Closing the Gap: How far has it come?
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News.com.au
10 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Kiama MP Gareth Ward to fight expulsion attempt by Labor government in Supreme Court
Convicted rapist and sitting MP Gareth Ward will return before the Supreme Court in Sydney's CBD today as he fights attempts by the Labor-controlled state government to have him expelled from parliament. The Kiama MP was taken into custody on remand last week while awaiting sentencing after he was found guilty by a jury of three counts of indecent assault and a fourth count of intercourse without consent. The charges relate to acts against two young men – an 18-year-old at Meroo Meadow in 2013 and a 24-year-old man in Potts Point in 2015 – and sparked calls for the south coast MP to resign from parliament. A motion was expected to be introduced by Labor to the Legislative Assembly to expel Ward, with support from the Coalition earlier this week. If successful, it would mark the first expulsion from the NSW lower house since 1917. Instead, the matter was set down for a full-day hearing at the Supreme Court after an 11th hour injunction was applied for by Ward's lawyers, who argue the state parliament does not have the power to expel him. The last-minute legal move makes it almost impossible to expel Ward, who is still being paid by parliament and is the current member for Kiama, before the Legislative Assembly adjourns until next month. Leader of the House Ron Hoenig earlier in the week said the court did not have the authority to stop matters being but before legislators, but that the state government would abide by the injunction out of respect. The matter sets the stage for a peculiar legal challenge. Premier Chris Minns told 2GB on Tuesday morning most people would 'appreciate it's an unconscionable situation to have someone who's currently sitting in jail in Silverwater convicted of serious sexual offences who is demanding to remain a member of parliament and continue to be paid'. Asked why Ward had not resigned, Mr Minns said 'clearly, he's got no shame'. Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said that, if the government was prepared, they could resume 'in the interim with a small quorum of MPs'. 'We would be willing to do that. It would be possible, for example, to have just 20 MPs, the quorum deal with the matter,' he said. Mr Speakman said 'As a general principle, we are supporting the government's efforts in court. 'That includes as a general principle the arguments that it's putting in court and the outcome that it seeks, which is that the injunction is lifted and the parliament can proceed to expel Mr Ward.' The injunctive orders issued by the court, 'pending further order', restrain the defendant, Mr Hoenig, from 'from taking any steps to expel or otherwise resolve to expel' Ward between July 30 and 10am on Friday.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
PBS wait times a more urgent issue than Donald Trump's potential pharmaceutical tariffs, peak medicines body warns
Excessive wait times for medicines to be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) are a much greater threat to the sector than US President Donald Trump's far-reaching tariffs, according to the peak industry body, which has warned people could die waiting for treatment. The Albanese government is frantically working to shield Australia from Donald Trump's ever-expanding tariffs, with the US president now flagging a possible 250 per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals, one of Australia's largest export products to the US. "We'll be putting a, initially, small tariff on pharmaceuticals. But in one year … it's going to go to 150 per cent and then it's going to go to 250 per cent because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country," Mr Trump told CNBC on Wednesday local time. But Medicines Australia CEO Liz de Somer said a more pressing concern was the process behind listing new medicines on the PBS, with a median wait time of 22 months for a new medicine to land on the scheme once it is approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). "And this will have a far greater effect on the Australian system than anything else." When drugs are placed on the PBS, patients are able to receive important and sometimes lifesaving medicines at a small portion of the cost — currently just over $30. The rest of the cost is covered by the federal government. But patients, advocacy groups and pharmaceutical companies argue the process leading up to the PBS listing is overly complex, takes too long and involves excessive red tape. The first complete review of the system in 30 years was handed to the federal government last year, making a raft of recommendations to streamline processes so people could access medicines earlier. The recommendations included expanding access to medicines already subsidised for common cancers to other cancers, when that is backed by evidence. The review also concluded that if pharmaceutical companies applied to have their medications approved by the TGA and placed on the PBS at the same time, 90 per cent of promising new medicines could be listed within six months of TGA registration. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler heralded the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) review as "visionary" but has yet to formally respond to its findings, instead setting up an advisory group to help guide the government's next steps. Rare Cancers Australia CEO Christine Cockburn said urgent action was required, with many people unable to afford lifesaving medication that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. "They sometimes access superannuation, which of course that is not what superannuation is for, or they remortgage their houses. "Crowdfunding is not uncommon in cancer treatment spaces, which of course comes with a terrible loss of dignity. It's a terrible thing to have to do, and there are people as well who just have to go without because they can't do any of those things." The time it takes to list medications on the PBS is a long-held gripe of US pharmaceutical companies. They also argue the scheme's pricing policies undervalue American innovation and threaten billions of dollars in lost sales. In March, American medical giants pressed Donald Trump to target Australia with punitive tariffs, labelling the PBS as one of the "egregious and discriminatory" programs that undermines US exports. Labor has already categorically ruled out touching the PBS in any trade negotiations, and a raft of frontbenchers have consistently stressed the Trump administration could not exert any direct influence on the scheme. But the government remains concerned that frustrations over the PBS could see the Trump administration retaliate by hitting Australian pharmaceutical exports. Last year, Australia exported $2.2 billion in pharmaceutical products to the US — about 40 per cent of Australia's pharmaceutical exports — according to the UN's Comtrade database. Ms de Somer said the government could better negotiate with the US, while still protecting the PBS, if it followed recommendations from the review. "If the government committed to implement the reforms of the PBS that they have already identified need to happen, it would go some way to assuage the concerns raised by Donald Trump and the US pharmaceutical industry," she said. "Partly, it is about the time it takes for patients to get access to new medicines, and partly it is about valuing innovation and giving the right value to things that are new and transformative and change people's lives." Former chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), which recommends medicines for the PBS, and chair of the review's implementation advisory group, Andrew Wilson, said the complexities of the system made it difficult to reform. "I don't think there's anybody involved in this process that doesn't want to see this happen faster," Professor Wilson said. "One of the challenges that we've had in the past is not that things haven't changed, but they've changed in a piecemeal fashion. They've changed little bits here and not there and the concern has been the extent to which those changes have actually improved the system, or just made it more complicated." However, Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston accused the government of dragging its feet in its response to the review. "We're sitting here now nearly 12 months after the review has been delivered to government and we have absolutely nothing more from the government," she said. Mr Butler said the implementation advisory group's final report was due early next year, and would help inform future government decisions on reform. "The Albanese government is continuing to make medicines available to Australian patients faster and cheaper," he said. "We know patients want faster access to cutting-edge medicine and treatments. "That's why our government is working through the recommendations of the HTA review, so Australians can get faster access to the best medicines and therapies, at a cost that patients and the community can afford."
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Welfare groups join union push for housing tax shake-up ahead of productivity talks
The Australian Council of Social Services has thrown its weight behind calls to wind back property investor tax breaks, setting up a potential housing flashpoint ahead of the government's economic round table next fortnight. It comes days after the Australian Council of Trade Unions urged Labor to tackle negative gearing and capital gains tax reform, but Australia's peak welfare body is also pressing for the billions in extra revenue from the tax changes invested in social housing. In its submission, ACOSS said the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount is "certainly fuelling the housing crisis" and should be halved over five years. Negative gearing, it said, should be phased out entirely over the same period for existing investments. "We are very clear we would phase out the very generous 50 per cent tax discount and get it down to 25 per cent so there'd be some tax reward for property investment but nowhere near as generous," ACOSS chief executive Cassandra Goldie told the ABC. "If you've got capital, and you're thinking, where can I park it to really grow my wealth, you put it into property." ACTU secretary Sally McManus made a similar case on ABC's Insiders at the weekend, saying it was time to "bite the bullet" on property tax reform. While the two peak bodies are not coordinating their campaigns, their aligned positions revive a politically fraught debate Labor abandoned after losing the 2016 and 2019 elections with policies on negative gearing and capital gains tax. ACOSS wants revenue from the tax changes invested in social housing, arguing Australia has "among the highest home prices in the world" and rents that are "all too often unaffordable" with many tenants lacking security of tenure. The share of social housing has "fallen by one third from 6 per cent to 4 per cent over the last 30 years" — a trend it wants reversed to "at least its historic level of 6 per cent of dwellings by 2035, and to 10 per cent by 2045", with First Nations housing "a national priority". Nearly half of all Australian landlords had negatively geared properties in 2023, with the highest earners claiming tens of billions in tax concessions and loopholes. But business groups and some senior government figures privately argue welfare groups and the unions' proposed tax changes will do little to boost new housing supply, warning that investor demand underpins construction and removing incentives risks stalling projects. ACOSS's submission also urges faster action on climate change, calling for new building standards to achieve zero-carbon, climate-resilient homes and tougher rental rules to improve the energy performance of properties. The group said these measures would cut bills for low-income tenants while protecting them from extreme heat and weather. In recent weeks, the government has pared back expectations for the summit amid concern among the business community about a union-led ambush and fears the event could be used to justify tax crackdowns on employers and property investors. Despite the government billing the meeting as a contest of ideas, the ABC understands there will be no joint communique at its conclusion. Instead, Treasurer Jim Chalmers will deliver a wrap-up and nominate a handful of specific changes for implementation. Ahead of this year's election, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dismissed speculation Labor was planning to scale back the housing tax breaks, after it emerged Mr Chalmers had asked Treasury to model the impact of changes. The treasurer has asked that any proposals must be budget-neutral or budget-positive, but that "all ideas are on the table". The three-day round table will be held at Parliament House from August 19 to 21.
