Sarah Hanson-Young
On the first day of the new financial year, the government finally brought forward its gambling legislation. And under the cover of the winter end-of-school-term frenzy, the government told a big fat lie. It claimed it was taking meaningful action to tackle one of the fastest-growing drivers of gambling harm in Australia: online gambling advertising.
Roy Green
Since the budget passed significant tax reform that is designed, among other things, to make housing more affordable, house prices were flat in May and then dropped by 0.4% in June. Some in the media have lost their minds at the very idea that house prices might not continue increasing. But rapidly rising house prices are the opposite of affordable housing.
A court battle over a climate protest at Woodside Energy’s Perth headquarters has reignited calls for Australian governments to introduce laws to prevent large corporations from using costly legal action to silence critics.
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Older Australians have seen their wealth grow eight times faster than younger generations over the past two decades, but a Senate inquiry has heard housing inequality is no longer just a generational issue. The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) told a public hearing in Sydney that the issue extended well beyond the divide between younger and older Australians.
Housing inequality now extends beyond rent and property prices, with millions of Australians locked out of cheaper electricity because they cannot access rooftop solar or batteries, a Senate inquiry has heard. Solar Citizens is calling for a new tax incentive to encourage landlords to install rooftop solar, proposing the depreciation schedule be reduced from 20 years to five years for those invest in the technology.
The Albanese government is facing fresh pressure over gambling reform after Australians lost more than $104 billion in the three years since being handed the Murphy review, while the Greens and the Coalition have forced its proposed legislation to a Senate inquiry.
It isn’t always easy to keep up with what’s happening in the US. “Shorter America” is a series where Dr Emma Shortis loops you in on what’s going on in America and shares news and analysis that you can trust.
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As state and territory governments face mounting pressure over debt and the delivery of essential services, some economists argue a flawed federal tax system – not spending decisions alone – has left them billions of dollars short.
Australia’s rental crisis is a policy choice, not an unavoidable consequence of market forces, a Senate inquiry has heard, with advocates arguing governments are failing to deliver the stability, affordability and security people deserve from a home.
Less than two days after learning about the AUKUS agreement, then opposition leader Anthony Albanese decided to support the biggest defence procurement in Australian history. This isn’t just a quick turnaround for a massive multinational defence deal; it’s a fraction of the time it takes Australian bureaucracy to do far simpler tasks.
