Australia news live: Matt Kean tells politicians to ‘get out of the way’ of climate action; Nicolette Boele savours Bradfield win
Key events
Shadow treasurer says Labor’s super tax plan centred on ‘egregious idea’
The shadow treasurer, Ted O’Brien, said Labor’s plan to increase taxes on large superannuation balances over $3m will be “an absolute disaster”. O’Brien spoke to Radio National Breakfast this morning amid the political tussle over the proposal, saying any tax on unrealised gains was an “egregious idea”:
We believe in lower taxes. We believe in simpler taxes. We believe in fairer taxes. …
This crosses a red line in Australian tax law. It will be an absolute disaster. … Where does that then go? Will Labor start taxing unrealised capital gains on your primary residence? We don’t want a bar of that. This is not good at all.
O’Brien, the deputy Liberal leader, went on to say that he would prefer to see “this entire bill scrapped”, but that’s “probably not going to happen”.
Adam Morton
Matt Kean tells fossil fuel-friendly MPs to stop ‘holding our country back’
Matt Kean made an assertive case for why climate action makes economic sense while giving the Talbot oration at the Australian Museum in Sydney on Wednesday night.
In comments that were a less-than-subtle swipe at Coalition MPs, and possibly some others, the Climate Change Authority chair and former NSW Liberal energy minister said “opponents of climate action don’t give up even when their political parties cop an electoral hammering”, but urged Australians to ignore “doubters whose main mission seems to be to prolong the life of fossil fuel industries”:
To those politicians who are still providing a cover for vested interests, I say get out of the way. Stop holding our country back and stop holding your political parties back. Try acting in the national interest – or take the low road to political oblivion.
Kean quoted André Corrêa do Lago, the Brazilian diplomat who will head this year’s Cop30 UN climate summit in the Amazon, and who last week told the Guardian that opposition to ambitious steps to address the climate crisis was now largely “not scientific denial”, but “economic denial”.
On this, Kean said “it helps that the economics are also aligning with the science”.
As US energy innovator [Hal] Harvey put it, ‘it’s now cheaper to save the Earth than to ruin it’. Investors are lining up trillions of investment dollars to decarbonise economies. Even so, we must be realistic about the scale of the task ahead.
Good morning
Good morning, and welcome to Thursday. Nick Visser here to take you through today’s breaking news. Here’s what’s on deck:
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Matt Kean, chair of the Climate Change Authority, told politicians who are providing cover for action on fossil fuels to “get out of the way.” Kean spoke in Sydney last night, saying MPs standing against climate action were “holding our country back” and “holding your political parties back”.
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Independent Nicolette Boele is relishing her win in the seat of Bradfield after a long, seesawing recount. Boele spoke to the ABC last night, calling the moment she was declared victorious “one of the biggest honours that I’ve ever had in my life.” Liberal Gisele Kapterian has not yet conceded the race.
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Stick with us as we dig into the political crisis in Tasmania later today with the debate on a no-confidence motion against the state’s premier set to continue. Jim Chalmers will also speak about Australia’s less-than-robust GDP numbers later this morning.
Onwards.
