Morning News Bulletin 26 May 2025
TRANSCRIPT
About 32,000 residents on the Mid North Coast remain isolated as floodwaters recede
Some economists say a proposed super tax bill may create unfair outcomes
Lando Norris wins the Monaco Grand Prix
About 32,000 people remain isolated by floodwaters along the New South Wales coast, as meteorologists warn of more challenging weather conditions ahead. Recovery efforts are underway in flood-affected communities, with the damage expected to take weeks to clean up. But rain and strong winds are expected to hamper efforts with a risk of landslides and toppling trees in coming days. Senior Meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse says the Bureau will likely expand the areas covered by its severe weather warning. "What we're going to see going into the next couple of days is a very strong cold front move across New South Wales and that's going to bring very windy conditions to most areas. So, what we're expecting is the severe weather warning that is current for the Alpine area of New South Wales - that warning area is going to expand to include parts of south-west New South Wales as well as parts of the Snowy Mountains and the ACT for winds increasing on Monday." Some economists say a proposed bill imposing a 15 per cent tax on super balances over $3 million has the right intentions, but may create unfair outcomes. The Australia Institute says the bill would affect around one in every 200 savers, but some fear it may force Australians to move assets out of their super. Independent economist Saul Eslake says super has become a vehicle for the rich to avoid tax, but questions why it's being imposed on super rather than on housing. He says it may encourage wealthy people to put more into owner-occupied housing, which is exempt from tax. Speaking to Sky News, Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg says while the system can be improved, this is the wrong way. "But ultimately the people who love the superannuation system which are the financial institutions and the union should look very carefully at this. Because, ultimately, if Chalmers is successful in passing the bill as it's currently drafted it will destroy superannuation as the preferred savings vehicle in Australia. Particularly for millennials and Gen Z." Treasurer Jim Chalmers says no one has proposed a better way of making this calculation, after almost three years of consultation. A major shopping centre in Melbourne's north went into lockdown on Sunday afternoon when a fight broke out between around 10 people, some armed with knives. Two people have been arrested, including a 15-year-old, and one person was taken to hospital with serious injuries after a fight broke out in the food court of Northland Shopping Centre in Preston. Victoria Police say the meeting was pre-planned between the groups, assuring the public that this was not a random attack. Superintendent Kelly Lawson says police are still searching for all those involved. "There have been others identified and police are working through identifying the remaining gangs, as you know, Victoria Police has a focus through Operation Alliance in relation to our gangs, and we will know who these people are and it will not take very long to go and arrest them." Coercive control is now a criminal offence in Queensland, with new laws coming into effect from today. Convicted offenders will face up to 14 years in jail. Called Hannah's Law, it's named after Hannah Clarke, who was murdered alongside her three children by her estranged partner. Coercive control involves patterns of behaviours which include emotional, psychological and economic abuse, along with isolation, intimidation, sexual coercion and cyberstalking. A Gaza doctor who lost nine of his children in an Israeli air strike remains in intensive care. Hamdi Al-Najjar was at home in Khan Younis with his 10 children when the strike hit. At Nasser Hospital surgeon Dr Abdul Aziz Al-Farra says the doctor has multiple injuries. "A critical condition that required two surgeries on his abdomen and chest to stop the bleeding. Multiple injuries on his body, head and foot. He is now receiving intensive care. His special situation is that his wife, who is also a doctor, also received her nine children, martyrs, from the bombing. May God heal him and help him and help all the medical teams to help him." According to medical officials in Gaza, the nine children were aged between one and 12 years old. The child that survived, a boy, is in a serious but stable condition. Najjar's wife, Alaa, also a doctor, was not at home at the time of the strike. She was treating Palestinians injured in Israel's more than 20-month war in Gaza against Hamas in the same hospital where her husband and son are receiving care. Israel confirmed the air strike, saying it targeted militants and is reviewing reports of civilian deaths. In sports, Lando Norris has celebrated his first Monaco Grand Prix win from pole position. He has also slashed McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri's Formula One lead to three points - in a race more about strategy than speed. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished runner-up in the home race he won last year, with Piastri third and Red Bull's Max Verstappen fourth. All four finished in the order they started. Piastri says he is taking away the positives. "I knew after qualifying that this was probably going to be where we end up. So that's all I can ask for really. Some definite lessons to take for when I come back here next year. All in all, still not a terrible weekend in terms of points - and big on the podium. And Monaco is always pretty special, so I will take it."
The win is the Briton's second in eight races and first since the Australian season-opener in March, as well as McLaren's first at Monaco since 2008.
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The first deal is likely to be on the government's legislation to increase the tax on those with large superannuation balances, which contains the controversial provision to tax unrealised capital gains. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and her team will confront some of the same problems as the Greens — when to oppose and when to seek to negotiate with the government. For his part, Albanese will have a novel challenge with Ley — what stance to adopt against the first female opposition leader, especially but not only in parliamentary clashes. After facing two alpha-male Liberal leaders, Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton, a new approach will obviously be necessary. As one Labor man succinctly puts it, "Labor can't monster a woman". There can be no repeat of Albanese, a frontbencher a decade ago in the Shorten opposition, interjecting to urge a female colleague engaged in a stoush with Ley to "smash her". For Ley, trying to deal with the Liberals' multiple difficulties in attracting women voters and candidates must be high on her agenda. Former Liberal federal president Alan Stockdale, one of the three-person group currently running the NSW division of the party, showed himself part of the problem when this week he told the NSW Liberal Women's Council, "The women in this party are so assertive now that we may need some special rules for men to get them pre-selected." Stockdale said later he was being "light-hearted". Tone deaf might be a better term. Ley jumped on him. "There is nothing wrong with being an assertive woman. In fact, I encourage assertive women to join the Liberal Party." The jury is out on whether Ley will be able to make any sort of fist of her near-impossible job. But in the short time she's been leader, she has shown she is willing to be assertive. She emerged from the brief split in the Coalition looking much steadier than Nationals leader David Littleproud, even though she had to persuade her party room to accept the minor party's policy demands. In her frontbench reshuffle, she was willing to wear the inevitable criticism that came with dropping a couple of senior women who had under-performed. As deputy leader, Ley adjusted her style a while before the election, toning down the aggression and sometimes wild attacks, that had characterised her performance earlier in the term. A Liberal source said she found her "line and length". As leader, she will have others, notably deputy Ted O'Brien, to do the head-kicking, giving her room to attempt to develop a positive political persona. Labor leaned into attacking Dutton — never afraid to name him. With Ley, Albanese might adopt the Bob Carr approach of avoiding using his opponent's name. At least until he finds his line and length in dealing with her. Michelle Grattan is a professorial fellow at the University of Canberra and chief political correspondent at The Conversation, where this article first appeared.
