Latest news with #Larissa Waters
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Australian Greens leader says she has not read reasons for party's expelling of co-founder
Greens leader Larissa Waters says she has not read documentation outlining why the party's co-founder, Drew Hutton, was expelled because she has been busy preparing for parliament. The decision to terminate Hutton's life membership of the Greens was upheld by delegates of the state branches on Sunday, over what the party considers his pursuit of debate harmful to trans people but that he has framed as an issue of free speech. Waters, a senator for Queensland, had backed the outcome of the appeal, saying it reflected 'good governance' and sent the message that 'nobody is above the rules'. Speaking to the ABC's 7.30 on Tuesday, Hutton doubled down on his position. He suggested some Greens members 'over the last decade or so' had aimed to 'convert it into the sort of party one of whose main preoccupations is with transgender rights'. He said he had 'no problem with transgender rights' but accused the party of harbouring 'an absolutely rigorous determination to stop any dissent'. Hutton claimed he had been contacted by 40 former party members, 'about half' of whom had been expelled, and the others 'forced out by being subjected to massive complaints'. He suggested a faction within the party – which he described this week as 'a cult' – had 'weaponised the complaint system'. Waters, appearing immediately after Hutton on the program, rejected his description of the party as 'authoritarian, aggressive and doctrinaire'. She insisted people inside the Greens were free to express their opinions – and do. 'You can have a robust debate and there's lots of differences of opinion when party members are actually debating and formulating our policies, but you can do that in a respectful manner,' she said. When host Sarah Ferguson asked whether Waters took issue with Hutton's views or the way he had expressed them – asking why Hutton had been expelled – Waters replied: 'Look, I wasn't part of that process, Sarah. That was a process that the party ran.' Pressed on the reasons for the expulsion, Waters revealed she had not read the documentation, dismissing responsibility for the decision. 'I haven't read the documentation because here I am in parliament hoping to talk tomorrow about introducing a climate trigger into our environmental laws and fixing the gender inequalities in our tax system amongst other things,' Waters said. 'This was a decision that was reviewed by the party, taken by volunteer party members, many of whom uphold the code of conduct on a regular basis.' Any future decision on whether Hutton could return to the party was 'not up to me', she added.
News.com.au
22-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Greens to continue calls for Labor to end capital gains tax at Economic Reform Roundtable
The Greens will continue their campaign to end capital gains tax concessions and negative gearing, as the diminished party looks to rebuild after an electoral disaster which resulted in the loss of former leader Adam Bandt and two other MPs. The minor party holds just one seat in the House of Representatives, with Ryan MP Elizabeth Warren-Brown clinging onto her Brisbane seat despite a 5.2 per cent swing to Labor, while maintaining 11 seats in the Senate. However, ahead of Labor's Economic Reform Roundtable in August, new party leader Larissa Waters said the party would continue to advocate for negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions to be scrapped. The benefits gives property investors to only pay tax on 50 per cent of the profit made from the sale, with the Greens arguing that it increases property demand and 'turbocharges housing inequality'. The policy was a key plank of the Greens unsuccessful election policy, which saw Mr Bandt, party housing firebrand Max Chandler-Mather and Stephen Bates ousted. 'On housing, we know that there is so much more that the government needs to do in this term and we won't stop pushing for an end to negative gearing and unlimited rent increases,' Senator Waters said. 'Getting changes to CGT discount would demonstrate the government's willingness to fight for renters and first homebuyers, not rich property investors.' While Anthony Albanese has repeatedly rejected changing the current settings, he faces opposition from rank-and-file members calling on a revision of the tax. Grassroots advocacy group Labor for Housing has repeated calls for reform, stating the cost of the concession – about $20bn a year – should be redirected to public housing projects. However the Coalition has seized on Labor after accidental Treasury advice urged Treasurer Jim Chalmers to consider increasing taxes to fix the budget deficit, with Sussan Ley vowing to fight against any new taxation plans. Alongside scrapping the tax concession, the Greens have also called for tax breaks for new mums re-entering the workforce and the removal of fossil fuel subsidies and tax breaks for gas exporters. Complicated measures such as the family tax benefit, childcare subsidies and taxes can reduce the amount of take-home pay working mums are able to receive, with women sometimes left worse off when they transition to working to four or five days a week. Senator Waters said parents should be 'encouraged' to return to work, and not be 'smashed by tax so hard they're essentially working for free'. 'When a second parent goes back into the workforce, they can face an effective marginal tax rate of up to 80 per cent which punished mother for wanting to go back to work and perpetuates gender based economic disadvantage which haunts mothers for life,' she said. 'Right now, the government gives better tax incentives to investors like Clive Palmer or Gina Rinehart than it does to people who actually work for a living'.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Afternoon Update: Waters backs Greens co-founder's expulsion; Hecs debt on chopping block; and Nick Cave gives 2,000 books to op shop
Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update. The co-founder of the Australian Greens Drew Hutton is considering his legal and political options after he was officially expelled from the party over what it considers his pursuit of debate harmful to trans people. Hutton, however, has framed it as an issue of free speech. The story of Hutton's termination began in 2022 when he took to Facebook with a series of posts and comments, weighing into moves to annul the election of the state convener in Victoria and expel a member from the New South Wales party over what the Greens deemed to be their transphobic comments and writings. Hutton labelled those moves 'authoritarian and antidemocratic'. The party's constitution and arbitration committee found that while Hutton himself had not demeaned trans people, he had provided a platform for others to do. Hutton, who has drawn on the written support of both the Greens' first and second national leaders, Bob Brown and Christine Milne, issued his own statement saying that the party he founded had 'lost its way'. The Australian Greens leader, Larissa Waters, has backed the expulsion of Hutton, saying it reflected 'good governance' and sent the message that 'nobody is above the rules'. Two men killed in light plane crash that ignited 'fireball' in Queensland Woman speared in head airlifted to hospital as NT police search for alleged attacker Russia insists on sticking to its war demands amid Trump sanctions threat 'Everything here is just better': Ellen DeGeneres confirms she moved to the UK because of Donald Trump Owen Farrell to captain Lions in clash with First Nations & Pasifika XV BBC targets adults in the latest adventure for its top dog Bluey Sheep and dog competitions, shearing, fashion, craft and food were all part of the 25th Australian Sheep and Wool Show held in Bendigo over the weekend. 'Getting an education shouldn't mean a lifetime of debt.' Anthony Albanese says Labor's bill to cut Hecs debts will be first on his government's agenda when parliament resumes on Tuesday, saying 'getting an education shouldn't mean a lifetime of debt'. We hear the legislation will be introduced midweek into parliament, and while the Coalition say they haven't seen the bill yet, it's expected they might support the change. Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion An Oxfam charity store in Hove, England received the trove which according to one staff member spanned a wide range of topics including philosophy, art, religion and fiction paperbacks. A few of the books even have ephemera used as bookmarks, including old plane tickets, a crushed cigarette packet and an old envelope bearing the words 'Lukes tooth'. The Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian has appealed against her narrow loss to Nicolette Boele in Bradfield to the court of disputed returns. Voters deserve to know the fight is being resolved with the fairness integral to Australian elections and decoding a voter's poor handwriting is subjective, writes Simon Jackman, who makes the case to enlist AI to help. Today's starter word is: NAG. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.
