Australia on trajectory in direction of ‘neo-feudalism’, main tax skilled says
Patrick Commins
One of many nation’s main tax consultants says the explosion in housing wealth has put us on the trail in direction of a neo-feudal society the place your prosperity relies upon largely whether or not your mother and father personal land or property.
“That’s the trajectory we’re on,” Bob Breunig, the director of the ANU’s tax and switch institute, mentioned. “I don’t assume we’re again to pre-French revolution instances, however I’m fearful about that,” he advised a parliamentary committee into the capital positive aspects tax.
Breunig in Might 2025 authored an influential report displaying how the tax and switch system has change into extra beneficiant to older Australians over latest era.
We regularly body the equality drawback as an intergenerational one, an previous versus younger drawback, which it’s probably not.
If you’re younger and your mother and father have numerous property, these property will ultimately come to you. So the actual inequality between individuals in the identical era [is] those that have property and those that don’t.
Key occasions
Espresso cups, truck legal guidelines go away buyers with hefty invoice
Patchwork legal guidelines between states, together with those who ban single-use plastics, are driving up prices for buyers, AAP experiences.
It’s a declare Australia’s peak retail physique makes in a brand new report that argues the “regulatory fragmentation” prices households about $900m a 12 months.
Single-use espresso cups are authorized in some states however cannott be utilized in others, which means retailers are spending extra to adjust to legal guidelines whereas being pressured to run separate, jurisdiction-specific provide chains.
The Australian Retail Council says espresso cups are an instance of the contrasting legal guidelines hurting retailers and driving up costs. The council’s chief coverage officer, Glenn Fahey, mentioned:
Proper now, a truck carrying a authorized load in Sydney might be pressured to cease on the border and switch that load on to a special car merely to proceed to Brisbane.
Supply schedules are dictated by mismatched native guidelines and completely different council curfews … this friction in the end leads to the worth on the shelf that each Australian pays.
Benita Kolovos
Victoria premier getting recommendation on any potential laws wanted over former prince Andrew
Allan mentioned she was additionally receiving recommendation on whether or not the Victorian parliament wanted to move laws to take away Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal line of succession. She mentioned:
Apologies for taking place this rabbit gap for a second, however my reminiscence when the British monarchy modified the road of succession to permit girls to be the inheritor to the throne, my understanding was that we did want at the moment to have a proper course of within the Victorian parliament to allow that to happen.
So after I was listening to the information this morning and listening to the prime ministers feedback [about] how he’s written to the British prime minister, it did give me pause to replicate that there might should be a mechanism right here within the Victorian parliament. I’ve bought to get some recommendation on that.
Daisy Dumas
Antisemitism commissioner Virginia Bell says constructing social cohesion will seemingly take years
The primary public listening to within the royal fee on antisemitism and social cohesion has taken place.
In her opening assertion a short while in the past, the commissioner, Virginia Bell, a former excessive court docket justice, mentioned constructing social cohesion was prone to take years.
“Inspecting the methods during which we would strengthen social cohesion in Australia might effectively be the work of years, not months,” she mentioned. The commissioner is required to ship her last report back to the governor common and state governors no later than the primary anniversary of the Bondi bloodbath on 14 December.
“Anniversaries are vital,” she mentioned, including that the primary anniversary for these affected by the assault “goes to be a troublesome time”:
One small a part of coming to phrases with the occasions of that night would be the work of this fee. I regard the supply of my report on or earlier than the primary anniversary as a matter of essential significance.
She mentioned the inquiry would undertake the Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism for the proceedings.
“It supplies antisemitism is a sure notion of Jews which can be expressed as a hatred in direction of Jews” and included antisemitism directed towards Jewish or non Jewish people, their property and in direction of Jewish neighborhood establishments and spiritual amenities, she mentioned.
She added that whereas some examples of conduct hooked up to the definition have been controversial, “criticism of the insurance policies which may be pursued by the federal government of Israel every now and then is just not of itself antisemitic”.
She mentioned she was “all for listening to from Jewish Australians who’ve skilled antisemitism, whether or not at college or at college or within the office or elsewhere,” and that whereas making a submission doesn’t commit an individual to giving proof in public, she was assured members of the Jewish neighborhood could be prepared to provide proof in public about their experiences of antisemitism.
She mentioned that whereas antisemitism stands out as the oldest spiritual and ethnic prejudice, different religions and ethnicities have been additionally topic to prejudice in Australia and that the inquiry would come with spiritual faiths, ethnicities and cultures typically – however that the main target of this fee is tackling antisemitism.
Benita Kolovos
Allan says she won’t ‘play politics’ relating to potential return of Syrian returnees into Victoria
At her press convention earlier this morning, the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, was requested concerning the potential return of Australian girls and their kids linked to Islamic State fighters.
On Monday, her NSW counterpart, Chris Minns, mentioned his authorities was anticipating a couple of third of the group – which consists of 11 girls and 23 kids – to probably return to the state if authorities in Syria permit them to depart the Roj refugee camp.
On Tuesday morning, Allan rejected recommendations the opposite two-thirds could be residing in Victoria. She mentioned:
The evaluation of journey purposes and journey paperwork for Australian residents is a matter for the commonwealth, significantly so after we are seeing these purposes come from residents who’ve been concerned in international battle … I’ll say our officers are engaged with commonwealth officers as is acceptable, however I’m not going to enter element of these discussions at this stage as a result of that may not be applicable.
Requested why she wouldn’t present the identical stage of element as Minns, Allan replied:
I’m very clear that residents have rights, however so too do the residents of Victoria to have their security protected, which is why I’ll work by these issues appropriately, by officers, by the framework of guaranteeing that the neighborhood, the security of the Victorian neighborhood, is at the start within the consideration of those issues.
She mentioned she won’t “play politics” with the difficulty.
Patrick Commins
Breunig: tax system’s aim to not ‘punish’ older individuals however to help those that want it
He mentioned: “All of us wish to stay in a rustic the place previous persons are wealthy; we should always incentivise individuals to work arduous and save throughout their lifetime.”
He mentioned the system had not caught up with the fact that older Australians have been wealthier than they was.
It was that being previous meant that you simply have been poor and so we have now some huge cash that we switch to older individuals just because they’re previous.
However numerous previous individuals aren’t poor any extra, however we’re nonetheless transferring cash to them as in the event that they have been poor.
So this concept of previous being a tag for poverty, we have to transfer past and now we have to say, let’s goal that help to individuals who actually need it.
Australia on trajectory in direction of ‘neo-feudalism’, main tax skilled says
Patrick Commins
One of many nation’s main tax consultants says the explosion in housing wealth has put us on the trail in direction of a neo-feudal society the place your prosperity relies upon largely whether or not your mother and father personal land or property.
“That’s the trajectory we’re on,” Bob Breunig, the director of the ANU’s tax and switch institute, mentioned. “I don’t assume we’re again to pre-French revolution instances, however I’m fearful about that,” he advised a parliamentary committee into the capital positive aspects tax.
Breunig in Might 2025 authored an influential report displaying how the tax and switch system has change into extra beneficiant to older Australians over latest era.
We regularly body the equality drawback as an intergenerational one, an previous versus younger drawback, which it’s probably not.
If you’re younger and your mother and father have numerous property, these property will ultimately come to you. So the actual inequality between individuals in the identical era [is] those that have property and those that don’t.
Metropolis of Sydney strikes to permit extra buskers in additional locations
The Metropolis of Sydney is transferring to permit buskers to carry out in additional high-traffic areas after a listening to from dozens of performers who take to the streets with music.
The up to date insurance policies, if finalised, will permit extra busking in areas like Pitt Avenue Mall and alongside most of George Avenue within the CBD. The modifications will permit for a “better variety of efficiency kinds” and supply clearer pointers for performers, companies and the general public. A community feedback form is open from now till early April.
Clover Moore, the lord mayor of Sydney, mentioned in an announcement:
Having heard loudly and clearly buskers need more room and suppleness, we flipped the script so buskers can carry out wherever they need with just a few exceptions we’re asking they respectfully keep away from.
We’re dedicated to working carefully with the NSW authorities, who handle Barangaroo, The Rocks, Round Quay and the rail community to higher align busking applications and supply a single supply of knowledge for buskers throughout Sydney websites.
Baghsarian has been lacking for 11 days
Baghsarian has been lacking since 13 February, when police mentioned he was kidnapped from his house in North Ryde in a mistaken kidnapping.
Police have been looking for the person ever since, turning their consideration to an deserted and derelict property in Dural, NSW, the place they consider Bagsharian was held in some unspecified time in the future after his kidnapping.
Yesterday, police appealed for details about a gray Toyota Corolla seen within the Glenorie space, which was later discovered burnt out in Westmead. They’ve been looking bushland close to Glenorie this week.
Officers mentioned Monday “hope is fading” to seek out Baghsarian alive, however mentioned they’d not quit on the hassle to find him.
NSW police discover unconfirmed human stays in seek for Chris Baghsarian
NSW police have positioned unconfirmed human stays within the ongoing search for Chris Baghsarian, the 85-year-old man mistakenly kidnapped earlier this month.
Police mentioned in an announcement:
Following in depth inquiries, about 8am right this moment (Tuesday 24 February 2026), detectives positioned what’s believed to be human stays close to a golf membership in Pitt City.
Investigations proceed. We’ll deliver you extra because the information is available in.
Victoria authorities says new pointers coming for endometriosis prognosis
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has introduced the federal government will standardise the rules for diagnosing endometriosis, with ultrasounds to change into the “first step” in figuring out the situation.
The announcement follows a 4 Corners report on Monday evening into allegations of pointless endometriosis surgical procedures on girls. Allan mentioned she was “sickened” by the allegations and referred them to Victoria police:
With out commenting on the precise case, let me be clear – performing pointless surgical procedure is a criminal offense, eradicating a lady’s organs with out a medical want is a criminal offense, and helping in that conduct is a criminal offense.
She mentioned Safer Care Victoria – the state’s well being watchdog – will sit on the evaluate ordered by Epworth “to make sure it’s rigorous, clear and targeted on affected person security”.
Safer Care Victoria will even publish medical pointers, making it clear {that a} much less invasive ultrasound must be step one for diagnosing endometriosis throughout Victoria. Allan mentioned an invasive laparoscopy was typically getting used as the primary diagnostic instrument, “regardless of rising proof that it isn’t all the time mandatory.”
She mentioned that the federal government would additionally present further coaching to assist medical doctors recognise and appropriately deal with endometriosis. She added that she was exploring the introduction of a “pink tick” to point which clinicians have accomplished the coaching.
It’s extraordinary that I ought to even have to suggest such a factor, as a result of girls’s care is core enterprise. However I’m decided to revive confidence in a system that every one girls depend on.
Some elements of Victoria ought to put together for heavy rain with potential for flash flooding, SES says
Extreme thunderstorms, heavy rain and damaging winds are set to lash giant areas of a state, with authorities urging residents to brace for harmful circumstances, AAP experiences.
Communities throughout northern and central elements of Victoria, together with Melbourne, are forecast to be affected by wild climate from Tuesday afternoon.
Heavy downpours which might set off flash flooding are anticipated, with six-hour rainfall totals of 40mm to 70mm potential. Residents ought to stay on alert to flash flooding within the coming hours, Victoria State Emergency Service’s spokesperson, Josh Gamble, advised AAP.
Flash flooding occurs quick. Roads can change into very harmful in a short time. It’s deeper than it appears to be like … Low-lying and creekside communities [should be] on alert, significantly these which might be recognized in these flash flood areas in and across the Melbourne areas.
A warning has additionally been issued for cities positioned inside fire-affected grounds, with authorities warning that burnt land doesn’t take in water successfully, which means runoff can happen rapidly and with out warning.
