Latest news with #VictorianLiberals
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Morning Mail: Gina Rinehart's $400,000 Liberal fundraiser, official push to recognise rock art, Israel targets Gaza schools
Good morning. A dispute between the Victorian Liberals and an event organiser has revealed Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart helped raise almost $400,000 for the occasion. In other news, the government will meet with Unesco to lobby for 50,000-years-old petroglyphs in Western Australia to be included on the world heritage list, despite concerns about 'degrading acidic emissions'. We have a visual guide that takes a deep dive into Ukraine's extraordinary attack on Russia's bomber fleet. And the Guardian has learned the Israeli military deliberately attacked school buildings being used as civilian shelters. Environment | The Albanese government will launch a lobbying campaign in a bid to reverse a Unesco recommendation that an ancient rock art site in Western Australia can't go on the world heritage list due to damaging industrial emissions linked to a controversial Woodside gas development. Party woes | Mining magnate Gina Rinehart helped the Liberal party raise almost $400,000 at an exclusive dinner on the eve of the federal election campaign, the event's organiser has revealed, but fallout from the function has left the party embroiled in a public dispute. Abuse | One in three Australian men has reported committing intimate partner abuse, world-first research has found – and the same research has identified new ways to tackle it. Barmy army | The UK government has declared it will put the first of 12 Aukus-class submarines in the water on schedule in the late 2030s, despite its own major projects agency saying the plan to build their nuclear reactor cores is 'unachievable'. Mushroom trial | Erin Patterson has described her religious conversion and a 'never-ending battle' with low self-esteem and weight issues in emotional evidence to her own triple murder trial. Exclusive | A series of recent deadly airstrikes on school buildings sheltering displaced people in Gaza were part of a deliberate Israeli military bombing strategy, with further schools identified as targets, the Guardian has learned. Colorado | A man has been charged with a federal hate crime and multiple other felonies after he allegedly used a makeshift flamethrower and incendiary devices to attack a crowd of people who were raising awareness for Israeli hostages in Gaza, injuring eight. Sicilian eruption | A huge plume of ash, gas and rock has spewed forth from Italy's Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano, but authorities said there was no current danger to the population. Citizenship-by-investment | Andrew Tate allegedly secured a 'golden passport' from the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu the month he was arrested in Romania on charges including rape and human trafficking, it has been reported. Wheely old | A wheel of parmigiano reggiano has been celebrated as 'an authentic jewel of nature' after setting a longevity record for parmesan cheese. Why the key to good sleep can't be found on TikTok Social media is rife with hacks that claim to help you sleep better and deeper. From melatonin, feeding your baby butter and taping your mouth shut, the solutions range from obvious to unexpected. In conversation with Nour Haydar, anti-viral columnist Donna Lu breaks down the viral hacks that the internet claims will help you get better sleep. Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ Örkesh Dölet participated in the Tiananmen Square protests when he was just a 21-year-old student. Now 36 years in exile, Dölet speaks with Nuria Khasim how his connection with his Uyghur identity has instilled in him courage and bravery. He says: 'As Uyghurs, we do the right thing, not the safe thing.' Citrus such as oranges and mandarins are in season, offering grocery shoppers fruit that is sweet and well priced. Blueberries, on the other hand, are 'quite diabolical' from bad weather conditions and the time of year. Maddie Thomas has the lowdown on which fruit and veg you should buy and which to avoid this month. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Soccer | The Matildas beat Argentina 4-1 in a farewell match to coach Tom Sermanni. Cricket | Australian limited overs great Glenn Maxwell has called time on his decorated one-day international career to focus on next year's T20 World Cup and domestic competitions as injuries begin to take their toll. Tennis | Daria Kasatkina's first grand slam as an Australian is over, ended at the French Open by her teenage phenomenon friend Mirra Andreeva. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is under pressure to halt a policy giving Western Australia a greater cut of GST, the Age reports. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, University of Sydney students will no longer be allowed to make non-course-related announcements at the start of lectures after an external review on combatting antisemitism. The Mercury has photos of the Aurora Australis, with the spectacle dazzling some and leaving others underwhelmed. Wages | The Fair Work Commission will release its annual wage review. Perth | The inquest into the death of Cleveland Dodd continues in the Perth Central Law Court. Paris | The OECD Ministerial Council Meeting will convene. If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
After a week of spectacular self-sabotage, the Victorian Liberal party's pain is only just beginning
It was meant to be the Victorian Liberals' week. Instead, the party – now almost synonymous with political self-sabotage – has imploded once again. And it's likely only going to get worse from here as the countdown officially begins for former leader John Pesutto to pay the $2.3m in legal fees he owes Moira Deeming or face bankruptcy after he was found in December to have defamed her. 'The pain for John may be about to end, but the pain for others may be just about to begin,' one of Pesutto's supporters warned. The week had started with a sense of optimism from Pesutto's successor as opposition leader, Brad Battin, and his team. After machete-wielding rival gangs sent a shopping centre into lockdown at the weekend, the Labor government on Monday rushed to ban the sale of the knives within 48 hours. It was a move the Liberals had advocated for since 2023, giving them a rare 'we told you so' moment. They also had their budget reply on Tuesday, headlined by a policy designed to win back young voters: abolishing stamp duty for properties under $1m. But whatever momentum the Liberals were hoping to build vanished before the shadow treasurer stood up to deliver his speech. Earlier on Tuesday, a party room meeting was called to discuss what – if anything – was being done by Battin to avert a byelection in the seat of Hawthorn – which will occur if Pesutto is bankrupted and therefore disqualified from parliament. The issue of the byelection – which many Liberals believe the party would lose – was raised by the Sandringham MP, Brad Rowswell, who had attempted to discuss it during a shadow cabinet meeting on Monday but was told it was a matter for the broader party room. After facing criticism that such a discussion would distract from the party's messaging, Rowswell deferred the discussion altogether. But the matter still made headlines and overshadowed the budget response. A Liberal MP loyal to Battin said it was an intentional move to 'destabilise' the leader, while a detractor said it was a 'valid question everyone has been asking'. It only got worse for Battin, when a letter from Deeming's lawyers to Pesutto was leaked to the media on Wednesday. It suggested that in the event of Pesutto's bankruptcy, Deeming would seek to recover her legal costs from those who contributed to his defence fund. The list includes three former Liberal premiers, Ted Baillieu, Denis Napthine and Jeff Kennett, two sitting MPs, Georgie Crozier and David Southwick, and other party figures who have supported the Hawthorn MP. According to one Pesutto supporter, the letter had the effect of 'galvanising support' for the beleaguered former leader, as it 'showed it won't end with him if he is bankrupted'. 'It will engulf the entire party with months of hearings and political bloodletting ahead.' Deeming's lawyers are set to initiate bankruptcy proceedings on Monday, after Pesutto failed to meet Friday's deadline. Pesutto will then have a further three weeks to pay the $2.3m owed, of which sources say he has raised around a third. Deeming's lawyers have also applied to the federal court for leave to issue subpoenas to obtain communications between Pesutto and those who donated to his unsuccessful legal defence. 'It will be a shit show for all involved and a nightmare for the party,' another Pesutto supporter said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email It's no wonder Battin faced relentless questioning on the matter. On Wednesday, he repeated the same line that he would keep his conversations confidential and urged his colleagues to stay 'on message'. But Southwick broke ranks, urging people to 'step up' to prevent a Hawthorn byelection. 'The fact that [Pesutto's] fighting for his job, fighting for his livelihood – it is horrific, regardless of what people think about the situation,' he told reporters. As one Liberal MP privately quipped: 'They were the type of comments Brad should have made a fortnight ago'. They weren't alone in their criticism. Several Liberal MPs have expressed frustration that Battin failed to show leadership during a week when the party desperately needed him to. Even some who backed him in the December leadership spill are now questioning their decision. The Herald Sun has already reported murmurs of a leadership challenge – less than six months into Battin's tenure. In a sign of how desperate the situation has become, one rumour doing the rounds is that former MP Matt Bach could be asked to return from the UK to lead. Other names being bandied about are Matthew Guy, in what would be his third go as leader, or Jess Wilson, who lost her bid for deputy in December. If all this wasn't enough, the cherry on top of a shocker week were several stories scrutinising expense claims by Battin's deputy, Sam Groth, including allegations that he used a taxpayer funded, chauffeur-driven car – assigned to Crozier – to take himself and his wife from a fundraising event at the Australian Open to their home in Rye and spending $3,269 on hotel stays after sporting events. Groth, who is also the opposition spokesperson for tourism, sport and events, on Friday said his conduct 'was and is above board'. 'It has all been officially disclosed. There is nothing to hide,' he said. For her part, Crozier told the ABC she was 'incredibly disappointed' over the issue, and that 'Victorians deserve a lot better'. 'I think that Sam needs to explain his actions – I can't,' she said. Again, Battin was forced to front the press on Friday on the defensive. 'It's pretty obvious we've had some tensions in the party at the moment. And I'm continuing to work through that,' he said. If anything this week is proof, yet again, that the Victorian Liberal party is too often its own worst enemy. With additional reporting by Henry Belot
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Victorian opposition to scrap stamp duty for first homebuyers if elected next year
The Victorian opposition says it will scrap stamp duty for first homebuyers if it forms government next year — a move one expert says could push up house prices while helping more Victorians into homes. The proposal to wipe stamp duty for all first home purchases of up to $1 million would benefit an expected 17,000 home buyers a year. But the Victorian Liberals declined to detail how they would pay for the proposal, which it said would cost $1.09 billion over the next four-year term of government. Asked how the debt-saddled state could afford the hit, Shadow Treasurer James Newbury flagged a "different set of priorities" if his team was elected in 2026, including getting more people into homes. "We will make every announcement fully costed and released before the election," he said. "There is obviously a difficulty with breaking down a cost prior to doing that, because if we were to give you the costing on one policy, it would foreshadow the other commitments we are going to make." The proposal was the centrepiece of a budget reply speech, delivered on Tuesday, that took aim at the state's tax burden under the Allan Labor government. Treasurer Jaclyn Symes revealed in her first budget last week that the state's debt is set to hit record levels, with net debt expected to reach $167.6 billion this year, before growing to $194 billion in three years' time. However, the budget also includes a $600 million surplus, in part due to the controversial Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, which will tip $1.6 billion into government coffers in the coming financial year. "We know that one of the cohorts that's missed out a lot is that next generation who want to come through into home ownership," Opposition Leader Brad Battin said on Tuesday. "This is a policy that will be a game-changer. The opposition leader said developers and industry figures he spoke with backed the move, saying it would boost supply and confidence in the sector. But Michael Fotheringham, from research body the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, warned there was a risk it could inflate house prices by increasing the amount home buyers could borrow and spend. "There's a risk that that's inflationary, but as a policy overall, this approach has been quite successful," he said. He said the policy merely lifted the threshold of an existing scheme, which allows for a full stamp duty exemption on properties of up to $600,000 and a concession for properties up to $750,000. "The people that will benefit from [the new policy] are first home buyers that are looking for a more premium home rather than a more modest home, so looking to be a bit more upscale in the market," he said. The construction sector says interest rates, reduced borrowing capacity and construction costs have hampered the feasibility of some residential developments. Dr Fotheringham said a successful policy would strike a balance between making development more feasible without inflating prices. The Labor government recently extended a stamp duty concession for apartments, units and townhouses bought off-the-plan. The policy has been criticised by some who argue it does more to help existing home owners downsize rather than it does to help young people into the market.
