ABC's correction states.
'The relevant content has been removed from all on-demand platforms.'
The correction, which fell short of an apology, was only made after Sky News Australia's Chris Kenny fact checked the programming, pointing out the errors.
'The 14,000 babies lie did not stand up to a moment's reflection let alone two minutes of fact-checking, yet journalists eagerly ran with it because it suited their anti-Israel narrative,' Kenny said about the correction on Thursday.
'Yet again lies were peddled about Israel and the corrections were too late and too little to repair the damage.'
SkyNews.com.au has contacted the ABC for comment.
The correction of the Gaza comment comes just days after the ABC apologised for "hurtful" remarks made on its Insiders program about Nationals MPs Alison Penfold and Pat Conaghan.
The ABC federal politics reporter Claudia Long had falsely claimed the two Nationals MPs had abandoned their electorates while they grappled with devastating floods in order to focus on the short-lived split between the Liberal and National parties.
"The ABC wishes to clarify that both Penfold and Conaghan spent the week in their electorates and sincerely apologises for the error. The comment has been removed from the on-demand version of the program," the ABC said in it's correction.
Ms Penfold told Sky News Australia she had been in Wingham, west of Taree, that morning talking to businesses and flood-affected residents and the ABC journalist had "not even bothered to call me before making these sorts of comments".
'This journalist, I've never met her, in fact, I'd never heard of her until yesterday," Ms Penfold said.
' I've been hard at work and as has Pat in the electorate. We live here, we know people affected.'
The ABC's nine other corrections issued in May include topics ranging from significantly overstating the number of women killed by their partner each year to a woman leaving a Gold Coast conference being incorrectly referred to as former US vice president Kamala Harris.
The Australian Jewish Association CEO Robert Gregory hit out at the ABC, telling SkyNews.com.au the Gaza starvation claim was 'absurd' and should never have been published.
'The claim that 14,000 babies could starve to death within 48 hours was so absurd that no thinking person should have believed it, yet the ABC published it,' Mr Gregory said.
"Unfortunately, such egregious errors happen far too often at the ABC, and they consistently fall in one direction."
He said the claim was 'inflammatory' and the damage had 'already been done'.
"This particular claim was not just false; it was inflammatory,' he said.
"It echoed the kind of ancient slanders that have historically endangered Jewish communities.
"While I welcome the ABC's belated acknowledgment of the mistake, the damage has already been done."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
9 hours ago
- ABC News
Gazan university students restart their lives in Australia with support to study in Western Sydney
Hala Alsammak has been through far more than most 20-year-olds. Nine months ago, she packed up her life in Gaza and made the difficult decision to start afresh in Australia. "Leaving everything behind and coming here wasn't an easy decision … It's a very difficult thing because all of us now [have to] start from the beginning," Ms Alsammak said. When Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Ms Alsammak was in the first week of a business degree. In the months following, she went on to look after young children in Gaza and Egypt who had lost their families in the war. "As much as I helped them, they helped me," Ms Alsammak said. "I started working with children who came from trauma — I taught them how to deal with this life and how to express their feelings [through] small things, by art, drawing, playing drums." Now in Sydney on a humanitarian visa, Ms Alsammak is among approximately 35 Palestinian students being supported to study at Western Sydney University (WSU) on a scholarship program for students fleeing conflict. She has just weeks remaining of an English course, with plans to enrol in a psychology degree afterwards and specialise in children's music therapy. "When I came here, I didn't have that much confidence to speak in English … this course was like a chance for us." Gazans Tala Hakoura and Michael Helal have also been supported to study at WSU. Ms Hakoura arrived in Australia in March 2024 with her father and brother. Her mother and sister remain in Gaza, cheering Ms Hakoura on in her studies. "I promised them that I want to study hard to get high marks … so when they hear my name [I] feel proud, that I'm doing it," the 20-year-old said. Her father owned a jewellery store, running in the family since 1938, but it has since been reduced to rubble. "All Gazans know his shop … but we lost everything," Ms Hakoura said, though her family are adamant on remaining "positive" amid the "very stressful" situation. "We are Palestinian. We can handle anything." Mr Helal was studying computer science before he fled alongside his parents and brother, arriving in Sydney over a year ago. The 23-year-old still vividly remembers when he and his peers took shelter from bombardments in a Gazan church. His university campus was destroyed. "I went out to the streets, and I did not recognise any of the surroundings and that's when I thought, 'This is going to take too long to fix, and it's probably for the best to leave'," Mr Helal said. His parents' home had been damaged by bombardment too. After being interrupted two years into his degree, Mr Helal was able to transfer subject credits and start midway through the course at WSU upon his arrival. He hopes to secure an internship towards the end of his degree and work in artificial intelligence once he completes university. "Most of all, I'm really happy because I'm getting somewhere. During the entire six months I sat during the war I was wondering, 'What's going to happen? Am I going to continue here? Is it going to be done soon? Am I leaving? Am I studying out there? Am I going to be able to study in Australia?'" According to a 2024 report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there is a decline in the proportion of refugees that receive education as age increases. Around 65 per cent of refugees study at a secondary level. This rate drops to 7 per cent for tertiary education. Chief executive officer of Refugee Education Australia and UNSW Kaldor Centre research affiliate Sally Baker said education was one of the first aspects of society to be "ruptured" during conflict. "Fractured educational trajectories are common for people seeking asylum," Professor Baker said. The United Nations Children's Fund estimates 90 per cent of all schools in Gaza are damaged or destroyed, with schools being used as shelter for survivors. Professor Baker described education as "the key to hope" for young refugees. "Having access to a form of education is absolutely fundamental to someone feeling hopeful about their future and not just focus on surviving in the moment," she said. Now that Ms Hakoura has completed an English course, she hopes to start a business degree and one day reopen her family jewellery store to continue her dad's legacy. "New people, new culture, new relationships, new traditions, like everything is new, so it was hard … but we are adaptive to everything," she said.
SBS Australia
11 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Australia may be called on to help with a Palestinian state, but how would it function?
When the first of the Oslo Accords were signed on the White House lawn more than 30 years ago, there was hope within the international community that the Israeli-Palestinian agreement would establish a foundation of peace in a land marked by "warfare and hatred". Then-United States president Bill Clinton described it as a "brave gamble", contending the future could be better than the past. It was signed by then-Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and then-Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) chair Yasser Arafat. As part of the agreement, the PLO recognised Israel and its citizens' right to live in peace, and in turn, Israel recognised the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people. It also led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which was to act as an interim government in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. (Left to right) Then-Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, then-US president Bill Clinton, then-Palestine Liberation Organization chair Yasser Arafat and former US secretary of state Warren Christopher pose during the signing of the Oslo peace accord in 1993. Source: Getty / Dirck Halstead But the promise of the PA to establish Palestinian self-governance stalled after Rabin was assassinated in 1995 by a Jewish extremist. Twenty years later, the latest bloody conflict — on October 7 2023 — has led to an escalation of the ongoing war in Gaza. Much rests now on the PA, as Arab and Western countries move towards recognising a Palestinian state, and its future role in governing Gaza once the war ends. But how would politics under the PA work? Who represents the Palestinian people? This week, Australia announced its intention to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September, following similar announcements from France, Canada and the United Kingdom. A joint statement released by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia's recognition will contribute to international momentum towards a two-state solution, a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. "The international community is moving to establish a Palestinian state consistent with a two-state solution," the joint statement reads. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced Australia will recognise Palestinian statehood in September. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins In response, the Opposition spokesperson for foreign affairs, Michaelia Cash, raised the question of whether it was even possible for Australia to recognise Palestinian statehood. "He's [Albanese's] now committed Australia to recognising as a state — an entity with no agreed borders, no single government in effective control of its territory and no demonstrated capacity to live in peace with its neighbours," she told ABC's Radio National Breakfast program. International law expert at the Australian National University, Professor Donald Rothwell, believes the Palestinian territories do satisfy the Montevideo Convention criteria for statehood: that it has a permanent population; a defined territory; government; and capacity to enter into relations with other states. While the boundaries of a Palestinian state are contested by some, Rothwell says this is not exceptional, pointing to the recent boundary dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, and so wouldn't preclude formal statehood. The PA could also be seen as a legitimate government, even though there are doubts about its effectiveness, Rothwell says. Even if the legal criteria are met, he says the decision on whether a Palestinian state could be ratified is subject to a "diplomatic and political equation". For example, Taiwan also meets all the criteria of the Montevideo Convention, but its statehood is not recognised by the vast majority of the international community, including Australia, for political and diplomatic reasons. Perceptions of the Palestinian Authority Australia is just one of the countries that appears to be relying on the PA being an authoritative representative of the Palestinian people. In his statement flagging Australia's recognition of Palestinian statehood, Albanese said the country's position is "predicated on the commitments we have received from the Palestinian Authority". "The world is seizing the opportunity of major new commitments from the Palestinian Authority, including to reform governance, terminate prisoner payments, institute schooling reform, demilitarise and hold general elections," he said. He said the PA had also restated its recognition of Israel's right to exist. "The president of the Palestinian Authority has reaffirmed these commitments directly to the Australian government," Albanese said. The statement appears to acknowledge concerns around the PA and how it has operated in the past. In July, the US state department announced it would introduce sanctions against officials of the PA and members of the PLO, for continuing to support terrorism, including the incitement and glorification of violence (especially in textbooks), and providing payments and benefits in support of terrorism to Palestinian terrorists and their families. Professor Greg Barton, chair of global Islamic politics at Deakin University, says the PA is widely seen as corrupt and incompetent. For 20 years, it has been led by Mahmoud Abbas, who will turn 90 in November. Abbas was originally elected for a four-year term, but his rule was extended indefinitely after a vote by the PLO Central Council in 2009. It's remained an old school kind of family concern with power centred around some individuals, who are now very aged. "That's not to say the PA hasn't done any good, but the perception among the Palestinian people is that it's been slow to share the resources that have been given to it," Barton says. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be turning 90 later this year. Source: AAP / Alaa Badarneh/EPA In an interview with SBS News this week, PA foreign minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, said the authority is committed to reform and conducting elections. She said Abbas also wants a demilitarised Palestinian state in the future, but these guarantees could only be delivered if there is a ceasefire in Gaza. Once the Palestinian Authority is enabled to govern in Gaza — when that situation materialises on the ground — the people will see a different kind of future, rather than today's reality, which is plagued by killing, destruction [and] starvation. Palestinian Authority has been 'undermined' Barton says while the PA has acted as its own enemy in many ways, it has also been undermined by Israel. "It's partly their fault ... and partly because of the conditions that Israel has put in place so that it's difficult for them to ever be in a situation where they're going to get popular," he says. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who does not support a two-state solution, said in a speech in February last year: "Everyone knows that it was me who — for decades — has blocked the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger our existence." Netanyahu was also an outspoken critic of the Oslo Accords when he first came to power in 1996, a year after Rabin was assassinated. He is now in his third term as prime minister. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was an outspoken critic of the Oslo Accords when he first came to power in 1996. Source: AAP / Abir Sultan/AP Netanyahu's latest move to take control of Gaza City has also raised concerns internationally, despite his claim that the move would implement a "transitional authority" and "civilian administration" in Gaza, seeking to live in peace with Israel. Shahin said if Israel continues to undermine Abbas, his government and the Palestinian leadership, then Palestinians will continue to lose faith in the PA. "If [they] continue to be undermined through demographic changes by Israel, geographic changes by Israel, through exploitation of our resources, through violation of our rights, then the people would continue to lose trust in a leadership that promised them peace," she said. "We need to see movement on the ground that shows people that there is a light at the end of the tunnel." Barton says settlement expansion in the West Bank, both legal and illegal, is one example of how the Israeli government has sabotaged the PA. "It's just made it very hard for the Palestinian Authority to exercise any real control and to build popular support," he says. No influence in Gaza The PA currently has no authority in Gaza and its administrative centre is based in Ramallah City in the West Bank. Israel pulled out of occupying Gaza in 2005 — the same year Abbas won the presidential election, but the militant political group Hamas won legislative elections in 2006. Fatah, the party that leads the PA, fought a war with Hamas between 2006 and 2007, after failing to reach a power-sharing deal and agreement over control of border crossings. It led to Hamas taking over the Gaza Strip in 2007, which Barton says has meant Fatah leaders and other members of the PA face a degree of persecution in the area. A map showing Gaza, Israel and the West Bank. Credit: SBS News According to the global Islamic politics expert, Hamas had been running Gaza similar to a mafia state before October 7. "They were controlling the economy, intimidating anyone who threatened them, carrying out summary punishment — public executions of people who oppose them — terrifying the population [and] getting people to inform on their neighbours," Barton says. When asked whether Hamas, which is also opposed to a two-state solution, still holds influence over the Palestinian people, Shahin said most of its senior leaders had been targeted and assassinated by Israel, and the rest are most likely outside Gaza. "When people see a change, when people see a move towards peace, when people see a move towards a better life, I think the whole situation will change," she said. There has been widespread destruction in Gaza since a terrorist attack on October 7, 2023 saw Israel engage in an ongoing war with Hamas. Source: Getty / Salah Malkawi Shahin said the PA has no direct contact with Hamas' senior leaders that she knows of. "But I think there are numerous contacts between other intermediaries. Egypt speaks with Hamas, Qatar speaks with Hamas, Türkiye speaks with Hamas, so we have discussions through other entities," she said. Former Australian ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma, who is now a Liberal senator for NSW, tells SBS News he also doesn't think Hamas has any official communication channels with Israel. "To the extent, [that] diplomatic channels exist, it's through intermediaries like the Egyptians or the Qataris," he says. The importance of other nations Barton says there's a chance the PA can emerge as an authoritative representative of the Palestinian people, but it isn't going to happen "organically" and help is needed. He says the PA could be remade "to bring in new leaders and to build capacity, and bring in accountability mechanisms and turn it into something that's viable". The smartest thing for Abbas to do would be to support a leadership transition rather than oppose it, he says. Barton points to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the massive scale of work that will be required in the aftermath of the war. "It would be with Saudi Arabia, and perhaps with the UAE, and with the support of Jordan and Egypt and with Qatar and possibly Türkiye," he says. That would also require support from Europeans and others, including potentially Australia. Shahin acknowledges the long road ahead to rebuild Gaza. "What is needed in Gaza in 'the day after' is just mind-boggling," she said. "We cannot even begin to imagine the enormity of the need, given the destruction and the devastation, so the more support, the better. "That support will be very much needed in terms of financial support, and in terms of technical support, and in terms of political support in the international arena." Who's going to defend Palestinian state? If a Palestinian state does emerge that is not occupied by the Israel Defence Forces, Rothwell points out, it will also be defenceless. "There's going to be a need for some discussion among this sort of growing group of Western like-minded countries — probably in conjunction with the Arab League — of inserting some sort of security stabilisation force, not only to provide internal security within Palestine, but also to protect Palestine from attacks from its neighbours," he says. Once Palestinian statehood is recognised in September, Rothwell says Australia could enter into legally binding treaties, engage in trade and directly fund aid without going through the UN or other agencies. Perhaps most importantly, Australia can directly contribute to the rebuilding of Gaza, which is going to be an important project at the end of the conflict. Rothwell notes Albanese's statement also hinted at defence force personnel being deployed. "We will work with partners on a credible peace plan that establishes governance and security arrangements for Palestine and ensures the security of Israel," it reads. A turning point Barton says the good intentions of the Oslo process have so far been stymied, but it's possible the world is at an inflection point. "The international community is now at a point where it says we can't allow the Israeli government just to do whatever it wants [even if it's in response to October 7]," he says. "Rebuilding the Gaza Strip is a pressing need." He also points to a statement from the Arab League — including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt — that calls for Hamas to disarm and relinquish power in the Gaza Strip. This is the first time we've seen such concerted agreement to speak critically of Hamas and recognise that Hamas has no future role to play in Palestine. "That's the first time we've come to this point." Barton says the UN assembly meeting next month will be critical. "Despite the failure for decades [to] bring about change, now might be the beginning in which things begin to change." While the conflict might seem intractable, Barton says there are historical examples of former enemy states, such as Egypt and Jordan, now working together. "It's not as hopeless as it might sound. "There are challenges but they're not insurmountable."
The Advertiser
13 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Living in Australia is just less fair than it used to be
Labor has never been in a better position to implement its national policy platform. But will the Albanese government spend the next three years using its thumping majority to lead bold reforms or deliver damp squib solutions? Next week's productivity roundtable will reveal which path the Prime Minister intends to tread, and so far, it looks like all it's set to do is weaken environment laws and delay big tax reforms until after the next election. Between the Treasury advice leaked to the ABC and the Prime Minister ruling out any major tax reforms before the next election, the government poured a bucket of cold water on any real excitement building for the productivity roundtable. And the productivity roundtable has a big job ahead of it. Australia doesn't just have a productivity problem, it has a revenue problem. Australia is one of the lowest-taxing countries in the developed world. In fact, if Australia collected the OECD average in tax - not the highest amount, just the average - the Commonwealth would have had an extra $140 billion in revenue in 2023-24. To put that in perspective, it's equivalent to the combined cost of the aged pension, the NDIS, Jobseeker, and the child care subsidy, along with the total government spending on housing, vocational education, and both the ABC and SBS. It's clear that bold tax reforms are necessary. Despite being a low-tax country, Australia is still one of the richest countries on Earth. Yet many people's living standards have been going backwards. Why? Lots of reasons. The Coalition enacted policies that deliberately kept wages low. So, when excessive corporate profits drove inflation after the pandemic, the cost of everyday living rose faster than people's paychecks could keep up. Allowing multinational gas companies to export 80 per cent of Australia's gas tripled domestic gas prices and doubled wholesale electricity prices on the east coast of Australia. Climate change-fuelled extreme weather is driving up insurance costs and premiums. The cost of buying a house is now out of reach for most young people, and the cost of renting has skyrocketed, too. This is how most people experience an increase in inequality - your paycheck doesn't go as far as it used to. But those everyday cost-of-living increases obscure a larger truth about the Australian economy. It's just less fair than it used to be. It used to be that a rising tide lifted all boats. When the economy grew, Australians all shared the benefits. If you imagine Australian economic growth were a cake shared between 10 people, in the decades after World War II, the bottom 90 per cent of Australians used to get 9 pieces of cake, leaving one piece for the top 10 per cent. In the decade after the Global Financial Crisis, the richest person at the table ate nine pieces of cake, and the bottom 90 per cent of people shared less than one piece of cake between them. It's hugely unfair. There's not much point boosting productivity if a majority of working people don't get to share in the benefits. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is keen to have that debate. He described the game of ruling things in or out as "cancerous" and vowed to dial up Labor's ambition for bold reforms. And let's be clear, to reverse that path of Australia's growing inequality will require bold tax reforms. It's clear the Treasurer understands that, as well as several of the roundtable invitees, who want tax reform on the agenda at the productivity roundtable. The ACTU submission included several tax reforms, including to negative gearing and the CGT discount, but also reforming the broken Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) and replacing it with a new 25 per cent export levy on gas. Negative gearing together with the CGT discount has so warped our housing market, many young Australians have given up on every owning their own home. But it looks like the PM has put off reforming those distortionary tax concessions until his next term of government. He keeps hosing down suggestions for progressive tax reforms. To hear the Prime Minister rule out any major tax reforms before the next election is not just disappointing, it's irresponsible. There are also reports that the government is considering introducing road user charges for electric vehicles only. If we're talking road user charges, it would make sense to include heavy vehicles, which do so much damage to our roads - a vehicle that's twice the weight of a regular vehicle does 16 times the damage to the road. But heavy vehicles don't pay anything extra for that damage. But will heavy vehicles be included in any new road user charges? Doesn't look like it. READ MORE EBONY BENNETT: The fact that Labor is considering slugging electric vehicle drivers with a new tax, while doing nothing to stop half of Australia's gas being exported royalty-free, tells you everything you need to know. Big tax reforms are on the table for electric vehicles, but off the table for the gas industry. Yet, according to the Treasury advice leaked to the ABC, the government will consider other major reforms. For example, it will weaken - sorry, "streamline" - our national environment laws to make development easier. And it will consider cutting "red tape" by freezing changes to the National Construction Code. Labor has a thumping majority in the lower house and it can pass progressive reforms through the Senate with the support of the Greens any time it wants. Instead, the government's productivity agenda seems to be to weaken environment laws, tax clean vehicles, cut red tape for property developers and leave the difficult tax reforms until after the next election. It's a far cry from Albanese's promise in Labor's election platform, to be a government "as courageous and hardworking and caring as the Australian people are themselves." Labor has never been in a better position to implement its national policy platform. But will the Albanese government spend the next three years using its thumping majority to lead bold reforms or deliver damp squib solutions? Next week's productivity roundtable will reveal which path the Prime Minister intends to tread, and so far, it looks like all it's set to do is weaken environment laws and delay big tax reforms until after the next election. Between the Treasury advice leaked to the ABC and the Prime Minister ruling out any major tax reforms before the next election, the government poured a bucket of cold water on any real excitement building for the productivity roundtable. And the productivity roundtable has a big job ahead of it. Australia doesn't just have a productivity problem, it has a revenue problem. Australia is one of the lowest-taxing countries in the developed world. In fact, if Australia collected the OECD average in tax - not the highest amount, just the average - the Commonwealth would have had an extra $140 billion in revenue in 2023-24. To put that in perspective, it's equivalent to the combined cost of the aged pension, the NDIS, Jobseeker, and the child care subsidy, along with the total government spending on housing, vocational education, and both the ABC and SBS. It's clear that bold tax reforms are necessary. Despite being a low-tax country, Australia is still one of the richest countries on Earth. Yet many people's living standards have been going backwards. Why? Lots of reasons. The Coalition enacted policies that deliberately kept wages low. So, when excessive corporate profits drove inflation after the pandemic, the cost of everyday living rose faster than people's paychecks could keep up. Allowing multinational gas companies to export 80 per cent of Australia's gas tripled domestic gas prices and doubled wholesale electricity prices on the east coast of Australia. Climate change-fuelled extreme weather is driving up insurance costs and premiums. The cost of buying a house is now out of reach for most young people, and the cost of renting has skyrocketed, too. This is how most people experience an increase in inequality - your paycheck doesn't go as far as it used to. But those everyday cost-of-living increases obscure a larger truth about the Australian economy. It's just less fair than it used to be. It used to be that a rising tide lifted all boats. When the economy grew, Australians all shared the benefits. If you imagine Australian economic growth were a cake shared between 10 people, in the decades after World War II, the bottom 90 per cent of Australians used to get 9 pieces of cake, leaving one piece for the top 10 per cent. In the decade after the Global Financial Crisis, the richest person at the table ate nine pieces of cake, and the bottom 90 per cent of people shared less than one piece of cake between them. It's hugely unfair. There's not much point boosting productivity if a majority of working people don't get to share in the benefits. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is keen to have that debate. He described the game of ruling things in or out as "cancerous" and vowed to dial up Labor's ambition for bold reforms. And let's be clear, to reverse that path of Australia's growing inequality will require bold tax reforms. It's clear the Treasurer understands that, as well as several of the roundtable invitees, who want tax reform on the agenda at the productivity roundtable. The ACTU submission included several tax reforms, including to negative gearing and the CGT discount, but also reforming the broken Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) and replacing it with a new 25 per cent export levy on gas. Negative gearing together with the CGT discount has so warped our housing market, many young Australians have given up on every owning their own home. But it looks like the PM has put off reforming those distortionary tax concessions until his next term of government. He keeps hosing down suggestions for progressive tax reforms. To hear the Prime Minister rule out any major tax reforms before the next election is not just disappointing, it's irresponsible. There are also reports that the government is considering introducing road user charges for electric vehicles only. If we're talking road user charges, it would make sense to include heavy vehicles, which do so much damage to our roads - a vehicle that's twice the weight of a regular vehicle does 16 times the damage to the road. But heavy vehicles don't pay anything extra for that damage. But will heavy vehicles be included in any new road user charges? Doesn't look like it. READ MORE EBONY BENNETT: The fact that Labor is considering slugging electric vehicle drivers with a new tax, while doing nothing to stop half of Australia's gas being exported royalty-free, tells you everything you need to know. Big tax reforms are on the table for electric vehicles, but off the table for the gas industry. Yet, according to the Treasury advice leaked to the ABC, the government will consider other major reforms. For example, it will weaken - sorry, "streamline" - our national environment laws to make development easier. And it will consider cutting "red tape" by freezing changes to the National Construction Code. Labor has a thumping majority in the lower house and it can pass progressive reforms through the Senate with the support of the Greens any time it wants. Instead, the government's productivity agenda seems to be to weaken environment laws, tax clean vehicles, cut red tape for property developers and leave the difficult tax reforms until after the next election. It's a far cry from Albanese's promise in Labor's election platform, to be a government "as courageous and hardworking and caring as the Australian people are themselves." Labor has never been in a better position to implement its national policy platform. But will the Albanese government spend the next three years using its thumping majority to lead bold reforms or deliver damp squib solutions? Next week's productivity roundtable will reveal which path the Prime Minister intends to tread, and so far, it looks like all it's set to do is weaken environment laws and delay big tax reforms until after the next election. Between the Treasury advice leaked to the ABC and the Prime Minister ruling out any major tax reforms before the next election, the government poured a bucket of cold water on any real excitement building for the productivity roundtable. And the productivity roundtable has a big job ahead of it. Australia doesn't just have a productivity problem, it has a revenue problem. Australia is one of the lowest-taxing countries in the developed world. In fact, if Australia collected the OECD average in tax - not the highest amount, just the average - the Commonwealth would have had an extra $140 billion in revenue in 2023-24. To put that in perspective, it's equivalent to the combined cost of the aged pension, the NDIS, Jobseeker, and the child care subsidy, along with the total government spending on housing, vocational education, and both the ABC and SBS. It's clear that bold tax reforms are necessary. Despite being a low-tax country, Australia is still one of the richest countries on Earth. Yet many people's living standards have been going backwards. Why? Lots of reasons. The Coalition enacted policies that deliberately kept wages low. So, when excessive corporate profits drove inflation after the pandemic, the cost of everyday living rose faster than people's paychecks could keep up. Allowing multinational gas companies to export 80 per cent of Australia's gas tripled domestic gas prices and doubled wholesale electricity prices on the east coast of Australia. Climate change-fuelled extreme weather is driving up insurance costs and premiums. The cost of buying a house is now out of reach for most young people, and the cost of renting has skyrocketed, too. This is how most people experience an increase in inequality - your paycheck doesn't go as far as it used to. But those everyday cost-of-living increases obscure a larger truth about the Australian economy. It's just less fair than it used to be. It used to be that a rising tide lifted all boats. When the economy grew, Australians all shared the benefits. If you imagine Australian economic growth were a cake shared between 10 people, in the decades after World War II, the bottom 90 per cent of Australians used to get 9 pieces of cake, leaving one piece for the top 10 per cent. In the decade after the Global Financial Crisis, the richest person at the table ate nine pieces of cake, and the bottom 90 per cent of people shared less than one piece of cake between them. It's hugely unfair. There's not much point boosting productivity if a majority of working people don't get to share in the benefits. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is keen to have that debate. He described the game of ruling things in or out as "cancerous" and vowed to dial up Labor's ambition for bold reforms. And let's be clear, to reverse that path of Australia's growing inequality will require bold tax reforms. It's clear the Treasurer understands that, as well as several of the roundtable invitees, who want tax reform on the agenda at the productivity roundtable. The ACTU submission included several tax reforms, including to negative gearing and the CGT discount, but also reforming the broken Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) and replacing it with a new 25 per cent export levy on gas. Negative gearing together with the CGT discount has so warped our housing market, many young Australians have given up on every owning their own home. But it looks like the PM has put off reforming those distortionary tax concessions until his next term of government. He keeps hosing down suggestions for progressive tax reforms. To hear the Prime Minister rule out any major tax reforms before the next election is not just disappointing, it's irresponsible. There are also reports that the government is considering introducing road user charges for electric vehicles only. If we're talking road user charges, it would make sense to include heavy vehicles, which do so much damage to our roads - a vehicle that's twice the weight of a regular vehicle does 16 times the damage to the road. But heavy vehicles don't pay anything extra for that damage. But will heavy vehicles be included in any new road user charges? Doesn't look like it. READ MORE EBONY BENNETT: The fact that Labor is considering slugging electric vehicle drivers with a new tax, while doing nothing to stop half of Australia's gas being exported royalty-free, tells you everything you need to know. Big tax reforms are on the table for electric vehicles, but off the table for the gas industry. Yet, according to the Treasury advice leaked to the ABC, the government will consider other major reforms. For example, it will weaken - sorry, "streamline" - our national environment laws to make development easier. And it will consider cutting "red tape" by freezing changes to the National Construction Code. Labor has a thumping majority in the lower house and it can pass progressive reforms through the Senate with the support of the Greens any time it wants. Instead, the government's productivity agenda seems to be to weaken environment laws, tax clean vehicles, cut red tape for property developers and leave the difficult tax reforms until after the next election. It's a far cry from Albanese's promise in Labor's election platform, to be a government "as courageous and hardworking and caring as the Australian people are themselves." Labor has never been in a better position to implement its national policy platform. But will the Albanese government spend the next three years using its thumping majority to lead bold reforms or deliver damp squib solutions? Next week's productivity roundtable will reveal which path the Prime Minister intends to tread, and so far, it looks like all it's set to do is weaken environment laws and delay big tax reforms until after the next election. Between the Treasury advice leaked to the ABC and the Prime Minister ruling out any major tax reforms before the next election, the government poured a bucket of cold water on any real excitement building for the productivity roundtable. And the productivity roundtable has a big job ahead of it. Australia doesn't just have a productivity problem, it has a revenue problem. Australia is one of the lowest-taxing countries in the developed world. In fact, if Australia collected the OECD average in tax - not the highest amount, just the average - the Commonwealth would have had an extra $140 billion in revenue in 2023-24. To put that in perspective, it's equivalent to the combined cost of the aged pension, the NDIS, Jobseeker, and the child care subsidy, along with the total government spending on housing, vocational education, and both the ABC and SBS. It's clear that bold tax reforms are necessary. Despite being a low-tax country, Australia is still one of the richest countries on Earth. Yet many people's living standards have been going backwards. Why? Lots of reasons. The Coalition enacted policies that deliberately kept wages low. So, when excessive corporate profits drove inflation after the pandemic, the cost of everyday living rose faster than people's paychecks could keep up. Allowing multinational gas companies to export 80 per cent of Australia's gas tripled domestic gas prices and doubled wholesale electricity prices on the east coast of Australia. Climate change-fuelled extreme weather is driving up insurance costs and premiums. The cost of buying a house is now out of reach for most young people, and the cost of renting has skyrocketed, too. This is how most people experience an increase in inequality - your paycheck doesn't go as far as it used to. But those everyday cost-of-living increases obscure a larger truth about the Australian economy. It's just less fair than it used to be. It used to be that a rising tide lifted all boats. When the economy grew, Australians all shared the benefits. If you imagine Australian economic growth were a cake shared between 10 people, in the decades after World War II, the bottom 90 per cent of Australians used to get 9 pieces of cake, leaving one piece for the top 10 per cent. In the decade after the Global Financial Crisis, the richest person at the table ate nine pieces of cake, and the bottom 90 per cent of people shared less than one piece of cake between them. It's hugely unfair. There's not much point boosting productivity if a majority of working people don't get to share in the benefits. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is keen to have that debate. He described the game of ruling things in or out as "cancerous" and vowed to dial up Labor's ambition for bold reforms. And let's be clear, to reverse that path of Australia's growing inequality will require bold tax reforms. It's clear the Treasurer understands that, as well as several of the roundtable invitees, who want tax reform on the agenda at the productivity roundtable. The ACTU submission included several tax reforms, including to negative gearing and the CGT discount, but also reforming the broken Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) and replacing it with a new 25 per cent export levy on gas. Negative gearing together with the CGT discount has so warped our housing market, many young Australians have given up on every owning their own home. But it looks like the PM has put off reforming those distortionary tax concessions until his next term of government. He keeps hosing down suggestions for progressive tax reforms. To hear the Prime Minister rule out any major tax reforms before the next election is not just disappointing, it's irresponsible. There are also reports that the government is considering introducing road user charges for electric vehicles only. If we're talking road user charges, it would make sense to include heavy vehicles, which do so much damage to our roads - a vehicle that's twice the weight of a regular vehicle does 16 times the damage to the road. But heavy vehicles don't pay anything extra for that damage. But will heavy vehicles be included in any new road user charges? Doesn't look like it. READ MORE EBONY BENNETT: The fact that Labor is considering slugging electric vehicle drivers with a new tax, while doing nothing to stop half of Australia's gas being exported royalty-free, tells you everything you need to know. Big tax reforms are on the table for electric vehicles, but off the table for the gas industry. Yet, according to the Treasury advice leaked to the ABC, the government will consider other major reforms. For example, it will weaken - sorry, "streamline" - our national environment laws to make development easier. And it will consider cutting "red tape" by freezing changes to the National Construction Code. Labor has a thumping majority in the lower house and it can pass progressive reforms through the Senate with the support of the Greens any time it wants. Instead, the government's productivity agenda seems to be to weaken environment laws, tax clean vehicles, cut red tape for property developers and leave the difficult tax reforms until after the next election. It's a far cry from Albanese's promise in Labor's election platform, to be a government "as courageous and hardworking and caring as the Australian people are themselves."
