Allegra Spender hails treasurer’s tax reform comments as ‘a really positive sign’
Independent MP Allegra Spender has said it “is a really positive sign that the Treasurer has recognised the importance of tax reform”, while appearing on the ABC this afternoon.
Spender said:
Even actually achieving revenue neutrality right now is difficult with our tax system because we have a tax system where things like fuel excise is dropping tobacco excise is dropping, GST as a proportion of our tax system is dropping, and we have fewer working aged people as part of our proportion of community.
Asked how to get voters to embrace tax change that would slow international unfairness, Spender said:
It is hard, but it comes back to why is tax reform important?
When I talk to people in my community, people really worry their kids and grandkids are not going to be able to meet the same milestones as previous generations and that is really motivating.
Key events
In Victoria, Northland shopping centre was put into lockdown this afternoon after a car drove through the centre.
In a statement, Vic police said:
Police were called to reports of a stolen vehicle at a shopping centre on Murray Road, Preston on Wednesday 18 June.
Police attended and attempted to block in the white Landcruiser, outside the shopping centre about 4pm.
The Landcruiser, with one male occupant on board, has taken evasive action to avoid the police and driven through the middle of the shopping centre.
Thankfully, no one was struck by the car and there are no reported injuries.
One woman is being treated at the scene for shock.
The vehicle left the shopping centre and was last seen travelling towards Wood Street.
The vehicle remains outstanding.
Sarah Basford Canales
Australian embassies in Israel, Iran and the West Bank have been closed since Friday for safety reasons as the deadly conflict between Israel and Iran escalates.
Earlier today, the United States said it will close its embassy in Jerusalem until Friday as speculation mounts about possible American intervention.
Embassy staff have continued to work remotely where possible and calls to the embassies can be diverted to an emergency line in the Consular Emergency Centre.
As of Wednesday morning, 872 Australian passport holders in Iran had registered on the foreign affairs department’s crisis portal as wanting to leave while there were 1,027 within Israel.
A spokesperson for foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said the safety of Australians is a “priority”:
DFAT’s consular team is working to assist Australians to safety, via land and air when it is safe to do so.
Australians in need of emergency consular assistance can contact the Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (if you’re overseas) and 1300 555 135 (in Australia).
Allegra Spender hails treasurer’s tax reform comments as ‘a really positive sign’
Independent MP Allegra Spender has said it “is a really positive sign that the Treasurer has recognised the importance of tax reform”, while appearing on the ABC this afternoon.
Spender said:
Even actually achieving revenue neutrality right now is difficult with our tax system because we have a tax system where things like fuel excise is dropping tobacco excise is dropping, GST as a proportion of our tax system is dropping, and we have fewer working aged people as part of our proportion of community.
Asked how to get voters to embrace tax change that would slow international unfairness, Spender said:
It is hard, but it comes back to why is tax reform important?
When I talk to people in my community, people really worry their kids and grandkids are not going to be able to meet the same milestones as previous generations and that is really motivating.
Civil liberties group critical of high court ruling against union leaders
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties (NSWCCL) has released a statement after former CFMEU leaders lost their high court challenge against the government putting the union into administration.
In part, the statement said:
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties (NSWCCL) remains seriously concerned about the administration and its implications for all member-based civil society organisations, unions, and registered clubs.
The administration legislation may now operate as a legal model for the takeover of other unions and other member-based civil society organisations in the future.
Over the past twelve months there has been a worrying trend of state overreach by the federal Labor government, which threatens to undermine the rule of law, including through the passing of the Administration Act and the introductions of mandatory minimum sentencing late last year.
The NSWCCL maintains that everyone has the right to natural justice and procedural fairness, regardless of the allegations they face.
Man dies at worksite in Hunter region
In a statement, NSW Police said:
Around 9.20am, emergency services were called to a work site near Nelson Bay Road, Williamtown, following reports a man was trapped under equipment.
NSW Ambulance paramedics rendered aid to a man at the scene however, he was unable to be revived. While yet to be formally identified, the man is believed to be aged in his 50s.
Police from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended and established a crime scene which will be examined by specialist police.
A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.
Lab-grown meat coming to menus near you
For over a decade, lab-grown meat has been hailed as the food of tomorrow. Now, high-end restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne will start putting it on plates.
How does it work? How does it taste? Alyx Gorman has got you covered:
Netflix producing series based on My Brilliant Career
AAP reports streaming service’s creation of series based on Miles Franklin’s classic novel will create hundreds of jobs and inject a record $17m into South Australia.
Netflix is partnering with Jungle Entertainment on the fresh take on the 1901 coming-of-age tale, which resonated deeply with a generation of young Australian women who longed for the freedom to shape their own destinies.
South Australian arts minister Andrea Michaels says the production, which has started filming in Adelaide and across SA, will create 450 local jobs across key creatives, crew and extras and engage 260 small businesses.
Netflix has not revealed the budget for the series, which will stream globally, but the government says the projected economic return to SA is $17m.
You can read more here:
Study shows more Australians say they are LGBTQ+
Australians are becoming more comfortable identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual as advocates call on policymakers to use population data to improve services and accessibility.
Charles Darwin University researchers estimate Australia’s LGBTQ+ population doubled between 2012 and 2020, increasing from 3.3% to 5.8% of adults over 15.
The data came from the Hilda longitudinal survey of 17,000 Australians, with responses from participants who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or another sexual identity. It was collected in 2012, 2016 and 2020.
Lead researcher Fiona Shalley:
Being a minority sexual identity and engaging in that used to be criminal, but Australia has come a long way.
There was also stigma and discrimination associated with being a sexual minority, so a lot of people did not disclose their identity until more recently.
If the young adults who took part in the study maintained their sexual minority identities throughout their life, Australia’s LGBTQ+ population could grow by about 3% each year.
By the time the next data is updated from 2024, the population size could be about 1.7 million people, Shalley said.
Nick Visser
That’s all for me, thanks for following along with the day’s headlines. The great Cait Kelly will take it from here.
Qantas rebounds in world airline rankings
Qatar Airways was named as the world’s best airline in an annual rundown known as the World Airline awards this morning. The new partner of Virgin Australia kept the top spot from last year, followed by Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates and ANA All Nippon Airways.
Qantas has surged in the rankings, released by Skytrax. Last year the company came in at 24th position, but jumped to 14 for 2025. Virgin Australia sits at 34 on the list, increasing its standing by nine spots.
Video footage shows massive ash plume rising from Indonesian volcano
Stephanie Convery
What is rat lungworm disease and why are cases rising in dogs in Australia?
Cases of rat lungworm disease have been increasing in dogs on Australia’s east coast over the past five years, according to new research from the University of Sydney.
A very rare but sometimes deadly condition caused by worm larvae travelling up the food chain, the disease has been found in a small but increasing number of dogs in areas affected by heavy rain, and occasionally also in humans. So why are cases growing and how worried should we be?
Confirmed cases of the disease in dogs are still very low, restricted to NSW and Queensland, and have fallen since the 2022 spike identified by the researchers, although not to 2019 levels.
Women dies in north Sydney after unit catches fire
A woman died this morning after she was pulled from a unit fire in north Sydney.
Fire and Rescue NSW responded to a block of units in the suburb of Cremorne shortly after 7am, where they found the top flat in the block on fire. Rescue officials removed the woman from the unit and she was treated by paramedics for critical injuries, but she died at the scene.
The woman has not been formally identified, but is believed to be in her 60s. The fire was extinguished shortly after emergency crews arrived on scene.
A crime scene has been established and an investigation opened into the cause of the fire.
CREMORNE – FRNSW on scene at a townhouse on Allister Street. Six fire trucks and 22 firefighters on scene. Operations supported by Police and Ambulance. More to follow pic.twitter.com/1n5CXNhGCv
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) June 17, 2025
