Australian politics latest: Tasmanian Parliament passes vote of no confidence in Premier Jeremy Rockliff

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is addressing the media at a press conference in Melbourne, reaffirming Labor’s commitment to making Australia’s superannuation system fairer, defending the government’s plan to double the tax rate on super balances over $3 million from 15 to 30 per cent.

Asked whether the proposal is unfair to farmers, Albanese sidestepped and instead stressed the policy’s long-standing presence. “There is not anything new here. This has been before the parliament for about two years,” he said.

The government’s proposal, which could impact around 80,000 people initially, is designed to target those with very large super balances, though some experts warn more Australians may be affected over time as the $3 million threshold is not indexed to inflation.

Albanese said the priority is to ensure the system is fair for all Australians: “What we need to do is make sure that our superannuation system is fair. That is what we are setting about to do.”

Nationals Deputy Leader Kevin Hogan has criticised Treasurer Jim Chalmers for entering negotiations with the Greens to pass Labor’s proposed tax on superannuation balances above $3 million.

Mr Hogan has accused the government of forming an “alliance” with the minor party, warning it signals the beginning of a “very high spending Labor-Greens alliance over the next three years.”

“We weren’t ever going to negotiate on tax and unrealised gains. We think that’s almost immoral,” Mr Hogan told Sky News, adding that the lack of indexation would affect a huge number of people. “Not indexing, that is not okay either, because obviously the amount of people that would get affected by that would be enormous.”

“What they’re talking about with principles, is they want more of your money. This is going to be a really high spending Labor-Greens alliance… and I think this is their stage one… they want more of your money,” he said.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says her party is open to negotiating the details of Labor’s superannuation tax, including their demands to lower the tax threshold and introduce indexation, as talks with the government begin.

While the Greens have pushed for the threshold to be reduced from Labor’s proposed $3 million to $2 million and for it to be indexed, Hanson-Young indicated these priorities could be traded for other concessions. “Negotiations always happen. You put your offer on the table. You hear the other side. You try and be constructive, as constructive as you can,” she told Sky News.

“But we come from this, from a place of principle, which is, we want to make the system stronger and fairer, that’s our principle,” she said.

“We’re up for talking with the government, but really, the ball is in their court, and we’re not going to negotiate through the media.”

Senior female political leaders have condemned remarks made by a Liberal Party elder about the assertiveness of women in the organisation.

Former federal president Alan Stockdale, 80, reportedly claimed women had become “so assertive” the party might need to consider support for men.

“The women in this party are so assertive now that we may needs some special rules for men to get them preselected,” he told a meeting of the NSW Liberal Womens’ Council, the ​Daily Telegraph​ reported on Thursday.

Mr Stockdale, who was treasurer under ex-Victorian premier Jeff Kennett, made the remarks at the womens’ executive gathering on Tuesday and later told the Telegraph he had made “a lighthearted but poorly chosen remark”.

But that didn’t stop senior Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie and former Labor Premier for Queensland Anna Palaszczuk from joining forces to condemn his remarks.

“Honestly, Alan, read the room,” Senator McKenzie told Nine’s Today show on Thursday.

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Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has pushed back against comments from former Liberal Party president Alan Stockdale, who told the NSW Liberal Women’s Council that women in the party were “assertive” and suggested men might need protection.

Mr Stockdale, who serves on the federal panel overseeing the NSW Liberal Party, later described his remarks as a joke and said he regretted that “people felt disrespected.”

Ms Ley, the first female leader of the parliamentary Liberal Party, swiftly responded in a public statement: “There is nothing wrong with being an assertive woman, in fact I encourage assertive women to join the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party must reflect, respect and represent modern Australia and that means recognising the strength, merit and leadership of the women in our ranks.”

Multiple attendees told the Australian Financial Review the remark was met with disbelief, with one noting, “If it was a joke then he misread the room.”

Independent MP Nicolette Boele has voiced strong reservations about Labor’s proposal to tax unrealised capital gains in superannuation, signalling she is unlikely to support the controversial measure in parliament.

Speaking on Sky News after her narrow victory in Bradfield, Ms Boele said, “It’s very likely that’s not something I’m going to be able to support”.

“I need to have a much better look at that legislation, I’m getting ahead of myself.”

Hundreds of people have attended a candle-lit vigil outside a territory’s parliament in support of a desert community which has lost a second young man in a death-in-custody incident.

The vigil in Darwin was held on Wednesday night amid growing calls for an independent investigation into the death of mentally disabled man Kumanjayi White on May 27.

He died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers in a supermarket in Alice Springs.

Police allege the the 24-year-old, originally from the outback community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him in the confectionery aisle.

At Wednesday’s vigil a large banner stating “We stand with Yuendumu” was displayed in front of the parliament’s entrance while another banner laid on the ground read “Justice for White”.

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Independent Nicolette Boele says she is “very confident” in the outcome of the Bradfield recount, which saw her narrowly defeat Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian by 26 votes after weeks of intense counting and scrutiny.

“I think I’m very confident with the process that’s been run by the AEC and the outcome that we have here. So I’m keen to get on with the job, but I can understand you might need to ask that question to Giselle Kapterian,” Ms Boele told ABC RN Breakfast.

Boele described the Australian Electoral Commission’s process as “one of the most impressive and comprehensive” she had seen, and praised her opponent as a “formidable candidate.”

The AEC confirmed the recount was conducted transparently and thoroughly, with scrutineers from both sides present throughout the process.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the government is prepared to work with the crossbench to secure passage of Labor’s superannuation tax changes.

Asked whether the government was offering a “take-it-or-leave-it” deal and if concessions had been ruled out with the Greens, Chalmers said:

“We don’t have the numbers in the Senate to pass our legislation on our own. We need to engage with the crossbench, in particular, in this instance. And I intend to do that,” while speaking to ABC RN Breakfast.

He added, “Our intention, our preference, is to legislate the plan that we announced almost two-and-a-half years ago now.”

Australian and European Union trade negotiators will spend two days thrashing out the details of a potential new agreement after a breakthrough meeting between Australia’s Trade Minister and his EU counterpart in Paris.

The trade talks collapsed in 2023 over the EU’s refusal to allow more Australian beef into the single market.

But as a result of US President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on the EU and Australia, and most recently increasing duties on steel to 50 per cent, both sides want to see if they can try again.

The Nightly revealed that during the election campaign, Senator Farrell held a virtual call with his new EU counterpart, the Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, for a preliminary meeting. That meeting made progress.

And in a positive sign, both sides cleared their diaries for their top trade negotiators to meet in Brussels as soon as this week for two days.

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