Anthony Albanese has lifted the threshold for small businesses to get an exemption from CGT to $10m. five times the previous level as the government responds to criticism about its tax reforms.
Ahead of a consultation paper to be released later this morning. the prime minster said “we’re also proposing to introduce a new innovative business tax concession for start-ups”, addressing another concern that entrepreneurs could be treated too punitively under the proposed change from a flat 50% CGT discount to an inflation-linked model.
“Genuine” testamentary discretionary trusts – used to manage estates. wills – would also get an exemption from the proposed 30% minimum tax, Albanese said.
Vodafone said the issue affecting connectivity on its network this morning has been isolated. resolved, and services are being progressively restored.
The company had this to say:
double quotation mark The disruption was caused by an outage at one of our network hubs at around 8am. Most services have now been restored, however some may continue to experience intermittent issues as devices reconnect.
Customers who could not access the Vodafone network should have been able to access Triple Zero by connecting to other available mobile networks during this time.
We apologise for the inconvenience and recommend customers restart their devices to help restore connections.
Albanese says SBS and ABC play ‘vital roles in our democracy’
The prime minister was asked briefly about his support for SBS. the ABC after Pauline Hanson said she would axe or dramatically roll back the public broadcasters.
double quotation mark SBS plays a really important role … They play a really important role. And I think that the idea that you just exclude media. abolish SBS is what they’re talking about … I would hope that all media organisations come out and oppose that.
Because they’re vital roles in our democracy.
The prime minister was asked about the banner unfurled during Pauline Hanson’s address at the press club in Canberra yesterday. He said:
double quotation mark I think in general, sometimes actions can be counterproductive, and I think that was as well.
He was asked about the rise in support for One Nation. saying Labor would continue to advocate for “what we regard as the national interest”, something he said he didn’t believe Hanson spoke about yesterday in her speech:
double quotation mark I’m not someone who goes to a media conference. says, ‘I won’t answer questions from some groups’. … What I’m concerned about is what do we need to do. as government, to set Australia up for the future.
Anthony Albanese has lifted the threshold for small businesses to get an exemption from CGT to $10m. five times the previous level as the government responds to criticism about its tax reforms.
Ahead of a consultation paper to be released later this morning. the prime minster said “we’re also proposing to introduce a new innovative business tax concession for start-ups”, addressing another concern that entrepreneurs could be treated too punitively under the proposed change from a flat 50% CGT discount to an inflation-linked model.
“Genuine” testamentary discretionary trusts – used to manage estates. wills – would also get an exemption from the proposed 30% minimum tax, Albanese said.
Our reporters are digging through the changes,. the treasurer said they will include “generous” concessions for the 2.7m active small businesses in Australia.
Jim Chalmers says the tax reforms are “all about making it easier for people to own their first homes”,. he understands that there will “never” be a unanimous view about economic reform.
double quotation mark It’s unusual for big ambitious tax reform like this to involve a lot of consultation … It’s always contested. it’s always contentious. But it will be worth it.
We are delivering real change here. And it means that the details that that we have outlined today will provide a bit more clarity. confidence to investors, more support for small businesses also increase those incentives for innovation.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese,. the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, are detailing the carve-outs to the budget changes to the capital gains tax discount. We’ll bring you more shortly.
The Media Entertainment. Arts Alliance has issued a statement in support of Guardian Australia journalist Sarah Martin who was subjected to a personal and unfounded attack by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson yesterday.
double quotation mark MEAA condemns the continuing treatment of journalist Sarah Martin by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. Journalists must be able to do their job without fear of intimidation, exclusion, or personal attack. The public’s right to know depends on it. This is a moment for us to stand together and hold the line on press freedom.
Martin’s reporting has exposed, among other things, Hanson’s repeated failure to declare gifts. the unravelling of One Nation’s network of local branches.
In response to a question from the senior correspondent at the National Press Club, Hanson said:
double quotation mark I’ve never seen a person that’s such a trashy journalist,. what you put out all the time, you’ve got this obsession with constantly trying to pull down myself, my party, or Mrs [Gina] Rinehart.
Vodafone says this morning some of its customers are facing “intermittent issues” with their mobile service.
double quotation mark Our technical teams are working to restore services as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience this is causing customers.
Vodafone users, if you can read this, we’ll bring you updates when we have them.
Lang Park set for upgrade, but no major capacity increase or roof before Olympics
Brisbane’s Lang Park will get new LED video screens,. not thousands of new seats or a roof before the 2032 Olympics. In a statement released just before last night’s Origin game. the Queensland government announced what it said was the stadium’s largest upgrade since its 2003 redevelopment. “We’re adding new video screens, more capacity, new bars. entertainment zones, so whether you’re here for Origin, the Rugby World Cup, major concerts, you’ll have an unforgettable experience for years to come,” the Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, said. The state government has come under pressure to substantially upgrade the stadium’s capacity from its current 52,500.
Crisafulli said last year that he was a “unity ticket” with Brisbane Broncos captain Adam Reynolds. who called for an upgrade after winning the 2025 NRL premiership. The club has 60,000 members, the largest in the NRL. NRL commissioner and former premier Peter Beattie pitched an upgrade to a 65,000-seat, roofed venue last year. Instead. the planned upgrade will mean the removal of two screens at either end of the ground, making room for about 1,000 additional patrons, some of them safe standing.
The acting sports minister, Andrew Powell, ruled out a larger capacity upgrade on ABC Brisbane on Thursday morning before the Olympics games,. said there were no plans for a roof “at this stage”. The stadium will host the third Origin match on 8 July, which has already sold out,. hosted a sold-out Magic Round in May. It will also host football and rugby sevens at the 2032 Olympics.
NSW to get $126m injection to fight digital organised crime
NSW police. the NSW Crime Commission will get a $126.2m injection in the upcoming 2026-27 state budget to combat digitally enabled organised crime. Scheduled to make the announcement today, the premier, Chris Minns,. police and counter-terrorism minister Yasmin Catley said the funding package would address a shifting threat environment where syndicates use encrypted devices and the dark web to run “click to order” criminal networks. A total of $108.8m will go to NSW police for a major technology upgrade, including digital infrastructure, mobile police devices,. forensics analytics. It will also fund an expansion of BluLink, which allows the public to stream live video to responding officers,. Evidence.com, a digital evidence management system for serious crime investigations. Another $17.4m will go to the NSW Crime Commission to disrupt organised crime networks and confiscate illegal and unexplained wealth. Minns said police require next-generation tools to match the sophisticated technology used by syndicates, citing data that showed a decade ago, a seized mobile phone held up to 64 GB of data, compared with today’s equivalent device holding up to 2TB of data, a 60-fold increase in information police are required to analyse. then store for 99 years.
Jackie ‘O’ Henderson case against Kiis FM in federal court today
The federal court has listed a case management hearing for both Kyle Sandilands. Jackie “O” Henderson this morning although Sandilands’ legal claim has been formally discontinued.
Sandilands settled his dispute with ARN Media for a $12m cash payout yesterday.
Justice Angus Stewart will preside over the case management of Henderson’s $82m claim against ARN Media. the media company’s counterclaim.
Sandilands. his co-host on Kiis FM’s Breakfast Show took separate legal action against ARN after the company terminated their 10-year contracts a year in. Henderson’s suit has not yet been settled.
Virginia Trioli will leave the ABC after 27 years at the national broadcaster, she announced this morning.
She spoke to ABC News Breakfast, saying it “feels right” to leave now to pursue her own creative projects. She said:
double quotation mark This job is holding a morning audience in your hands, every morning letting them know whether their world is safe or not. keeping that connection going, and it’s gold.
I’m proud of that body of work. I’m really happy to leave now because, after spending the last few years with, you know, distinctive great Australian creatives, I’ve come to realise I’m a bit of a creative type myself. So I’m off to do my own work.
I’ve been working on a number of little projects in my spare time. That’s become a clarion call now. about, well, if you’re not going to do it now, Trioli, when are you going to do it? And so that’s what I’m heading off to do.
She said that would include writing and “at least another couple of books”.
Australia’s energy market rule maker wants to simplify electricity pricing, so that it’s more like buying milk at the supermarket - with one simple shelf price, rather than itemised bills for the cow, the carton. the cost of transport.
In the final recommendations of its two-year review into electricity pricing, the Australian Energy Market Commission advocated for straightforward energy plans that are easier for customers to understand. compare.
AEMC chair Anna Collyer said:
double quotation mark Electricity pricing has become too complex, too hard to compare, and too often unfair. You shouldn’t need to be an energy expert to get a fair deal,. long-standing customers should not pay more than someone who just walked in the door.
The Victorian opposition leader. Jess Wilson, will give notice to parliament today that she plans to move a motion of no confidence in the premier, Jacinta Allan, when parliament resumes after the winter break.
Under the state constitution, the opposition can move a single motion of no confidence in the premier each four-year term. The last time this occurred was in October 2020, against then-premier, Daniel Andrews, during the grips of the pandemic.
If the motion is successful, it could lead to the dissolution of the parliament. But given Labor’s commanding majority, this will not occur. Instead, with just months remaining until the November state election, it will give Wilson. her team the floor of the chamber for an entire sitting day, allowing them to outline their case for change.
Wilson’s statement indicates the likely themes of her speech, which she will likely deliver on 28 July. She said:
double quotation mark Victoria needs a fresh start and that begins with changing the government and changing the premier. It’s time for a new government with the right priorities and a clear plan to deliver for Victorians. My Liberal. Nationals team has a plan to ease cost-of-living pressures, grow our economy, end the crime crisis and restore hope and prosperity to Victoria.
Datacentres in Australia consuming more than four times Melbourne’s drinking water annually
Datacentres in Australia currently consume about 5.5 gigalitres of water annually. according to an industry-commissioned report – that’s more than four times Melbourne’s drinking water. In the case of AWS, the company used 207m litres in Sydney and 158m litres in Melbourne last year.
Rourke said Melbourne datacentres owned by AWS did not require water for cooling for 96% of the year. mainly relying on outside air to cool its servers. However, during the hotter summer months, water was used in evaporative cooling systems to remove heat from servers.
Cameron Fitzgerald, the managing director of Greater Western Water, said recycled water was a growing opportunity. “As Melton grows, we have more water available, because we treat more sewage.”
Cameron Steele, a spokesperson for the Concerned Waterways Alliance, a network of Victorian community. environment groups, said more transparency from the industry was needed. “Datacentres are going into already highly stressed systems”, with the condition of waterways across Victoria in decline.
Amazon Web Services said one of its datacentres in western Melbourne will be the first in Victoria to use recycled water for cooling.
Treated water from the Melton sewage plant would be supplied directly to the AWS datacentre via a pipeline. with construction commencing next year.
Matt O’Rourke, the head of infrastructure. energy at AWS Australia and New Zealand, said this would help preserve millions of litres of drinking water annually for local communities.
double quotation mark Connecting a datacentre to recycled water from day one of operations is a significant first for Victoria,. AWS in Australia.
Globally the company has 26 datacentres connected to recycled water, he said.
The announcement follows the federal government’s national expectations for the industry, requiring that datacentres use non-potable water “where possible”,. report transparently on water use and efficiency.
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