Latest news with #Junee
Daily Mail
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Sunrise star James Tobin expecting first child with wife Farrah - just nine months after tying the knot
James Tobin is going to be a dad, with the Channel Seven star sharing exciting family news alongside his wife Farrah in a heartwarming Instagram post this weekend. Just months after their intimate countryside wedding, the 44-year-old Sunrise weather presenter revealed he and Farrah are expecting their first child together. The notoriously private couple shared the happy announcement on Sunday, posting a sweet selfie alongside a sonogram image to Instagram. 'A bit of news from us. We are excited for the arrival of Baby Tobin in November,' Farrah captioned the post. The announcement sparked a flurry of well wishes from TV personalities and celebrity friends. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'Fabulous news. So thrilled for the both of you. Sending tonnes of love,' wrote former Sunrise host Samantha Armytage. Stylist Donny Galella added, 'Congratulations. Such beautiful news.' Seven News sports presenter Mark Beretta said, 'Massive news and congratulations! What wonderful and beautiful parents you will be!' 'You beauty! Congratulations mate! Nothing better,' commented Sunrise weather presenter Sam Mac. The Morning Show's Kylie Gillies also chimed in, writing, 'Beautiful stuff. So happy for you both.' The baby news comes after a whirlwind year for the pair, who tied the knot in October 2024 during a charming ceremony at the Junee Licorice & Chocolate Factory - a unique venue located roughly two hours from Canberra. Tobin looked sharp in a cream suit with a pale blue shirt and tie, while his bride stunned in a short white beaded dress and a flowing cathedral-length veil. Eschewing tradition, the couple opted for a two-tier chocolate cake instead of the usual white wedding cake, which they cheekily smashed with a baton in front of their guests. Despite being together since 2021, Tobin and Farrah have kept much of their relationship out of the spotlight, only occasionally sharing glimpses into their private life. When the couple got engaged in 2023, Tobin acknowledged their desire for privacy. 'A lot of my life is lived out on TV, but I've also kept some things private because, well, not everything needs to be out there,' he wrote. At the time, he revealed that Farrah had been living and studying in Perth but was preparing to relocate to Sydney to begin their next chapter together.
News.com.au
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Sunrise star James Tobin reveals huge personal news
A popular breakfast television star has announced some huge personal news, just nine months after he tied the knot in an intimate ceremony. The Weekend Sunrise weather presenter, James Tobin, and his wife Farrah, who are incredibly private about their relationship, took to Instagram on Sunday to share a personal update. The two images featured a selfie of the couple and a sonogram shot. 'A bit of news from us … We are excited for the arrival of Baby Tobin in November,' Farrah captioned the set of images. Other famous faces were quick to congratulate the happy couple on their family growing in size. 'Fabulous news. So thrilled for the both of you. Sending tonnes of love,' Sam Armytage commented. Donny Galella, a stylist, said, 'Congratulations. Such beautiful news,' 'You beauty! Congratulations mate! Nothing better,' Sam Mac added. 'Beautiful stuff. So happy for you both,' Kylie Gillies also wrote. It's been a whirlwind 12 months for the couple, who officially tied the knot in a low-key affair at the Junee Licorice & Chocolate Factory — a scenic two-hour drive from Canberra — in October 2024. Tobin, 44, wore a cream suit paired with a blue shirt and tie, and his beautiful bride wore a cathedral veil over her short white minidress adorned with beaded tassels. The couple ditched the traditional white wedding cake in favour of a two-tier chocolate creation, which they playfully smashed with a baton as guests looked on. The pair have been relatively private about their relationship since they began dating in 2021, rarely sharing details about their relationship on social media. But in October 2023 they couldn't help but contain their excitement as they announced their engagement. 'A bit of news … we're getting married. A lot of my life is lived out on TV, but I've also kept some things private because, well, not everything needs to be out there,' Tobin wrote on Instagram at the time. Tobin – who previously dated former Pussycat Dolls member Jessica Sutta – went on to say Farrah had been living and studying in Perth over the past couple of years, and was set to make the move back to Sydney.
ABC News
24-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Jim Chalmers' proposed superannuation changes leave farmers scrambling for answers
In the diffuse light of a foggy June morning, father and son Murray and Tom Norman keep warm with the day's first critical task: feeding the sheep. Tom, 24, transfers the grain from a silo, into a truck, to a spreader, before finally pouring a narrow line of feed onto the bare soil of a nearby paddock, where it's devoured by the hungry merino flock. The job could be a metaphor for running a successful farm: store grain from the good seasons, so there's enough feed for the dry ones. "What you need to do is to have enough income for the bad years," Murray says. The farmers' in-built tendency to plan ahead might just be why the Normans are so opposed to changes to Australia's superannuation scheme. After spending their working lives on the family property, Murray's parents, Ray and Bev, are preparing to move into the nearby town of Junee. "Mum and dad are moving off-farm," Murray says. "It's been a real blessing of super to be able to put money aside so they can have a house in town they can actually live in." The ALP is trying to pass some of the biggest changes to Australia's superannuation system since compulsory superannuation was legislated by the Keating government in 1992. The intention of the scheme was to reduce the number of people reliant on government-funded pensions — and that's worked very well, says Professor Robert Bruenig of Australian National University (ANU). "About one third of people don't rely on the pension system at all … reliance on the pension has definitely gone down because of superannuation," he says. Superannuation earnings are currently taxed at 15 per cent. But under legislation championed by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, the 15 per cent rate remains until a person's super balance reaches a $3 million threshold — at which point a higher 30 per cent rate will kick in. The changes will initially affect about 80,000 people, and will have a bigger impact on those with larger super balances. More than 5,000 people have balances of more than $10 million, and the ATO says there are at least 30 Australians with super balances worth more than $100 million. The earnings on those funds are presently taxed at 15 per cent. It's estimated that the concessions cost the government about $2.3 billion each year in lost tax revenue. "The problem with the super tax structure is that a huge proportion of it goes to people who don't need any help in retirement," says economist Matt Grudnoff from the Australia Institute. Bev and Ray Norman have a combined super balance of around $5.5 million. Assuming their fund's value continues to grow they'll soon be impacted by the changes. The money isn't just being used only to fund their retirement. The plan is for it to help fund the inheritances of their other children without necessitating selling off the family farm. Farms, like property, can form part of a self-managed super fund. "We're getting assets in super so that can provide for mum and dad off-farm and they can be looked after and it's not drawing on the farm," Murray says. Income from the family property Glenbrook is already spoken for: it's mostly invested back into the farm to pay for expenses like equipment, maintenance, stock and feed. The super fund invests in agricultural assets like wind turbines and a herbicide business, which will be affected by the proposed super laws in another way. The new tax rate will also apply to unrealised gains — that's the growth in value of those businesses, unrelated to the income they actually generate. "I did the calculations," says Murray, who has an accountancy degree. "Mum and dad will be up for an extra $120,000 a year. "The super fund can't afford to do that. We're in a situation where the farm will have to fund that." He has a dire prediction. "If the government starts taxing those capital gains that are unrealised, it just means we won't be able to afford to keep on running the farm and we'll have to sell," Murray says. Glenmore has been in the family for 115 years. If all goes to plan and Tom Norman takes over the property from his dad, he'll be the fifth generation to do so. "My vision is to see family farms continue to thrive for generations to come in a profitable and sustainable way," says Tom. "That means not selling off land — being able to keep that land and pass that on to the next generation." To avoid having to sell parts of the farm, Murray Norman says the agricultural assets will need to be withdrawn from his parents' super fund, but there would be significant tax penalties for doing this. Murray says he has spoken to other farmers who've placed their farms inside self-managed super funds and are now working out if it's possible to extract them. "They're now in a situation where they're working out, if these changes come in, what they can actually do … if they're looking at pulling it out, it's going to cause real world problems." Tax expert Robert Bruenig says he is very sympathetic to the plight of farming families like the Normans who have placed businesses, or even farms, inside the super system. "The government set up rules, people have been playing by the rules and now suddenly the rules are changing," says Professor Bruenig, who is the director of the ANU's Tax and Transfer Policy Institute. He says that the government should provide a 12-month amnesty. "Anybody who wants to pull those assets out of superannuation funds and run them outside of the super fund will not pay any tax penalty for doing that," he says. "Normally, if you pull money out of superannuation before retirement, there's a tax penalty." The ALP's super legislation is expected to go before the Senate later this year. 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