Crikey Worm: a ‘class war’ waged on tax

LET’S TALK ABOUT TAX, BABY

The Coalition has pledged a bigger income tax cut than Labor for workers on $75,000 or more, in the latest escalation of rival tax policies heading into the next election.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Treasurer Scott Morrison has promised workers on average full-time wages a larger income tax cut than Labor after the Coalition’s seven-year plan takes effect. Morrison’s comments come after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten rejected the government’s generous cuts for higher-income earners, forcing the Coalition to negotiate with the crossbench if they want to pass the full $144 billion package.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told The Australian’s ($) the difference between Labor and the Coalition has “never been starker”; the competing plans have been termed a “class-war poll” ahead of the July 28 Super Saturday byelections.

POLLS, POLLS, POLLS

The Lowy Institute has released its 2018 poll of Australian attitudes and found that a huge majority supports renewables over coal, even at greater cost, but that the country has also experienced a sharp spike in anti-immigration sentiment.

The SMH reports that 84% of respondents believe government should focus on renewables “even if this means we may need to invest more”, up from 81% last year. Other key findings itself include trust in the US falling to its lowest level in polling history; Australians being more concerned about Chinese investment over influence; and, in another polling first, over half of respondents believing that “the total number of migrants coming to Australia each year” is too high, an increase of 14 points from 2017.

In other polling news, The Australian’s Newspoll ($) has found that Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is clawing back public trust in asylum seeker policies following a dip during the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years.

SA SUPER CENTRE

Images of Adelaide’s cutting-edge, $300 million “SAHMRI 2” project have been revealed, along with details of what will be Australia’s first proton therapy unit capable of destroying inoperable cancers.

The Advertiser ($) has unveiled architectural drawings of what will be a futuristic building next to the SA Health and Medical Research Institute, set to feature precision radiation technology which will benefit hundreds of cancer patients each year.

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THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

The honourable member should remember that the 60-year-old aged care worker in Burnie is entitled to aspire to get a better job, is entitled to get a promotion, and earn more.

Malcolm Turnbull

The Prime Minister offers his own “get a good job that pays good money” moment in response to a question on tax cuts for high-income earners.

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

What would a review of Australia’s defamation law look at?Emily Watkins

“If Australia is to overhaul its defamation legislation, the best first step would be to have the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) do a full-scale inquiry, according to Melbourne University associate professor Jason Bosland.”

Razer: the muddled logic of ‘left-wing’ survivalistsHelen Razer

“In 2003, US critic Fredric Jameson recounted the view that it is easier to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism. In 2011, the thought found its way into the speech of the Occupy movement, which had sought to imagine a form of social organisation beyond capitalism. In 2018, Jameson’s intended point remains true: it is now a hard labour to free our political imagination from the crises of recent centuries. Still, it’s always been an easy work to imagine the end of the world.”

Optus drops the ball on World Cup coverage. But that’s privatisation for you.Guy Rundle

“When your streaming service is called ‘Fetch’ and you drop the ball during the World Cup, there’s probably only one appropriate response by management. Put the CEO’s basket in the back of the car, for the trip to the vet, and then chuck the basket out the window on the way back. Fetch, fetch, one last time.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Reclink Community Cup bullying scandal: founder banished from match

Man accused of raping woman in job interview at Darwin hotel ($)

‘I was maybe in the top 10 operators at Dreamworld’, says operator of fatal ride

Dominic Perrottet’s state budget will sideline up to 12,000 public service jobs ($)

Andrews Government proposes tougher penalties for threatening police or family

Palaszczuk’s ‘hypocritical’ backflip on coal ($)

Tasmanian State League competition is here to stay… but there’s a catch ($)

Banking royal commission: Murray warns Hayne on dangers of over-regulation ($)

‘Disappointing’: Border Force training school blasted in official report

Imams slam Liberals motion to relocate embassy to Jerusalem ($)

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Canberra

• The Master Builders Australia national leaders summit will include speeches from Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Tourism Anthony Albanese, and other politicians. A panel session will be held with senators Pauline Hanson, David Leyonhjelm, and Cory Bernardi.

• Journalist Jill Emberson and Head of AFL Women’s and swimmer Nicole Livingstone will discuss ovarian cancer in “The Cancer Down Under Killing Too Many Women” at the National Press Club.

• The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare will launch their 16th biennial health report, Australia’s Health 2018, with Health Minister Greg Hunt to speak. The report will collect cover health expenditure, the major causes of ill health, the health of Indigenous Australians, and health system performance.

• Queensland LNP senator Amanda Stoker, who replaced former attorney general George Brandis, will give her maiden speech to parliament.

Melbourne

• Former President of the Australian Human Rights Commission Gillian Triggs will deliver a keynote speech at the Refugee & Asylum Seeker Recognition Awards 2018, held as part of World Refugee Day.

• The International Society for Stem Cell Research 2018 Annual Meeting will see global stem cell experts speak the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

• Program Director at Monash University’s Net Zero Initiative and Microgrid Project Tony Fullelove, Head of Telstra Energy James Gerry, and ClimateWorks Australia CEO Anna Skarbek will front a CEDA panel discussing the energy supply chain and new technologies.

• Professor Kaarin Anstey, Senior Principal Research Scientist at Neuroscience Research Australia, will lead NeuRA’s “Ageing Well for Life” seminar.

• Community group My Tarneit Inc will protest outside Parliament House over a shortage of carparks at Tarneit station.

• Full dress rehearsal for The Australian Ballet’s new production Verve.

Sydney

• NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet will deliver a post-budget address, and Opposition Leader Luke Foley will deliver a post-budget reply.

• The Asylum Seekers Centre will hold a special Refugee Day celebration, “The Need To Belong”, featuring Australian Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow, Lord Mayor City of Sydney Clover Moore, Muslim Women’s Association CEO Maha Abdo, Thrive Refugee Enterprise CEO Mahir Momand, and Asylum Seekers Centre CEO Frances Rush.

• Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich will launch the economic case for ending logging of public native forests, at NSW Parliament.

Darwin

• The Northern Territory’s Estimates Committee will conduct the final planned day of state budget estimates and hear from Minister for Territory Families Dale Wakefield, the Power & Water Corporation, Jacana Energy, and Territory Generation.

Brisbane

• State Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development and Minister for the Commonwealth Games Kate Jones will address a CEDA event.

• Day one of a two-day carbon farming summit, an aspect of efforts to address climate change and a new frontier for job creation in Australia.

• Fantasy author Raymond E. Feist will speak on his new book, King of Ashes, in conversation with Aimée Lindorff as part of Supanova Comic Con.

• The French-Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry will hold an Executive Women in Business event, with speakers including CEO of BBS Communications Lady Jane Edwards, Director of Development at Queensland Symphony Orchestra Deanna Lane, and Rio Tinto General Manager Sally Rayner.

Perth

• The Education and Health Standing Committee will hold a hearing on tackling obesity, with UK medical journalist Michael Mosley.

• Women in Technology WA Inc. will host “Disruption and the Rise of Portfolio Careers”, a discussion of disruptive and concurrent “portfolio careers’ with BOSSMAMA founder Dr Melissa Langdon, physicist/soldier/comedian/astronaut candidate Josh Richards, and peak performance consultant and psychologist Shona Rowan.

Adelaide

• Day one of the three-day annual AVCon anime and video gaming conference.

Australia

• Today is World Refugee Day, with events held across Australia set to include a telethon from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

THE COMMENTARIAT

Carbon tax: the two most loaded words in Australian politics make a return to Canberra — David Crowe (Sydney Morning Herald): “A new skirmish on energy policy is pitting Malcolm Turnbull against Tony Abbott in an argument about one of the most loaded terms in Australian politics: carbon tax. The Prime Minister had to tough out another challenge from his predecessor on Tuesday morning when Abbott urged a rethink of Coalition policy on energy and climate change.”

Value, Investment and Return: Why the ABC and public broadcasting is vital to the community — Michelle Guthrie (ABC): “This is a debate that affects real people. I talk here of my very valuable colleagues, who have displayed enormous resolve, dedication and commitment over the past few years in the face of continued criticism. But I refer also to the people of Australia, who regard the ABC as one of the great national institutions and who deeply resent it being used as a punching bag by narrow political, commercial or ideological interests.”

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