News and politics live updates: Labor weigh ‘death tax’ backflip in face of backlash, ISIS brides head to Aus
LIVE UPDATES: Labor is reportedly open to reconsidering contentious Budget changes that have been criticised as a ‘death tax’, while the remaining ISIS brides are heading to Australia.
Scroll down for the latest news and live updates.
Chloe Maher and Emily Williams are reporting live.
‘Weaponised’: Plibersek not surprised by Budget criticism
Tanya Plibersek says she is not surprised the Coalition “weaponised” the changes outlined in the Budget in an attempt to “frighten” Australians.
The social services minister said when the government looks to make changes “political opponents will always try to weaponise” them.
“I think when most Australians take a bit of time to have a look at what we’re actually doing [they] will understand that we’re doing this for their kids and grandkids,” she told ABC News Breakfast.
“If we want young people in Australia today to have the same opportunities as their parents and grandparents had to buy a house and live in it and raise a family then we need to change what we’ve been doing in recent years.”
‘It’s right’: Butler stands by Budget changes to trusts
Health Minister Mark Butler has defended the Budget’s changes to trusts, saying it is “still” right for Australia despite ongoing critcism.
“We still think this is the right Budget for Australia,” he said.
Mr Butler said the changes in the Budget won’t effect people with existing discretionary testamentary trusts.
“This is a significant change to tax arrangements,” he told Sunrise on Friday morning.
“We’ve been clear about that. I think it’s the right package because what it does at its core is to treat all earnings, all income in broadly the same way in terms of their tax responsibilities.”
More ISIS brides on their way to Australia from Syrian camp
Another group of so-called “ISIS brides” are reportedly on their way to Australia.
Seven women affiliated with ISIS and their 14 children have left the Al Roj detainee camp in north-east Syria to make their way to Australia.
It is believed that this group contains all remaining Australians in the camp.
This comes days after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would not provide any assistance to groups returning to Australia.
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said on ABC Breakfast that the group would face “the full force of the law”.
“They’ll face the same consequences as the first group, which is, if there are any crimes they’re accused of, they’ll be taken into custody and treated with the full force of the law,” she said.
Labor weigh ‘death tax’ backflip in face of backlash
Labor is considering a backflip on controversial changes to testamentary trusts after fierce criticism from the Coalition, who branded the proposal a “death tax”.
The proposed Budget measure would impose a minimum 30 per cent tax rate on income distributed through new discretionary trust from July 2028, including some testamentary trust established after a person’s death.
The deicison has also been slammed by finacial advisers who say it would force Australians to reconsider their wills.
Now, the mounting pressure has prompted the government to signal it may revisit elements of the reform, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Opposition Treasury spokesman Tim Wilson has said Labor was implementing a “stealth death tax”.
“The biggest casualty of this budget is the truth, and their backtracking on taxing trusts suggests the government doesn’t understand their new taxes, including their stealth death tax,’” he said.
