Latest news with #MattThistlethwaite
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Netanyahu government has ‘contributed' to Gaza starvation
Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister and Trade Minister Matt Thistlethwaite says the actions of the Netanyahu government have 'contributed' to children in Gaza suffering. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Australia's advocacy for a Palestinian state 'shameful'. Mr Thistlethwaite told Sky News Australia that the images of children starving 'speak for themselves'.
Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Albanese government under fire for dropping English language requirements amid high migration numbers
The Albanese government is facing renewed scrutiny over its immigration approach after quietly lowering the English language threshold for visa applicants, a move the Opposition says will deepen Australia's migration crisis. In a change revealed on Tuesday, Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite signed off on new rules reducing the minimum English test scores required to demonstrate 'functional' proficiency - a key requirement for several visa categories, including the training and work and holiday visas. It's the first revision to the scoring standards in a decade and affects several major testing systems used by prospective migrants. Assistant Minister Matt Thistlethwaite igned off on new rules reducing the minimum English test scores to demonstrate a functional level of English. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short For the widely used Pearson Test of English (PTE), the pass mark has dropped from 30 out of 90 to 24. Meanwhile, the minimum score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was lowered from 32 out of 120 to just 26. According to Pearson's own criteria, the lower score reflects a significant shift in ability from someone who 'can understand sentences and frequently used expressions' to a person who can only 'understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases'. Shadow Home Affairs Minister Andrew Hastie. Picture: Richard Dobson / NewsWire Only the benchmark for the most popular test, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), remains unchanged at 4.5 out of 9. Opposition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie slammed the move as reckless and out of touch with the pressures facing Australians. 'The Albanese Labor government brought in a million migrants in its first two years, 70 per cent higher than in any previous two-year period,' Mr Hastie said. 'A new person is migrating to Australia every 54 seconds. "This is unsustainable. Instead of moderating immigration, the minister is lowering minimum English proficiency standards. 'Under (Home Affairs Minister) Tony Burke, our migration system is out of control, and it's only going to get worse. Australians are worse off under Labor's immigration policy. "Our infrastructure is under pressure, essential services are stretched thin, and young Australians are locked out of the housing market. Social cohesion is fraying.' Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke holds a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman Mr Burke rejected the claims and accused the Opposition of playing politics with multicultural communities. However, he did not clarify the reasons behind the decision. 'Net overseas migration has fallen, as we said it would,' Mr Burke said. 'I'd been told the opposition wanted to have a reset with multicultural communities. It appears with Mr Hastie nothing has changed, no message has been received.' The Coalition, which had promised to cap migration at 160,000 per year during the last election campaign, has so far kept relatively quiet on the issue post-defeat, but these latest changes appear to have reignited the debate over Australia's immigration settings.
Sky News AU
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Diplomacy and dialogue' urged amid escalation in Middle East
Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Matt Thistlethwaite says the current events taking place across the Middle East are 'concerning'. This comes after Israel launched airstrikes on Iran's capital city of Tehran. 'The tensions in the Middle East are certainly concerning,' Mr Thistlethwaite told Sky News Australia. 'We are seeing an escalation and that's something that will concern not only Australians but the rest of the world. 'Diplomacy and dialogue can solve these differences.'
Perth Now
02-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Real number of Aussies hit by super tax
Politicians have clashed over the number of Australians that will be caught up in Labor's proposed super tax. Labor MP and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Matt Thistlethwaite was pressed over the Albanese government's proposal to roll back concessions on ultra-high super balances and tax unrealised gains that would penalise younger generations in the future. The plan, one of the government's key economic policies, will hit those with more than $3m in their superannuation accounts with an extra 15 per cent tax – initially forecast to be about 80,000 people by 2025-26 – on top of the 15 per cent all super fund members are taxed on their earnings. That number has now jumped to up to 1.2 million Australians, significantly more than the original figure. '1.2 million Australians in the long run – that's not the small amount you've all been saying,' Sky News' Pete Stefanovic questioned Mr Thistlethwaite on Monday morning. Matt Thistlethwaite said the proposal was to ensure 'fairness and equity' in the Australian taxation system. NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'Well, this is a policy … that's aimed at ensuring that we got fairness and equity in our taxation system,' Mr Thistlewaite began, before being cut off swiftly by Stefanovic: 'How's that fair if the PM gets a pass?' The proposal has come under fire for the inclusion of 'special rules' that would exempt Anthony Albanese until after the Prime Minister retires. Mr Thistlewaite continued: 'Everyone who's on a defined benefit scheme will be treated the same. That's the basis of it. 'Regardless of your occupation, where you live, (everyone) will all pay the same … at the moment, some people can divert money from income to avoid paying income taxation into superannuation to get a concessional rate. 'Now the average teacher, the average childcare worker or emergency services worker can't do that, so we just want to make sure that the system is fair and equitable, and everyone pays their fair share of tax.' The $3m figure will not be indexed, leaving about 1.2 million people within 30 years liable for the tax, Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino revealed last month. Liberal senator Hollie Hughes accused the government of not considering the 'unintended consequences'. Liberal senator Hollie Hughes accused the government of not considering 'unintended consequences'. NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'I had dinner with a small-business owner last week whose office building is part of a superannuation plan, and her message to me was incredibly clear that if this goes ahead she does not know what she can do because this is something that the business is invested in, she's invested in,' Senator Hughes said. 'It's her business, and now, because of the increase in property prices she doesn't know if she can afford to pay a tax on an unrealised gain.' She said the tax would come 'knocking on the doors' of everyday Australians, especially small business owners and farmers. Questioned again about the confirmed number of Australians to be impacted by the tax, Mr Thistlethwaite said: 'Initially, it's a very small it's a very small number of Australians, less than 0.5 per cent of the population. Treasurer Jim Chalmers was accused of writing 'special rules' that exempt Prime Minister Anthony Albanese from Labor's super tax. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'I think we got to realise we're only talking about (balances) above $3m, and we're talking about something that hasn't been legislated yet, but at the moment people have the choice. 'They can pay their income tax or they can divert it into superannuation to get a concession.' He said the Labor government would 'work' with the opposition if it were prepared to be 'fair and reasonable'. The tax is proposed to take effect from the start of the next financial year, July 1.
News.com.au
02-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Matt Thistlethwaite questioned over the number of Aussies impacted by Labor government's proposed super tax
Politicians have clashed over the number of Australians that will be caught up in Labor's proposed super tax. Labor MP and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Matt Thistlethwaite was pressed over the Albanese government's proposal to roll back concessions on ultra-high super balances and tax unrealised gains that would penalise younger generations in the future. The plan, one of the government's key economic policies, will hit those with more than $3m in their superannuation accounts with an extra 15 per cent tax – initially forecast to be about 80,000 people by 2025-26 – on top of the 15 per cent all super fund members are taxed on their earnings. That number has now jumped to up to 1.2 million Australians, significantly more than the original figure. '1.2 million Australians in the long run – that's not the small amount you've all been saying,' Sky News' Pete Stefanovic questioned Mr Thistlethwaite on Monday morning. 'Well, this is a policy … that's aimed at ensuring that we got fairness and equity in our taxation system,' Mr Thistlewaite began, before being cut off swiftly by Stefanovic: 'How's that fair if the PM gets a pass?' The proposal has come under fire for the inclusion of 'special rules' that would exempt Anthony Albanese until after the Prime Minister retires. Mr Thistlewaite continued: 'Everyone who's on a defined benefit scheme will be treated the same. That's the basis of it. 'Regardless of your occupation, where you live, (everyone) will all pay the same … at the moment, some people can divert money from income to avoid paying income taxation into superannuation to get a concessional rate. 'Now the average teacher, the average childcare worker or emergency services worker can't do that, so we just want to make sure that the system is fair and equitable, and everyone pays their fair share of tax.' The $3m figure will not be indexed, leaving about 1.2 million people within 30 years liable for the tax, Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino revealed last month. Liberal senator Hollie Hughes accused the government of not considering the 'unintended consequences'. 'I had dinner with a small-business owner last week whose office building is part of a superannuation plan, and her message to me was incredibly clear that if this goes ahead she does not know what she can do because this is something that the business is invested in, she's invested in,' Senator Hughes said. 'It's her business, and now, because of the increase in property prices she doesn't know if she can afford to pay a tax on an unrealised gain.' She said the tax would come 'knocking on the doors' of everyday Australians, especially small business owners and farmers. Questioned again about the confirmed number of Australians to be impacted by the tax, Mr Thistlethwaite said: 'Initially, it's a very small it's a very small number of Australians, less than 0.5 per cent of the population. 'I think we got to realise we're only talking about (balances) above $3m, and we're talking about something that hasn't been legislated yet, but at the moment people have the choice. 'They can pay their income tax or they can divert it into superannuation to get a concession.' He said the Labor government would 'work' with the opposition if it were prepared to be 'fair and reasonable'. The tax is proposed to take effect from the start of the next financial year, July 1.
