The Victorian premier. Jacinta Allan, has emerged unscathed from the last Labor caucus meeting before the winter break, telling reporters she will “absolutely” lead the party to November’s state election.
Briefly speaking to reporters on the way out, she said the meeting was “fantastic,” with MPs discussing the week ahead in parliament. the need to focus on the working people they represent.
The deputy premier, Ben Carroll, considered her most likely challenger, walked into the meeting with Allan. Afterwards, he told reporters that “no one” had spoken to him about a leadership spill:
double quotation mark It’s not coming from me, I’ve been a loyal deputy to Jacinta Allan for three years,. that remains the case.
He said the premier told the room to be “united and disclipined”. When asked whether he wanted MPs to start focusing on the election and the challenge ahead, Carroll said:
double quotation mark Yes because internal politics is not what Victorians want. As we’ve seen, Labor is leaking to One Nation, the conservatives are hemorrhaging to them.
While he conceded Labor was polling poorly, he said the party could “turn it aroud” and win in November:
double quotation mark We’re in the fight of our lives. we’re going to win the election in November … you wacth the papers the next day. We will turn this around and we will win in November.
Queensland attorney-general announces government response to report into man dubbed Australia’s worst pedophile
Queensland attorney-general Deb Frecklington announced the state government’s response to a report into the offending of Ashley Paul Griffith. often dubbed Australia’s worst pedophile.
Griffith, a childcare worker, was convicted of 307 sexual offences against 73 victims, mostly young girls aged between three. five between 2003 and 2022, in Queensland. He was sentenced to life in prison.
A report by the Queensland Child Death Review Board released last year found there were 18 points where his offending could have been detected earlier,. five “missed opportunities” where action could have been taken to halt him.
Frecklington has told the media club that the government will create a reportable conduct scheme, as recommended by the report.
The government has accepted in full or in principle “a majority” of the inquiry’s recommendation, she said.
Australia won’t ‘baby’ players about social media use before USA World Cup clash
Australia’s players are mature enough to handle the hype ahead of their high-profile World Cup match against co-hosts the United States. do not need staff to tell them to get off social media, assistant coach Hayden Foxe has said.
Reuters reports the Socceroos will meet the USA in Seattle on Friday, with both sides pumped up by home media. football pundits after winning their Group D openers against Turkey and Paraguay respectively.
Several US commentators have written off Australia as a problem for the co-hosts. including former centre back Alexi Lalas who judged them an “average team by any measure” in his pre-tournament rankings of the 48 participating nations.
Foxe said there was no need to shield Australia’s players from the outside noise.
double quotation mark We can’t baby them. They’re their own selves, we want them to be their own selves. Social media’s out there, they’re aware of media and the comments and what’s being said.
But we’re concentrated on us. They’re old enough and mature enough to understand what gets said and what doesn’t get said.
Small business tax reform fears overblown, leading tax expert says
Miranda Stewart, a law professor. leading tax academic, says business groups have failed to make a convincing case for how they will be worse off under the tax reforms introduced into parliament.
Speaking at the second of a two-day committee hearing into the legislation, Stewart said while nobody will be “100% happy”, the changes “improve fairness. equity in the system”.
Lobby groups say that the reforms, especially the move to an inflation-linked CGT discount, will hurt businesses, particularly small firms.
But Stewart said “it’s not entirely clear to me what the concerns are“
double quotation mark In fact most small. medium businesses in Australia either are going to benefit from lower personal income tax rates [through the working Australian tax offset] or are benefiting from the 25% corporate tax rate that will be lower than the rates on capital gain.
Stewart also dismissed claims the tax reforms would trigger a flight of entrepreneurs to lower tax jurisdictions. reminding the committee that the founder would have to physically relocate.
double quotation mark It’s not about mobility of capital, it’s about mobility of people, it is a very different question. I don’t know about you, but I would not choose at the moment to live in Dubai, but others may.
If Australian innovative businesses want to establish in New Zealand. capital gains tax is zero there – all power to them. Why aren’t they there already?
The empirical evidence is of course some people move in response to tax rates, the majority do not.
Westpac economist backs extension to fuel excise relief
A senior economist at Westpac has backed a three-month extension to the 26-cent cut to the fuel excise beyond 30 June. saying it was “reasonable” to redistribute the extra tax revenue from high export prices to households.
Pat Bustamante told journalists earlier today that “higher commodity prices are actually improving our terms of trade and government revenue”.
“So how can the government spend that or use that? A way to do that is by extending this excise cut. So we actually think it’s a reasonable policy,” he said, adding that it “needs to be temporary”.
Bustamante added that extending fuel price relief would help temper the inflation “imported” from the global oil crisis.
Fuel prices have retreated to their pre-Iran war levels (including excise. GST relief), and global oil prices have retreated to about $US83 a litre from a high of about $US120.
Nevertheless, Anthony Albanese today said the government is considering an extension.
Labor threw process ‘out the window’ with its tax reforms
A peak accountancy body has criticised the government for a lack of consultation in developing its tax reform. legislation, saying Labor “pretty much threw the book out the window when it comes to process”.
Tony Greco. a senior tax adviser at the Institute of Public Accountants, told the Senate committee hearing into the proposed changes, including changes to CGT, “bad process invariably leads to bad outcomes”.
He said a lack of averaging. the 30% minimum tax rate meant we were not returning to the pre-1999 system, when the current 50% capital discount was introduced.
Like other expert witnesses yesterday. Greco said investors selling assets should be able to spread their capital gains over a number of years for tax purposes so as to not be penalised with a very high marginal rate for a single windfall year.
He also had worries that investors were taxed on real gains,. did not receive any relief from real losses (that is, when the rates of return were below inflation).
NDIS inquiry report delayed
The parliamentary inquiry into sweeping changes to the national disability insurance scheme has delayed handing down its final report.
The findings were due to be tabled on Tuesday following three days of public hearings. which heard dire warnings about a proposal that is expected to force more than 240,000 participants off the NDIS by 2031.
The committee has now extended the reporting date until Friday. 19 June, to allow senators extra time to consider the evidence.
Back to South Australia. where the electoral commissioner, Mick Sherry, has written to Her Excellency the Governor to advise he will resign effective 24 July 2026.
The deputy electoral commissioner, Leah McLay, will continue as acting electoral commissioner once Sherry’s resignation takes effect.
After more than 80 years, Lincraft has announced it is closing its doors. In an email to members, a spokesperson for the store said:
double quotation mark This decision has not been made lightly. We understand that Lincraft holds a special place in the hearts of many customers,. we know this news will be disappointing for those who have shared our love of creativity, crafting, sewing, knitting, and home projects.
Our stores will not close immediately. The closure process will occur progressively. We remain committed to serving our customers throughout this period and helping you continue the projects and passions you love.
Importantly, Lincraft will continue to operate online, allowing customers to shop with us as the transition unfolds.
On behalf of everyone who has been part of the Lincraft family over the past eight decades, thank you. Thank you for your loyalty, your friendship, your creativity,. for allowing us to be part of your homes, your families, and your lives. You have helped make Lincraft what it is,. we will always be proud of the role we have played in inspiring creativity across Australia and New Zealand.
South Australia to legislate to delay local elections by five months after request from electoral commissioner
The South Australian Government will introduce legislation to this week to defer the 2026 periodic local government elections by five months. in response to a request from the acting electoral commissioner to delay the vote.
A statement released by the deputy premier, Kyam Maher, said:
double quotation mark In the plainest of terms. the Acting Electoral Commissioner has said that the Electoral Commission is simply not equipped to manage the local government elections should they proceed this year.
It’s a warning we cannot ignore,. we have moved swiftly to respond to the Commissioner’s concerns and propose a sensible, pragmatic way forward.
This is a sensible response to ensure local government continues to function. that the Electoral Commission has additional time to prepare for an efficient, effective rollout of the next council elections.
It is now up to the Parliament to decide.
PM to ‘give consideration’ on extended fuel excise
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking on the Bellarine peninsula in Victoria. Asked if there will be an extended fuel excise on diesel, he said:
double quotation mark We will give consideration to those matters.
The peace deal in the Middle East, we welcome.
We welcome the fact that the [memorandum of understanding] has now been signed,. the signing of the agreement will take place in Switzerland on Friday. We want to see this hold.
We have called for de-escalation for some time.
The Victorian premier. Jacinta Allan, has emerged unscathed from the last Labor caucus meeting before the winter break, telling reporters she will “absolutely” lead the party to November’s state election.
Briefly speaking to reporters on the way out, she said the meeting was “fantastic,” with MPs discussing the week ahead in parliament. the need to focus on the working people they represent.
The deputy premier, Ben Carroll, considered her most likely challenger, walked into the meeting with Allan. Afterwards, he told reporters that “no one” had spoken to him about a leadership spill:
double quotation mark It’s not coming from me, I’ve been a loyal deputy to Jacinta Allan for three years,. that remains the case.
He said the premier told the room to be “united and disclipined”. When asked whether he wanted MPs to start focusing on the election and the challenge ahead, Carroll said:
double quotation mark Yes because internal politics is not what Victorians want. As we’ve seen, Labor is leaking to One Nation, the conservatives are hemorrhaging to them.
While he conceded Labor was polling poorly, he said the party could “turn it aroud” and win in November:
double quotation mark We’re in the fight of our lives. we’re going to win the election in November … you wacth the papers the next day. We will turn this around and we will win in November.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson spoke to 2GB earlier this morning. where she was asked about her relationship with opposition leader Angus Taylor. She had this to say:
double quotation mark I haven’t spoken to Angus since 2019 when he [was] environmental minister.
Hanson was asked if Taylor had reached out after the Coalition leader said he would do so,. she said he hadn’t so far. When pressed about any future deal between the two should the next election give them enough seats to form government. Hanson added:
double quotation mark We’re not going to count our chickens before they hatch. There’s a lot of work to do, but I’ve offered supply. confidence to Angus Taylor to the Coalition government so that we can get rid of this toxic Labor government.
Grill’d says promotion ‘undertaken with positive intent’
Grill’d has issued a statement responding to the ACCC announcement. it is taking the burger chain to court over alleged greenwashing.
In its statement, Grill’d said its Tree Day Tuesday promotion was “undertaken with positive intent”. that it donated more than $250,000 to plant more than 100,000 trees and restore more than 40 hectares of forests.
double quotation mark Grill’d has a proud history of supporting and donating to thousands of community groups across Australia.
Local Matters has raised over $7 million for thousands of community groups, including local charities, schools. sporting clubs across Australia.
We are an Australian business,. supporting Australian communities and those in need has and will always be part of who we are.
Grill’d takes Australian Consumer Law very seriously,. our reputation is forged in trust and doing the right thing in the communities where we live.
Grill’d has worked internally. with all stakeholders, including the ACCC, to ensure that brand and sustainability initiatives undertaken are clear and cause no confusion in the eyes of the Australian public.
ACCC takes Grill’d to court over alleged greenwashing of tree planting donations
The consumer watchdog has launched legal action against Grill’d for alleged “greenwashing”. accusing the burger chain of misleading customers by greatly overstating how much money it was donating to environmental causes.
The Australian Competition. Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced this morning that it had taken Grill’d to the federal court, alleging the company broke consumer law by misrepresenting its Tree Day Tuesday campaign.
The ACCC alleges Grill’d made various representations to customers during the campaign, which it ran between January 2021. April 2024, including that it would donate $1 from every burger purchased on a Tuesday towards the planting of trees.
However. the ACCC says that while Grill’d sold more than 5m burgers on a Tuesday during the campaign, only about 4% of those resulted in the company making a Tree Day Tuesday donation.
This is because the fine print imposed strict terms. conditions on which orders would qualify for a donation, which the ACCC alleges Grill’d did not adequately disclose to customers.
Some conditions required customers to be members of Grill’d’s Relish loyalty program,. only dine-in orders made at the front counter of one of the stores qualified; online orders or those made via table QR codes did not.
In a statement, the ACCC chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, said:
double quotation mark We consider this to be a form of greenwashing … Grill’d is a large fast-food chain. operates across Australia, meaning that its conduct had the potential to mislead many consumers nationwide about the environmental benefits of their purchase.
Guardian Australia has contacted Grill’d for comment.
Allan suggests Labor would never preference One Nation above the Coalition
Allan said the biggest risk to working people was a “One Nation show that’s opposed every wage rise for workers”. a “Liberal outfit that can’t govern without One Nation, indeed, would be the junior partner to One Nation”:
double quotation mark That means cuts to services, cuts to wages,. what we need now more than ever before at this time is a government that steps in.
She also lashed the Liberal party for failing to rule out a preference deal with One Nation. Allan suggested Labor would never preference One Nation above the Coalition:
double quotation mark The Labor party’s views on One Nation have never changed. We’ve always fought them because they are about cuts to workers’ wages, cuts to services,. they don’t believe in a government that steps in and helps working people.
What we are seeing, though, is that it’s the Liberal party who’s changed. The Labor party has been consistent and clear for decades on this question. We are now seeing the Liberal Party abandon any sense of decency. principle … They had it in the 90s … Now, in a desperate attempt to save their own skin, they are talking about doing a deal with One Nation.
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