Australia news LIVE: Elon Musk slams Trump's bill as a ‘disgusting abomination'; Greens leader ‘disappointed' over senator's shock defection

Sydney Morning Herald

2 days ago

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7.19am
Greens leader 'disappointed' over senator's shock defection
By Cindy Yin
Leader of the Greens Larissa Waters has described Senator Dorina Cox's split from the Greens as disappointing, and admitted she has no memory of the WA senator allegedly telling the new leader to 'grow a spine'.
'We're disappointed to have lost one of our Greens senators of course, but we remain focused on acting on the cost of living, protecting the planet, and getting on with the job,' Waters told Nine's Today Show on Wednesday.
Cox's move to Labor comes less than three weeks after she lost a bid to become the party's deputy leader last month. Her frustration led to heated scenes in the party's leadership vote meeting. One source said Cox confronted Waters and told the new leader she needed to 'grow a spine'.
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Asked whether Cox had made those statements, Waters said: 'In all honesty, I can't remember that, but there was a lot going on that day. I am a conciliatory sort of person, but I'm also pretty firm, so let's wait and see'.
This masthead also revealed bullying allegations raised against Cox last year, where the senator lost 20 staff in three years, while five lodged some form of complaint with the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service, and several lodged complaints with the leader's office and with the WA branch of the Greens.
'I wasn't involved in any of those investigations, and obviously, I wasn't leader at the time,' Waters said.
'I am really proud that part of my job in the last term of parliament was to set up those independent complaints bodies that staff and MPs and anyone who works in the parliamentary workplace can use. Those processes are now independent which is appropriate. They're also confidential.'
'I must confess I am not across a lot of the details of them, I support those structures being set up'.
6.48am
The type of housing cost that just soared 75 per cent in five years
By Melissa Heagney-Bayliss
The cost of land for housing development has skyrocketed by 75 per cent over the past five years, pushing homeownership further out of the hands of average potential buyers.
The median development site cost has risen from $4.8 million in 2020, to $8.5 million this year, Ray White analysis of Real Capital Analytics data shows.
It comes as construction costs remain elevated from their pre-COVID-19 levels, putting further pressure on affordability.
Ray White Group chief economist Nerida Conisbee said it would take considerable time before building costs fell enough to make new housing genuinely affordable for average buyers.
'Land costs haven't come back down and what's happening is developers want to build, but they can't do it affordably,' Conisbee said. 'We're not seeing the crashes in the market we previously saw so we're in a kind of holding pattern.'
In past economic downturns, rising interest rates would put pressure on some owners of development sites, forcing them into distressed sales at reduced prices. But this time was different, and Conisbee said many had built financial buffers while interest rates were at record lows, and developers have been in a better position to hold onto land.
6.41am
South Korea's liberal opposition candidate wins presidential election
South Korea's liberal opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung was elected president early on Wednesday, a victory that would cap months of political turmoil triggered by the stunning but brief imposition of martial law by now-ousted conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol.
With nearly 93 per cent of ballots counted as of 2.20am Wednesday, Seoul time, Lee, the Democratic Party candidate, led with 48.66 per cent of votes, and main conservative candidate Kim Moon Soo had 42.26 per cent.
The exit poll by South Korea's three major television stations – KBS, MBC and SBS – earlier showed Lee projected to obtain 51.7 per cent of total votes cast, beating Kim with 39.3 per cent. Pre-election surveys suggested Lee appeared headed for an easy win, riding on deep public frustration over the conservatives in the wake of Yoon's martial law debacle.
Even before Lee's win was formally declared, Kim conceded, telling journalists he 'humbly accepts the people's choice' and congratulated Lee.
Earlier, Lee appeared before thousands of cheering supporters in the streets of Seoul. He didn't formally claim victory but reiterated his major policy goals such as revitalising the economy, promoting peace with North Korea and easing a domestic divide.
'Let us move forward with hope and make a fresh start from this moment on,' he said. 'Though we may have clashed for some time, even those who did not support us are still our fellow citizens of the Republic of Korea.'
The winning candidate will immediately be sworn in as president for a single, full term of five years without the typical two-month transition period.
6.34am
'Disgusting abomination': Musk ramps up attack on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
Elon Musk amplified his criticism of the sweeping tax and spending bill that US President Donald Trump has been pushing fellow Republicans in Congress to embrace, calling it a 'disgusting abomination' that will increase the deficit.
'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it any more,' the billionaire Musk wrote in an X post on Wednesday (AEST).
'This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.
'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.'
The House of Representatives last month passed the bill by one vote, after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said the measure – which would extend the 2017 tax cuts that were Trump's main legislative accomplishment in his first term – would add $US3.8 trillion ($5.9 trillion) to the federal government's $US36.2 trillion debt.
The Senate, also controlled by Trump's Republicans, aims to pass the measure in the next month, though senators are expected to revise the House-passed version of the bill.
Trump appointed Musk – the world's richest person – to lead a government cost-cutting and efficiency drive, during which he upended several federal agencies but ultimately failed to deliver the massive savings he had sought.
Musk left his formal role in the administration last week, as his time as a special government employee with the Department of Government Efficiency came to an end.
6.25am
What you need to know
Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of today's national news stories. I'm Cindy Yin, and I'll be with you for the morning.
It's Wednesday, June 4.
Here's what's making news this morning:
Elon Musk has ramped up his attack on US President Donald Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill, calling it a 'disgusting abomination'. It comes after the Tesla chief executive left his role with the Department of Government Efficiency last week.
Tom Sermanni has finished his third stint in charge of the Matildas with a 4-1 win over Argentina in their sixth-straight victory on home soil, and will now hand over the reins of the national team to Joe Montemurro.
The federal government has promised the Hindu community an $8.5 million grant to launch Australia's first Hindu school. The Sanatan School in western Sydney is aiming to welcome its first class of students in 2027, with plans to eventually educate more than 1000 students a year, from kindergarten to year 12.
The Dutch government has collapsed, most likely ushering in a snap election, after anti-Muslim politician Geert Wilders quit the right-wing coalition, accusing other parties of failing to back his tougher immigration policies.