Pauline Hanson says tax reforms will leave younger people worse off

Pauline Hanson says tax reforms will leave younger people worse off

9News

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says her party will oppose the federal government's capital gains tax reforms, claiming it will leave younger Australians worse off.

In a Facebook post today, she says negative gearing - under which homeowners were able to deduct a net loss from a residential investment property from their overall income, thereby reducing their yearly tax bill - should be allowed for a maximum of two homes for everyone.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced in this month's federal budget the tax concession for property investors would be wound back from next July as part of major tax overhauls.

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The government claims it will help younger Australians gain a foothold on the property ladder, but Hanson says it will have the opposite effect.

"The Labor government claims to be helping the younger generation, yet they're taking away an investment strategy that has been used by generations before them."

"We completely oppose the changes to CGT."

From July 2027, negative gearing will only apply to new build homes, superannuation funds and those who purchased their properties prior to budget night.

One Nation has witnessed a record rise in support in the polls, largely due to the cost-of-living crisis. It is also attracting more younger people voters.

The populist party has ridden a wave of support to win seven new state MPs at the South Australian election before its stunning victory in the Farrer federal byelection.

Labor's changes will likely sail through the House of Representatives, where they hold the majority, but they will need either the Greens or the Coalition to pass the Senate.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has already vowed to fight the changes and, if elected, repeal them.

Labor to consult all businesses on tax reform amid criticism

The federal government will consult all businesses, not just tech start-ups as was initially suggested, on its proposed tax reform.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed broad consultation would take place as he outlined the process of how the capital gains tax and negative gearing changes would be introduced to parliament.

"Treasury are going about consulting not just in tech, but consulting COSBOA, for example, ACCI, the Tech Council," he told reporters earlier this week.

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"There'll be a policy position paper for consultation produced as well after the first round of consultations. That was all foreshadowed there on budget night."

The legislation is set to go before parliament on Thursday and will tie the tax reform to the tax cuts and $1000 standard deduction the government promised workers.

It will be debated and then go before the Senate in June. 

Then, following a period of consultation, the government will introduce a second piece of legislation that contains the details of how the reforms will be implemented.

Albanese said it was the normal process and consultation couldn't occur before the proposed reforms were announced. 

"If you go back and have a look at tax reform and the way that it's been implemented, this is the normal way," he said.

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"When you are doing changes to tax policy, that begins on budget night.

"What you cannot do is go out there and sit down with people and say from budget night, this change is definitely going to occur in detail, because there are implications of that. That's called insider knowledge.

"Because changes are dated from, in capital gains and from negative gearing from budget night, that is why you can't have the level of consultation that you want to see people coming forward in a common-sense way."

The government has been fielding criticisms from businesses who say they will be swept up in tax changes meant to address intergenerational inequity in the housing market.

Warning of flight delays at Sydney airport as thick fog covers city

Warning of flight delays at Sydney airport as thick fog covers city

9News

Sydney Airport is warning thick fog over the city is likely to impact flights today. 

The city woke to fog lying about 50 metres above ground, spanning from the city's south to north-western suburbs.

A spokesperson for Sydney Airport said the weather conditions will be monitored through the morning.

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"Fog has descended at the airport resulting in delays and cancellations across the network. We will continue to monitor the weather conditions as the morning progresses. 

"We advise passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline."

It has already impacted flights into Sydney, with two international passenger services diverted to Brisbane airport.

Three cargo flights have also been diverted to Brisbane.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a warning of treacherous conditions on the city's roads.

"Reduced visibility in fog will make road conditions dangerous during Wednesday in all suburbs," a spokesman said.

"Motorists are advised to take extreme care."

Rain to soak every state as multiple low-pressure systems collide

Rain to soak every state as multiple low-pressure systems collide

9News

Rain is on the way for every state and territory over the coming days, with some parts of south-eastern Australia expected to receive a drenching.

The mix of multiple low-pressure systems and upper-level cooler air is providing ideal conditions for wet, stormy and windy weather, reports weather data firm Weatherzone.

The unstable conditions took hold in South Australia, Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and the southern Northern Territory early this week.

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The rain is forecast to intensify across eastern Australia by Friday, before further showers spread over south-eastern states over the weekend.

Weather modelling suggests eastern and northern NSW and eastern Tasmania having a strong chance of heavy rain and potential flooding. Parts of the ACT, eastern Victoria and southern Queensland also have the possibility of major falls.

In addition to the wet conditions, there is a warning of stronger winds and hazardous waves off the coast of NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.

The Bureau of Meteorology today issued a hazardous surf warning for the Byron, Coffs, Macquarie and Hunter coasts in northern NSW.

Western Australia won't be spared the wet and stormy weather either.

The damp conditions will make their impact from tomorrow when rain, thunderstorms and blustery winds are expected in the state's south-west.

Later in the week, a complex low-pressure system is forecast, with a strong chance of heavy rain, damaging winds and severe thunderstorms.

'Don't split the vote': Joyce mocks Liberals over new poll

'Don't split the vote': Joyce mocks Liberals over new poll

9News

Barnaby Joyce has mocked mainstream conservative rivals in the Coalition, saying they are "splitting the One Nation vote", as recent polling suggests Pauline Hanson's party could form the next federal opposition.

A new poll revealed on the weekend by Ascent Research and RedBridge Group predicted that if an election were held today, Labor would return to power, and One Nation would win 53 seats.

The Liberals would retain a rump of 12 seats while the Nationals would be wiped out.

READ MORE: Video shows paraglider's heart-stopping fall after plane collision

It also predicted the Liberals would lose all their seats in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia.

"I'm really disappointed the Liberal party's splitting our vote," Joyce told Today.

"Don't split the One Nation vote."

READ MORE: Police, intelligence in spotlight at Bondi attack probe

Taking a more serious tone, he said One Nation would not get "carried away" with the poll numbers.

"It's a poll, it's indicative, it's not the vote on the day," he said.

"It's an incredible honour that's been indicated, but there's a lot of time between now and the election."

Joyce, who served as deputy prime minister at times when he was leader of Coalition partner the Nationals, said One Nation sought to fulfill Australia's potential, a task he claimed should have been completed "decades ago".

"We will negotiate on supply in confidence (with the Coalition) if that's what required, but we will do so in exchange for policy," he said.

"One Nation does not care if you don't like them, they're going to be straight with you."

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Police, intelligence in spotlight at Bondi attack probe

Police, intelligence in spotlight at Bondi attack probe

9News

What police and intelligence agencies knew leading up to the Bondi terror attack will be the focus of a second round of public hearings at a wide-ranging inquiry.

After hearing first-person accounts of rising anti-Semitism within the community, a royal commission will on Monday begin looking at potential failures of security agencies to stop the December 14 mass shooting, which left 15 innocent people dead.

The first witness due to give evidence is ASIO director-general Mike Burgess, followed by senior officers from the Australian Federal Police and NSW Police.

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Two representatives from Jewish security organisation CSG NSW are also due to appear.

Among the issues under scrutiny will be security arrangements for the Chanukah by the Sea event that was targeted by two gunmen and what was known by counter-terrorism agencies and police about the shooters.

While some of the proceedings will be open to the public, much will be behind closed doors to avoid impacting national security and the ongoing criminal prosecution of the surviving shooter, Naveed Akram.

As a result, some of the commission's findings may take years to see the light of day.

WATCH: Video shows paraglider's heart-stopping fall after plane collision

"The work of the royal commission has been advanced by hearing from Jewish Australians and others about their experiences of anti-Semitism during hearing block one," commissioner Virginia Bell said.

In the lead-up to the attack, NSW Police were warned by CSG that a heightened atmosphere of anti-Semitism made a terror attack on the community likely, an interim report by the commission revealed in April.

Police planned to provide a high-visibility presence at the event, but they noted internally there was "no need to stay the entire duration" and ultimately only four officers and one area commander attended the event at various times.

Among 14 recommendations in the interim report was the need for tighter security arrangements at Jewish community gatherings in the future.

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Other recommendations included implementing nationally consistent firearm laws and a gun buyback scheme.

It also recommended considering making the role of the Commonwealth counter-terrorism co-ordinator full-time and making the role of the Australia-New Zealand counter-terrorism committee clearer - including regular briefings to national cabinet.

The report also made five recommendations that were redacted from the publicly released version for national security reasons.

The second hearing block will look at the resourcing of counter-terrorism and the effectiveness of current powers, systems and processes of security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

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Video shows paraglider's heart-stopping fall after plane collision

Video shows paraglider's heart-stopping fall after plane collision

9News

A heart-stopping video has captured the mid-air collision of a small plane and paraglider, sending the latter tumbling toward the earth.

The video, posted to Instagram buy user @sab-thi or "Sabrina" shows her soaring through the air in clear skies over northern Austria.

A buzzing sound is heard before a small plane, which Sabrina identified as a Cessna 172, swoops into frame and tears through her paragliding canopy.

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The canopy shredded, Sabrina starts falling toward the faraway ground.

Over muffled exclamations, she manages to deploy her emergency reserve parachute and free her tangled legs from the harness to land safely - even narrowly avoiding hitting a tree.

"I actually still can't believe that I'm sitting here typing this and apart from a few nasty bruises and bruises all around nothing really happened," she wrote in a translated caption.

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The collision took place on May 23, on what apparently was Sabrina's birthday.

Both Sabrina and the plane pilot, a 28-year-old man, escaped serious injury, police said.

"The propeller of the motor plane severely damaged the paraglider, prompting the experienced paraglider to deploy her reserve parachute," police said in a statement.

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Two wounded in Secret Service shooting near White House

Two wounded in Secret Service shooting near White House

9News

Two people have been shot and wounded by US Secret Service agents near the White House, which was briefly locked down due to the nearby gunfire this morning.

A law enforcement official told CNN officers from the Secret Service's uniformed division responded to a report of a person firing a weapon when the incident took place.

Trump is currently in residence at the White House, which was briefly locked down.

READ MORE: Man shot dead by police in Queensland in alleged DV incident

https://x.com/selinawangtv/status/2058312115098697760

That lockdown has since been lifted, CNN has reported.

Journalists reporting on US President Donald Trump's claim of a nearly finalised peace deal with Iran were rushed to the briefing room and told to shelter in place after the noises were heard.

"I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots," ABC US reporter Selina Wang posted on X.

"It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now."

A Secret Service official told CNN that the agency was investigating reports of shots fired at the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, which is just outside the White House complex.

READ MORE: Irish tradie issues warning to expats after shock diagnosis

Secret Service agents carrying rifles could be seen moving through the North Lawn area following the incident and blocking the White House press briefing room.

The Secret Service said it was "aware of reports of shots fired near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW" — one block from the White House — and was "working to corroborate the information with personnel on the ground".

In a social media post, FBI Director Kash Patel said officers were responding to shots fired and said he would "update the public as we're able."

The lockdown comes a month after the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where reporters and Trump administration officials ducked for cover as shots rang out.

The suspect in that shooting, Cole Tomas Allen, sprinted through a security checkpoint with a shotgun in hand, exchanging fire with Secret Service agents who chased behind him, according to security footage.

He has pleaded not guilty to attempting to assassinate Trump and to other charges.

More to come.

– with CNN and Associated Press

Irish tradie issues warning to expats after shock diagnosis

Irish tradie issues warning to expats after shock diagnosis

9News

An Irish carpenter living in Sydney has shared a health warning for other expats after he was diagnosed with a deadly skin cancer.

Noel Quinn told nine.com.au he came to Australia from Ireland two-and-a-half years ago on a working holiday visa, keen for a new experience.

He has since been sponsored by his employer for a skilled visa, and was hoping to be granted permanent residency in Australia.

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However, last month, Quinn received some devastating news, which threw all of his plans out the window.

Quinn was diagnosed with an aggressive melanoma, with doctors believing the skin cancer was triggered by his high exposure to UV in Australia.

The tradie said the diagnosis came as a terrible shock, as there were no suspicious moles to alert him to the cancer.

"I didn't have any marks on my skin or anything," he said. 

"I went to bed one night and, when I woke up, I couldn't move my leg."

Alarmed, Quinn went to the doctor, who ordered some scans and tests.

The scans detected a tumour on Quinn's brain, which was later confirmed as a BRAF-positive melanoma.

Cancerous growths were also found on Quinn's kidney and tailbone.

Although most melanomas appear as a distinct mole or spot, in rare cases there can be no outward marking on the skin at all.

One Australian study, published in the National Library of Medicine in 2018, found around 3.2 percent of all melanomas have no known primary site.

There are also some melanomas, called amelanotic melanomas, which don't have any pigment and do not appear dark. These lesions may be pink, red, or flesh-toned.

Doctors told Quinn the growing tumour on the left side of his brain was pressing down on his nerves and blocking the signals that allowed him to use his left leg.

Quinn said he was not aware that Australia had among the highest levels of UV radiation in the world, however, he said he had been reasonably careful about his sun exposure during his time here.

"I always cover myself up with clothes and suncream. I wasn't even at the beach much, I prefer to go camping," he said.

It was perhaps his fair Irish skin that had left him vulnerable, Quinn said. 

He urged all expats, and Australians to be careful in the sun.

"You've just got to look after yourself and cover up and wear suncream," he said.

Quinn has already undergone one round of radiation and has since regained the use of his left leg.

He is now receiving immunotherapy, with the medication targeted to his specific cancer mutation.

As a temporary resident, Quinn is not eligible for Medicare, and each cycle of immunotherapy can cost up to $15,000.

Quinn's sister and friend have started a GoFundMe, which has already raised more than $50,000 towards his treatment costs.

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Man shot dead by police in Queensland in alleged DV incident

Man shot dead by police in Queensland in alleged DV incident

9News

Police have shot a man dead in the City of Moreton Bay in Queensland overnight.

At about 12.30am, police were called to an alleged domestic violence incident at a house on Cavill Way in Narangba.

There had been reports an armed man had been making threats.

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The man approached officers and threatened them while carrying a gun.

Police say they shot the man in response.

Officers provided first aid and CPR but the man died at the scene.

Nobody else was injured and police say there is no ongoing risk to the community.

An investigation into the shooting is underway.

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Tulsi Gabbard resigns as director of national intelligence, citing her husband's health

Tulsi Gabbard resigns as director of national intelligence, citing her husband's health

9News

Tulsi Gabbard has resigned as President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence, saying she needed to leave office as her husband battles cancer. She is the fourth Cabinet member to depart during Trump's second term, all of them women.

In her resignation letter, which she posted on social media, Gabbard said she told Trump she would leave her job overseeing the coordination of 18 intelligence agencies on June 30. She said her husband had recently been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer and "faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months."

"At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle," she wrote in the letter, which was reported earlier by Fox News.

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Trump, in his own social media post, said "Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her." He said her principal deputy, Aaron Lukas, will serve as acting director of national intelligence.

While Gabbard says her departure is for personal reasons, the juxtaposition between her long-held, anti-interventionism stance and Trump's series of overseas military operations had seemed to put them on a collision course.

https://x.com/TulsiGabbard/status/2057876821421527476

Iran put Gabbard and Trump at odds

There had been rumblings that Gabbard would split with Trump after the president's decision to strike Iran, which caused some division within his administration. Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, announced his resignation in March and said he "cannot in good conscience" back the war.

Gabbard, a veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, built her political name on her opposition to foreign wars. This put her in an awkward position when the US joined Israel in launching attacks on Iran on February 28.

During a congressional hearing in March, her measured comments were notable for their careful non-endorsement of the Iran war. She repeatedly dodged questions about whether the White House had been warned of potential fallout from the conflict, including Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway crucial for global oil shipments.

Gabbard said in written remarks to the Senate Intelligence Committee that there had been no effort by Iran to rebuild its nuclear capability after US attacks last year "obliterated" its nuclear programme. That statement contradicted Trump, who has repeatedly asserted that the war was necessary to head off an imminent threat from the Islamic Republic.

This created several awkward exchanges with politicians who asked Gabbard for her opinion on the threat posed by Iran as the nation's top intelligence official. She repeatedly said it was Trump's decision to strike, not hers.

"It is not the intelligence community's responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat," she said.

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Gabbard's departure follows Trump having ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in late March, in the midst of mounting criticism over her leadership of the department — including the handling of the administration's immigration crackdown and disaster response.

The second Cabinet member to leave was Attorney General Pam Bondi, in response to growing frustration over the Justice Department's handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. And Labour Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April, after being the target of various misconduct investigations.

Lukas, who will be taking over for Gabbard, was an intelligence aide to the acting director of national intelligence, Ric Grenell, in 2020 during Trump's first term. A former policy analyst at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, he also served as deputy senior director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council in the final year of Trump's previous administration.

A surprising choice for the job

A military veteran but without any intelligence experience, Gabbard was a surprising choice for director of national intelligence. She ran for president in 2020 on a progressive platform and her opposition to US involvement in foreign military conflicts.

Citing her military experience, she argued that US wars in the Middle East had destabilised the region, made the US less safe and cost thousands of American lives. Gabbard later dropped out of the race and endorsed the ultimate winner, President Joe Biden.

Two years later, she left the Democratic Party to become an independent, saying her old party was dominated by an "elitist cabal of warmongers" and "woke" ideologues. She subsequently campaigned for several high-profile Republicans and became a contributor to Fox News.

She later endorsed Trump, who also was a strong critic of past US wars in the Middle East and campaigned on a pledge to avoid unnecessary wars and nation-building overseas.

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Iran caused early tensions

But friction with the president started soon after he began his second term and tapped Gabbard to lead ODNI, which was set up after the September 11, 2001, attacks to improve coordination between the nation's intelligence agencies.

Shortly after taking on the job and before this year's war, Gabbard testified before politicians that there was no intelligence suggesting Iran was seeking to develop nuclear weapons. After Trump launched attacks on Iranian nuclear sites last June, he said Gabbard was wrong and that he didn't care what she said.

She appeared to be back in Trump's good graces when she took a lead role in Trump's effort to relitigate his 2020 election loss to Biden. She appeared at an FBI search of election offices in Fulton County, Georgia, even though her office was created to focus on foreign espionage, not state elections.

Gabbard made big changes in her time in office

Gabbard vowed to eliminate what she said was the politicisation of intelligence by government insiders. But she quickly used her office to support some of Trump's most partisan arguments — that he won the 2020 election.

She also worked to undermine the results of earlier investigations into Trump's ties to Russia.

In her year on the job, Gabbard oversaw a sharp reduction in the intelligence workforce, as well as the creation of a new task force that she charged with considering big changes to the intelligence service.

Earlier this year, an intelligence sector whistleblower filed a complaint that Gabbard was withholding intelligence for political reasons, a complaint that prompted calls from Democrats for Gabbard's resignation.

Gabbard, 44, was born in the US territory of American Samoa, raised in Hawaii and spent a year of her childhood in the Philippines. She was first elected as a 21-year-old to Hawaii's House of Representatives but had to leave after one term when her National Guard unit deployed to Iraq.

As the first Hindu member of the House, Gabbard was sworn into office with her hand on the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu devotional work. She was also the first American Samoan elected to Congress.

During her four House terms, she became known for speaking out against her party's leadership. Her early support for Sen. Bernie Sanders ' 2016 Democratic presidential primary run made her a popular figure in progressive politics nationally.

READ MORE: Trump comes one vote away from being forced to end war in Iran

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