‘The Libs appear to be flat-footed on preferences': Peta Credlin
Sky News host Peta Credlin claims preference polls in the previous federal election were 'off the mark' for the Liberal Party.
'The Libs appear to me to be flat-footed on preferences,' Ms Credlin said.
'The left have got this whole program now … in harvesting preferences and funneling back to Labor in a very disciplined way.
'We're like primary school kids, and they're like university kids.
'We are so far out of the game.'
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Sky News AU
21 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Labor left with ‘no choice' but to force super tax after weak GDP figures in March, shadow treasurer Ted O'Brien declares
Labor has been left with 'no choice' but to go after citizens' earnings with its proposed super tax as slow growth plagues the nation and hurts tax revenue, shadow treasurer Ted O'Brien has declared. Join to watch the full interview with Ted O'Brien on Business Weekend at 11am (AEST). The Albanese government's proposal to double the tax rate on funds in super balances above $3m and target unrealised gains could soon be legislated as the Greens' approval is all the bill needs to go through the Senate. It comes as recent GDP figures showed Australia was headed back towards per capita recession territory with growth slumping to just 0.2 per cent in the March quarter. The super tax proposal has faced fierce backlash from the Opposition, economists and leaders in the business community. Mr O'Brien is among those and tore into the Albanese government's fiscal management on Sky News' Business Weekend. 'The only reason they're doing it is they've lost all discipline on fiscal responsibility,' the shadow treasurer said. 'Debt (and) deficits (are) going out of control and they've got no ambition for the Australian economy.' He criticised Treasurer Jim Chalmers who lauded the 0.2 per cent growth, arguing the uncertainty from Donald Trump's trade war meant any growth was a decent outcome. 'We heard it last week from the Treasurer after the national accounts came out. What, 0.2 per cent growth in the quarter? Seriously? Lower than last time!' Mr O'Brien said. 'At a yearly basis it's running at less than half of the long-run average of growth and the Treasurer is happy about that. '(There is) no ambition for growth of the Australian economy and when you have no ambition and you overspend, you have no choice but to go after the earnings, the money of your own citizens. 'That's what this super tax does.' Labor's plan to tax unrealised capital gains has drawn backlash from Aussies concerned about small businesses, farmers and startups as many put assets in their self-managed super funds or use it as a low tax investment vehicle. Wilson Asset Management founder Geoff Wilson said by forcing Aussies to pay taxes on paper gains it will hinder investment in Australia. 'Both Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers - and probably most of the government - are gaslighting the Australian people by saying: 'Look, this will only impact a very small percentage of people that pay the additional tax',' Mr Wilson told Sky News. 'That's correct, but what it'll do is actually impact about how $4.2 trillion in superannuation is invested. 'We anticipate that the money will come out of self-managed super funds (SMSF), which is about $1.1 trillion, and billions of that will go into the housing market and push house prices up . ' He cautioned Aussies who use their SMSF as a low tax investment vehicle will be discouraged from funding projects and businesses in the Australian market. 'People won't want to take risk on their superannuation in the self-managed super funds,' Mr Wilson said. 'The angel investors and the startups and the small companies in Australia that find it hard to raise capital, particularly at this point in time - that tap's going to be turned off.'
The Age
36 minutes ago
- The Age
Coastal village wins 10-year fight to stop housing sprawl
Cape Paterson Residents and Ratepayers Association spokesman John Coulter said the decision was a big win for the community. The group had argued against the development at planning panels for the better part of a decade. The group was sometimes accused of having a not-in-my-backyard mentality, Coulter said, but he noted that existing development of 240 homes on the western side of town was already adding to traffic concerns and pressure on unsealed roads. Another key complaint has been the environmental effects of developing the landscape north of the town. New reports were introduced as part of the state's review late last year but those in favour of the development argue they were never given a fair chance to rebut the findings. 'It's not just about keeping the village feel of the township. It was the environmental concerns and traditionally ... That's mostly what we do,' Coulter said. 'We do revegetation of the foreshore. 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Cape Paterson's boundary was not tightened, sparking a backlash from the residents' association. At the time, the government defended the decision by saying it was made after two rounds of public engagement, and informed by existing planning scheme policies and technical studies. An independent panel was tasked in 2023 with reviewing the Bass Coast planning policy. A renewed campaign in 2024 reignited debate over the Cape Paterson boundary expansion after the local council publicly opposed it and Crugnale advocated for a review. In December, the Allan government agreed to re-open Cape Paterson's boundary to public feedback until the end of January 2025. Peak bodies for the property sector and landowners wrote to Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny urging her not to wind back the boundary, arguing it was not the correct process for such a change and would cast doubt on the reliability of long-term planning. Kilkenny ultimately decided in favour of the community campaign, releasing a new draft plan for the Bass Coast this week that revokes expansion of the Cape Paterson boundary north of Seaward Drive. 'We can build more homes, while also protecting what makes our regions so special,' a state government spokesperson said. 'The Bass Coast is one of Victoria's most environmentally significant regions. This draft policy will help set a clear long-term plan that provides certainty to council, developers, and local communities about where more homes can be built while protecting the environment.' The consultation process received more than 1000 submissions, and the government said most of those supported tightening the boundary to protect the dune landscape and green space. Kilkenny's decision was made public at the same time as a conflicting report from the 2023 independent panel. That report, which had previously not been released, assessed one large area proposed to be subdivided north of Seaward Drive and found the boundary could remain. This was also the view of the planning minister at the time of the review. 'The committee supports the position of the proponent [planning minister] that the area defined for residential growth in Cape Paterson be upheld,' the report said. The report found further work to refine the boundary was 'unnecessary', that the boundaries were not a 'green light for urban development at any cost', and rules still required landscape character and environment to be considered in any development seeking approval. Bernard Collins, from development consultants Beveridge Williams, has been advising one group of prospective developers. He said their clients did everything asked of them as part of the process and had prepared the site so it was ready for future development and to become an established part of the town. 'As a planner, it's concerning where perhaps due process is not fully followed in considering the future, structural future growth of townships,' Collins said. 'Orderly planning requires an orderly process. If that's not followed it causes doubt at many levels of the development process.' Narracan MP Wayne Farnham, the opposition's shadow assistant minister for planning, accused Kilkenny of obstructing and interfering with a 'strategic evidence-based planning process'. 'The Allan Labor government talks a big game when it comes to their plans to build 800,000 homes, but their inconsistent approach makes it hard for homebuyers to get into the market, and hard for builders to deliver projects,' he said. 'This decision flies in the face of every strategic planning process, every recommendation and every cultural and environmental study done on the site.' Victorian executive director of the Property Council Cath Evans said the decision 'contradicts the evidence-based process that had been followed for more than a decade'. 'The sudden change not only undermines trust in long-term planning but also sets a concerning precedent for future developments,' she said. 'This could result in driving away further investment and development urgently needed to meet our state's ambitious housing targets.' A Bass Coast Shire Council spokesperson said an assessment had confirmed there was still enough supply to meet council's obligations for housing without needing the northern land.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Privatisation shelved as premier fights to stay afloat
A retracted privatisation promise by Jeremy Rockliff has added pressure on the embattled Tasmanian premier to resign. Mr Rockliff has stopped prominent economist Saul Eslake from preparing a report on viable opportunities to sell government-owned businesses to support Tasmania's troubled finances. He promised legislation ensuring that any sales would require a two-thirds majority support in parliament. "There will be no privatisation. Nil," Mr Rockwell said. However, not everyone is convinced by his backtracking. "Frankly, Jeremy Rockliff saying that he won't be proceeding with privatisation cannot be believed and, even if it could, it doesn't go far enough," Unions Tasmania secretary Jessica Munday said. "The community ... will be rightly cynical about the timing of this announcement and the commitment underpinning it, given it comes as the premier is fighting for his political life." Mr Rockliff's backflip comes as the Greens ramp up pressure on him to resign, saying they are ready to offer "confidence and supply" to Labor leader Dean Winter as premier. "Just because we don't see eye to eye on everything doesn't mean we can't work constructively for our state," Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said on Saturday. "Jeremy Rockliff could make sure there is no election by resigning. "But with the premier refusing to do so, it is incumbent on Dean Winter as opposition leader to engage with the Greens and the wider crossbench to prevent the state heading to the polls." Mr Winter has ruled out forming government in a deal with the Greens, without whom Labor doesn't have the numbers. The ongoing political fractures could send Tasmanians back to the polls for the fourth time in seven years, unless the Liberal party opts to remove Mr Rockliff and negotiate a new deal with crossbenchers. An election could be called on Tuesday. Despite feuding over the state's finances, Tasmania's proposed $715 million stadium looms as the biggest issue. The roofed Macquarie Point proposal is a condition of an AFL licence, with the state government responsible for delivery and cost and the Liberals support the stadium but recent polls suggest Tasmanians are not sold. Firebrand senator Jacqui Lambie, independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie and acclaimed author Richard Flanagan are among well-known Tasmanians who oppose the project.
