The prime minister. Anthony Albanese, has alluded to TV presenter Karl Stefanovic ’s apparent ouster from Nine, suggesting the Today host went too far to the edges of the mainstream debate.
Nine Entertainment is expected to cut ties with the highly paid host turned podcast presenter after he interviewed. embraced UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, was interviewed for Stefanovic’s podcast in London. A far-right campaigner, anti-immigration and anti-Islam activist in the UK, he co-founded the English Defence League group.
Robinson has convictions for assault, mortgage fraud, using a false passport and contempt of court. An organiser of large public rallies. Robinson was jailed in October 2024 after he ignored a court order not to repeat lies about a Syrian refugee, who had successfully sued him for libel.
Speaking at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia event at Parliament House on Thursday, Albanese said he would steer clear of the debate engulfing Nine,. issued a warning to personalities like Stefanovic straying too far from the mainstream.
double quotation mark Look at what’s happened … You go down that road. you go further and further out on the edges of what is mainstream political debate in this country, and you know, I think that can have an impact.
Australians should speak ‘one language’, Hanson says
Pauline Hanson, after declaring Australia should be a “monocultural” state, can’t seem to quite figure out what it actually means.
Her messaging has somewhat chopped. changed over the past week, at one point saying Australia could be more like Japan, and then another day saying in the same breath that the Socceroos are an example of monoculturalism and she wants to see the return of Australia characters like Paul Hogan and Norman Gunston.
Today, she’s said that monoculture means everyone should speak English.
Hanson’s bought out posters on trucks. is parading them out the front of parliament, donned with the message “stop Labor, fire the liar” with a “donate now” tag and a QR code. She tells reporters:
double quotation mark Tony Abbott and other leaders around the world have said multiculturalism doesn’t work.
Go and research that, understand what’s happening. We are one nation, we are, and it should be one language.
Brisbane, Perth. Adelaide house prices will continue to rise over the coming year, escaping a broader downturn, property business Domain predicts.
Domain’s financial year 2027 report. out today, has forecast the median price of Perth houses will pick up about 7% or over $85,000 over the year starting July. Perth units are expected to rise by 9% or $65,000.
Brisbane house prices are expected to surge 5%. units 7%, while Adelaide is forecast to record price growth of 6% across houses and units. The pace of price growth is expected to be slower than it has been in the last year due to higher interest rates.
Prices in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra are forecast to fall, with houses down 5% in Sydney and 6% in Melbourne.
Domain’s chief economist, Dr Nicola Powell, said the divergence was driven by the Reserve Bank. Powell said:
double quotation mark Higher interest rates are weighing heavily on Sydney. Melbourne while more affordable segments and mid-tier cities are continuing to hold up.
Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide prices are being supported by population growth and tight rental markets, according to the report. Domain did not predict a strong investor backlash to the government’s tax reforms. noted that it would drag on prices if it eventuated.
Jarrod Bleijie. the deputy premier of Queensland, has demanded an apology from the state’s opposition leader over an allegation of racism in an ABC radio interview.
ABC journalist Ellen Fanning said Bleijie explained the state’s rumoured secret agenda to purge Indigenous representation. known as “Project Invisibility”, as being justified by the voice referendum vote.
“I think that’s the deputy premier saying the quiet part out loud,” the Labor opposition leader, Steven Miles, responded.
Fanning asked Miles if Bleijie was saying “those racist words out loud”.
Miles responded: “that’s how it reads to me”.
Bleijie told parliament on Thursday that he hadn’t been recorded in Hansard saying anything like the comment.
double quotation mark I note. Ms Fenning has offered an apology to me about this interview that she claims she had been misinformed. With her apology. I call and ask, will the leader of the opposition show leadership and do the same?
The unemployment rate has eased to 4.4% in May. from 4.5%, in a sign that the previous month’s jump in the jobless rate was not the start of a more rapid deterioration in the labour market.
With the Reserve Bank still primed to hike rates if needed over coming months, the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed employment lifted by 40,300 people in May, including an extra 5,200 full-time jobs. 35,200 in part-time employment.
The underemployment rate, which includes people with jobs. who are trying to get more work, lifted to 5.9%, from 5.8%.
Economists had predicted the jobless rate would drop back after a surprise jump in April pushed it to its highest level since late 2021 – although still below the more than 5% rates. were typical before the Covid-19 pandemic
ACCC launches legal action against debt collector
The consumer watchdog has announced court action against a major Australian debt collector, alleging it unlawfully pursued hundreds of thousands of Australians for debts in a manner that “had the potential to cause extreme emotional. financial stress”.
The Australian Competition. Consumer Commission (ACC) is taking federal court action against two related companies, debt collector ARMA Group and legal practice Force Legal, both owned by Credit Clear.
The watchdog alleges the two companies made misleading representations about 320,000 debt notices sent via email. letter or texts over more than three years.
Individuals were told they owed a debt that must be paid urgently. In fact, the debts were either no longer outstanding or were too old to be legally collected.
The ACCC’s deputy chair, Catriona Lowe, said:
double quotation mark ARMA. Force Legal’s allegedly misleading debt enforcement notices had the potential to cause extreme emotional and financial stress and concern to thousands of people, many of whom were likely experiencing vulnerabilities. We are concerned that the letters. emails which warned consumers of serious and imminent consequences of failing to pay a debt likely led some consumers to make payments they were not legally required to make. We are asking the court to order compensation for these consumers.
A Guardian Australia investigation in 2024 revealed numerous examples of concerning practices across the industry, including the chasing of a 10-year-old boy with autism, false. misleading threats, and underhanded tactics to extend the time limit on collecting debts, according to alleged victims, lawyers and debt collection insiders.
Teen accused of Dutton terror plot found not guilty
A teen accused of plotting nail bomb attacks against then opposition leader Peter Dutton. a Labour Day march has been found not guilty of preparing a terrorist act, AAP reports.
The jury returned its verdict on Thursday after two days of deliberation.
The teen. who cannot be identified for legal reasons, stood trial in Brisbane supreme court after pleading not guilty to one count of carrying out acts in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act.
The boy was about to turn 16 when he rode his scooter around Brisbane’s suburbs in July 2024 to buy nails, metal pipes. ingredients for explosives, the jury heard.
The teen used his iPhone. laptop to search for “where is Peter Dutton located” as part of an alleged plan to use bombings to oppose the Liberal party’s then policy of building multiple nuclear power stations in Australia.
The NSW opposition leader, Kellie Sloane, has also detailed the Coalition’s plan to negotiate a new Western Sydney City deal with the federal government. local councils, which would include a new metro project in south-western Sydney.
Labor has not committed to funding new metro projects beyond those already under construction amid high gross state debt inherited from the former Coalition government.
Sloane. who faces an uphill struggle against the premier, Chris Minns – way ahead in preferred leader polls – ended her speech by saying today’s policies “are just the beginning” of those to come before the election next year:
double quotation mark The Liberals and the Nationals will ease the cost of living pressure on families. We will back business and private enterprise. We will reward people for their hard work. for their effort, we will reduce Labour’s high taxes, and importantly, we will deliver a vision for our state that will return us to number one again.
NSW budget reply: Labor has missed their ‘one shot’ to improve state
The NSW opposition leader. Kellie Sloane, says the Minns government has missed its opportunity to improve lives in NSW in its first term as she gives her reply to this year’s budget.
The opposition has said it supports the modest cost of living measures in Tuesday’s budget, the final before the March 2027 election, but said the offering lacked a plan for growth after Treasury revised down its December growth forecast from 2.5% to 1% amid the global oil shock. rising interest.
The Coalition’s flagship policy is a significant reduction of payroll taxes for small and medium-sized businesses. Amid the threat posed by One Nation. the controversial renewable rollout in regional areas, they have announced a plan for Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, as well as an “outback” REZ in Broken Hill. They would cancel a transmission line to the New England REZ. walking back support for a project the Coalition green-lit in government.
Sloane opened her speech by quoting Eminem, drawing some eye-rolls from the government benches. She pointed to slow growth, business closures, and delays to housing targets as evidence of Labor’s missed opportunity:
double quotation mark “‘If you had one shot. one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it or would you just let it slip?’ – Eminem.
Labor had their opportunity after 12 long years on the opposition benches, waiting for their moment. What did they do? They let it slip. They lost an opportunity to make a real difference, to have a vision for our state, to build on the transformative work of successive Liberal. National government who built our state and built our economy, who created opportunity, not lost it.
Temporary exclusion orders a ‘backup mechanism’
Mike Pezzullo. the former home affairs department secretary, says temporary exclusion orders were created as a backup mechanissm during the former Coalition government, when it was trying to establish laws to strip citizenship from a dual citizen convicted of a terrorism offence.
The Albanese government applied a TEO on one woman who was linked to Islamic State being held in a Syrian detention camp to stop her returning to Australia. But Tony Burke this morning revealed she had applied for a return permit, which was granted by authorities.
Pezzullo told Sky News:
double quotation mark Temporary exclusion orders were created some time ago to overcome the difficulties that at the time the Coalition government had with citizenship cessation. where a number of attempts to strip a person’s citizenship had been made [and then were] struck down by the high court.
So temporary exclusion orders are a backup mechanism, if you will.
But he questions how the women who have returned were able to obtain an Australian passport. because they have since been charged with serious crimes.
double quotation mark It strikes me as odd in relation, not necessarily to temper exclusion,. how did they get a passport? Because if they were given a passport. the minister has to be satisfied in relation to the passports act that a person’s not going to pose a risk to the community.
Right-wing lobby group Advance. the Plymouth Brethren Christian church will be forced to attend public hearings into the 2025 federal election if they decline to come forward voluntarily, a parliamentary committee says.
The joint parliamentary committee into electoral matters said it would issue a summons to compel the groups in a move it acknowledged as “an extraordinary step,. one it believes necessary”.
In a media release this morning. the committee said it had decided yesterday to invite the groups once more to appear before it as part of its review into the 2025 federal election. The committee said both groups had declined to appear at previous hearings in November 2025, and March and May 2026.
double quotation mark Given the volume of submissions the committee has received,. the level of community concern about their involvement in the electoral process, it is not just in the committee’s interest, but Australia’s interest, to understand the involvement of both of these third parties in the 2025 federal election and their influence on the electoral process.
We’re going to be hear a lot of bells in the Senate today on the government’s tax changes to CGT. negative gearing.
Right now they’re voting on whether to give the bill a second reading – once they vote. it opens up debate on the legislation itself (and there will be plenty of senators wanting to talk).
The opposition are trying to move an amendment to the vote for the second reading to get the government to support indexing tax brackets to end bracket creep. It’s a policy Angus Taylor announced in his budget reply,. a little wedge so the opposition can say the government supports bracket creep. It’ll get voted down.
Once we’re on to the second reading, there’s at least 20 amendments to the bill itself – ten from David Pocock alone, a couple from the Greens, One Nation, Jacqui Lambie. the opposition.
It’s going to be a long day in the Senate.
Teal party offering ‘solutions’, Spender and Steggall say
Allegra Spender says she. Zali Steggall see an opportunity to get more communities involved in politics, and choosing local candidates, but promises there won’t be any “in-fighting” in the party.
So far there’s just two members of the Community Strong party, with other teal independents ruling themselves out for now.
The two are holding a press conference in Canberra. Steggall says the party will remain committed to its values, which she told RN Breakfast earlier was sensible economic management, climate action, integrity. equality.
double quotation mark That’s what people have asked me for. They have said we don’t want the infighting, we don’t want the blame game, we want solutions that will make a difference to us,. we want, we see that there is more common ground in Australia than there is division. We don’t want to import culture wars from the US.
We see an opportunity to do more, to get more communities involved. more communities at the heart of politics, because we think this is the different way that Australians are asking us to represent them, put them first, but work constructively with the experts, with people with real experience in lives outside of politics and the community to come up solutions with their problems.
Clare introduces legislation to reform university student funding
Australian universities could face a funding overhaul, with the government this morning introducing a bill to established a “managed growth” system which will reform the allocation of student places. funding to universities, and provide needs-based funding for students from regional and rural areas, and low socioeconomic backgrounds.
The education minister, Jason Clare, says the reform is part of the Universities Accord agenda,. the allocation to universities – which will see an overall increase in places – will be overseen by the newly legislated Australian Tertiary Education Commission.
Some universities in Sydney have raised concerns that it will result in places being diverted towards regional universities,. allow less student places in the cities.
But the government argues it will lead to a more equitable system for students of all backgrounds.
This morning, Clare told ABC News Breakfast:
double quotation mark About 50% of young Australians in their 30s today have a university degree. But, it’s not the case everywhere. It’s not the case in Western Sydney, where I grew up. It’s about half that. It’s the same in the regions and it’s even lower in the bush. That’s not because of a lack of talent, talent is everywhere. It’s opportunity that is not. And education can help to change that.
‘Australia should have these women return to Australia’: Shoebridge
Greens senator David Shoebridge says the countries who defeated Islamic State have been pleading with Australia to take responsibility for the cohort of women. children who have been stuck in a Syrian detention camp.
The government announced this morning the last Australian woman in. camp – who had been subject to a temporary exclusion order – has now been issued a permit by authorities to return.
Shoebridge says that whichever way you slice it or dice it (paraphrased). Australian citizens do have a fundamental right to return to the country.
double quotation mark That’s one of the most fundamental. important rights that Australian citizens have, and I know that there are people who want to take that right away from citizens, people largely in the right of politics.
And the people who defeated [Islamic State] have said to Australia, “You need to be responsible for your own people. It’s not right to not take responsibility for your own people.” And Australia should have these women return to Australia. And they also said that it’s appalling that Australia won’t look after their own children. won’t receive the children back.
The prime minister. Anthony Albanese, has alluded to TV presenter Karl Stefanovic ’s apparent ouster from Nine, suggesting the Today host went too far to the edges of the mainstream debate.
Nine Entertainment is expected to cut ties with the highly paid host turned podcast presenter after he interviewed. embraced UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, was interviewed for Stefanovic’s podcast in London. A far-right campaigner, anti-immigration and anti-Islam activist in the UK, he co-founded the English Defence League group.
Robinson has convictions for assault, mortgage fraud, using a false passport and contempt of court. An organiser of large public rallies. Robinson was jailed in October 2024 after he ignored a court order not to repeat lies about a Syrian refugee, who had successfully sued him for libel.
Speaking at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia event at Parliament House on Thursday, Albanese said he would steer clear of the debate engulfing Nine,. issued a warning to personalities like Stefanovic straying too far from the mainstream.
double quotation mark Look at what’s happened … You go down that road. you go further and further out on the edges of what is mainstream political debate in this country, and you know, I think that can have an impact.
Coalition questions ‘political stitch-up’ on NDIS inquiry
The Coalition is questioning the future of Labor’s NDIS legislation. with Melissa McIntosh critical that there were “no details” about the deal with the Greens to extend an inquiry.
This week, Labor. the Greens agreed on a deal to pass the government’s tax changes and to extend the inquiry into the NDIS until mid-August. But the NDIS cuts are still almost sure to pass soon after with the support of the Coalition.
McIntosh, the shadow NDIS minister, said she had “long expressed my concerns around this particular piece of legislation,. this highlights the playing of politics when it comes to people’s lives in this place, and this is the thing that people are fed up with”.
“The Greens. Labor have done a deal in the Senate to extend the inquiry into the NDIS legislation, but there’s no details,” she told Sky News.
double quotation mark We don’t know if. means that Australians will get a chance to have their say for an extended period. Right now. it’s only a few hundred submissions from the inquiry initially loaded on to the government’s website when over 4000 people have made a submission. So, no details.
Is this a real inquiry or is this just a bit of a political stitch-up on the NDIS?
I don’t like the way it smells.
McIntosh also complained that the government’s reform “doesn’t address the criminals in the scheme”.
double quotation mark The government is focusing on those people with disabilities, profound disabilities, who are so scared. And they have said to us, to the parliamentarians in this place, that they’re worried people will die. So that’s really serious. And I think the government has got its focus really wrong.
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