Australian news and politics live: Hume says Labor's super tax hike will hit future generations
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The Health Minister has defended the government's approach to US beef imports as trade talks with the Trump administration heat up.
With the US imposing a 10 per cent tariff on Australian beef and pushing for greater access for American beef, including meat from cattle raised in Canada or Mexico but processed in the US, the Albanese government is reportedly weighing changes to biosecurity laws to secure an exemption.
'We will be making a decision on the national interest, as you would expect us to,' Mr Butler told Sunrise.
'We won't compromise our biosecurity laws either. This is US beef that's raised in Canada or Mexico, not cattle raised in the US itself but then brought into America, slaughtered there and proposed for export.'
Butler insisted, 'This will be a decision taken on its merits, not for convenience, not to get a deal.' He clarified, 'Our biosecurity officials have been reviewing that question to see whether that situation complies with our very strict biosecurity laws.'
Liberal Senator Jane Hume has sharply criticised the government's proposed changes to superannuation tax, warning they could hurt many Australians in the long run.
Under the plan, the tax rate on super balances over $3 million would double, but the $3 million threshold won't rise with inflation or wages.
Ms Hume told Sunrise on Friday morning, 'If you're an average 20-year-old today earning an average wage, you could end up paying this higher tax by the time you retire because the threshold stays the same while your super grows.'
She added, 'It's a deliberate design feature to not index the tax threshold. That way, more and more people will be caught up every year.'
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