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PM will honour a big election promise as he moves to tackle cost of living

PM will honour a big election promise as he moves to tackle cost of living

News.com.au5 days ago
Anthony Albanese will move to freeze beer taxes on Thursday honouring his election pitch to tackle the cost of living.
The Prime Minister confirmed during the election that 'we will freeze the indexation on draught beer excise for two years' in what he described as a win for beer drinkers and hospitality businesses.
With schooners and pints tracking closer to $15 and $20 in major cities, publicans have expressed fears the steep prices are driving customers away.
It follows warnings that a half of the cost of a $59.99 slab of Coopers Pale Ale was going to the taxman.
On Thursday, the Albanese Labor Government will table tariff proposals to stop the excise and customs duty on beer from increasing from 1 August.
The Albanese government has confirmed it will amend the legislation to temporarily pause the indexation on excise and customs duty.
The pause on indexation for excise and customs duty will be in place for two years from 1 August 2025.
The Albanese Government said that the excise and customs tariff proposals tabled in Parliament will be ratified by primary legislation to be introduced in coming months.
However, the tariff proposal on Thursday will stop the price of beer increasing due to indexation until that freeze is legislated.
'Continuing to deliver cost of living relief to Australians is our number one priority,'' Mr Albanese told news.com.au.
'Freezing the excise on draught beer is a common sense measure that is good for beer drinkers, good for brewers and good for pubs.'
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government remained focused on easing the cost of living for Australians.
'This will help take a bit of pressure off beer drinkers, brewers and bars,'' he said.
'Whether it's a tax cut for every taxpayer, help with energy bills, or the new relief that's rolling out this month like higher wages for award workers, we're doing everything we responsibly can to help with the cost of living.'
News.com.au understands the cost to the budget in tax revenue foregone will be $95 million over four years. But it's not all beer.
It needs to be coming off tap in a licensed hospitality venue, so only schooners and pints of beer from your local watering hole will be blessed with a tax freeze.
Those who prefer buying their beer, or any other alcohol, from the bottle-O can expect prices to keep rising.
Last year Anthony Albanese said cutting beer taxes wasn't a priority for his government.
'We are not looking at that at the moment, but obviously in the lead-up to budgets, you have submissions and I'm sure that there'll be submissions along a whole range of ways,' he told 3AW.
'One of the things that we have to do though, is look at ways where we provide cost of living support, while putting downward pressure on inflation.'
Health Minister Mark Butler was singing the same tune back then, insisting that the government's focus was on 'cheaper medicines, not beer'.
Nationals leader's lonely call for action
David Littleproud faced a backlash last year from senior Liberals after floating the prospect of a beer tax relief because the price was 'hitting a tipping point.'
'I'm part of the shadow expenditure review committee and our final taxation policy has not been determined,' he said.
'That will be determined by the National Party and the Liberal Party. That's why we'll be running the ruler over this.
'When we determine the taxation policy we'll take to the next election, it'll be a Coalition policy.'
But the big idea was slammed down by the opposition treasury spokesman Angus Taylor.
'The starting point to reducing the pressure of indexation is to get inflation down,' Mr Taylor said.
Opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume also wasn't a big fan.
'I always like the idea of free beer. But, unfortunately, that might not be the policy slogan that you'll be seeing us going into the election with,' she said.
Ahead of the announcement, the Australian Hotels Association CEO Stephen Ferguson noted that beer and spirits tax quietly goes up twice a year every year and complained that the Government's only response is to refer pubs to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
'Australia's beer tax is already the third highest in the OECD. There's also $38 tax on a $60 bottle of whisky or gin. That is outrageous and the voters are awake to it,'' Mr Ferguson said.
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With numbers stagnating, here's how the league plans to increase AFLW crowds this year
With numbers stagnating, here's how the league plans to increase AFLW crowds this year

ABC News

time21 minutes ago

  • ABC News

With numbers stagnating, here's how the league plans to increase AFLW crowds this year

The AFLW burst onto the scene nine years ago with the infamous inaugural lockout game at Prince's Park; over 24,000 filled the stands and thousands more were left outside the gates, unable to get in. Since then, the last three grand finals sold out, 53,034 people flooded Adelaide Oval for the 2019 grand final, 20,652 showed up for the inaugural Showdown in 2022, and the first meeting between Essendon and Hawthorn was forced to move to Docklands after such high demand. Yet crowds have dwindled the past few years, which saw just an average of 2,660 fans rocking up per home-and-away game last season. While this is largely due to inopportune time slots and venues — including a compressed fixture last season with Tuesday and Wednesday night matches and recent expansions diluting audiences — unsurprisingly, one of the AFL's main strategic aims this year is to grow AFLW attendance and fan bases. It also comes amid reports of the AFL telling all 18 clubs the women's game is losing $50 million a year. However, AFL executive general manager of strategy Walter Lee stressed the league was not worried about the long-term viability of the competition. "I want to reiterate, the competition is here to stay. We are investing, but it is here to stay," he said. "When you sort of take a 10-year vision around this kind of investment, this is no different from how we invest into Western Sydney [or] Gold Coast … It's long-term. It's trying to be visionary about it." So, here's how the league is aiming to get more bums on seats this season. Josh Bowler, AFL's head of strategy and scheduling, said this season had gone "back to a more traditional fixture structure" after trialling the compressed fixture last season, which squeezed 11 rounds into 10 weeks. While this impacted the product, with some teams playing four games within 15 days, and made it hard for crowds to get to midweek games, it also contributed to the "footy fatigue" many fans feel at the back end of the year. Yet even before that, attendance took a hit after the move to the suburban grounds two years prior. For example, Essendon and Hawthorn's inaugural 2022 clash at Docklands attracted 12,092 spectators, yet just 3,778 when the clubs played each other in Frankston the following year. Another reason for smaller crowds has been the rapid expansions. Total attendance has risen by 52 per cent since season one (195,000 to 297,000), however, with more teams in the competition, the attendance has become more diluted. This year, the season length has increased to 12 rounds within 12 weeks. It could move to 14 by 2027, but to make that move, the league must first meet key metrics agreed to by the AFL and the AFL Players' Association: an average attendance of 6,000 fans and 100,000 broadcast viewers per match. In 2023, a key metric target was an average crowd attendance of 3,500. The ABC asked the AFL what its internal targets were for this season, but the league said they would not release those publicly to avoid making them an ongoing narrative. Lee said a focus this year was "fan-friendly time slots", venue consolidation and allowing for rituals to be created around home venues. "We're playing in too many different time slots, and we're playing in too many different venues as well. And so as a fan, how do you format ritual?" he said. "Take an example with Melbourne. They played seven matches here in Victoria [last season] and in seven different time slots … So it's really hard as a fan to build that ritual." One initiative not being utilised in fixturing this year — despite the majority of clubs actively campaigning the league for it — is double-headers. When the fixture came out earlier this year, AFLPA chief Ben Smith said the union provided the AFL with a submission based on player feedback that included a desire for more "category-one venues and the opportunity to play some double-headers". The AFL said they did not want to compromise on atmosphere if the crowds weren't there yet to support it. Last season, the Western Bulldogs' round-two AFLW match was rescheduled at the last minute to a double-header with the men's elimination final at the MCG to avoid a club fixture clash. The league used this as an example of why double-headers wouldn't work in the short term. However, that match was organised the week of, with the women's game starting at 4.30pm on the Friday afternoon, before the men's clash at 7:40pm. "Even though there were 23,000 recorded [in attendance], the atmosphere at 23 per cent utilisation isn't what we're trying to project," Lee said. "I guess the conclusion is, like, 30,000, 40,000 — that's when it starts to get sort of more exciting." GWS was one of the clubs that were "strong advocates" for double-headers in the two-round crossover between the end of the men's home-and-away season and the AFLW, believing it would work for their market. "We're a young club with a new audience, a new fan base, and we want to be able to build that across our men's and women's program," GWS general manager of AFLW and football operations Alison Zell told ABC Sport. Bowler added that "the W needs to be built around AFLW", in venues that work for its product, and not fit in with the men's competition. The lack of double-headers has also contributed to no category-one venues being used for AFLW this year, limiting the ability to get crowds above the 20,000-plus mark for bigger games. While part of this is to encourage fans to create rituals at grounds such as Whitten Oval and Windy Hill, the league said it wouldn't move to larger stadiums until the crowds supported it. Players have consistently advocated for some marquee games to be played at larger stadiums, such as the Showdown at Adelaide Oval. Last year, AFL executive general manager of football Laura Kane told The Sydney Morning Herald that for future AFLW matches to be played at Docklands Stadium, games would need to attract 20,000 supporters to justify using the venue. Kane said Arsenal Women were a great example of knowing when to move from a 5,500-seat stadium to 50,000 in the Women's Super League overseas. "What was really interesting to me is how strategic they were with the one, two or three times that they triggered that big stadium experience," Kane said. "[Filling the stadium] wasn't because they hoped, it wasn't because they thought 'maybe they'll come'. It wasn't because they thought, 'let's strategically try and leverage the men's'. It was because they knew they were ready. "So the patience in that … [And] in every single fan survey or every question we ask of our fans, they absolutely love that closeness to the players, [and] the fullness of the stadiums. And so it's one of the single biggest things, biggest decisions and strategic priorities we have is where we play." Improving the on-field product is another main strategic aim for the league. "We know what people like watching, because we have AFL every weekend to look at, what are the things that people enjoy?" Kane said. "They enjoy close games, unpredictable finishes, lead changes, you know, so on and so forth and so, how do we do that? … Investing in the pathway of the young players is the answer for us." Kane said the metrics spoke for themselves with the talent in the pathways entering the system. One of the biggest factors to help improve the product, Laura Kane said, was time. "The quality of the under-18 games is unbelievable compared to what we've seen 5, 6, 7, 8 years ago." However, in the now, the AFL is strong on wanting an attacking style from teams. Essendon and the Western Bulldogs' "ugly" clash at the end of the condensed fixture last year was widely criticised for the defensive style of play from both sides. Essendon won 3.8 (26) to 0.3 (3). "I think Scott Gowans was interviewed last year and said it himself, like, we might lose by a big margin, but we're committed to playing an offensive, attacking style," Kane said. "It's a lot on the ability of the players to execute the skills, but it's also on us to help set up a framework that allows them to do that more easily." AFLW's new general manager of women's football, Emma Moore, said the AFL wanted to harness what she was calling the "Caitlin Clark effect": an increase in women's sport viewership and attendance driven by stardom. This would mean attracting fans to AFLW because of a big name like Sam Kerr (soccer) and Caitlin Clark (WBNA). "The huge opportunity that we have in AFLW is the vast volume of players that we have to begin with, and the incredible skills, personalities and champions of themselves and the sport they play, what they bring," Moore said. "So we really want to unlock that opportunity for them and so it's really clear for us that going forwards, a key play in growing our fan base is growing that connection between our fans and their players."

‘Trusted name': Iconic airline makes comeback after more than 20 years – as an AI-powered travel agency
‘Trusted name': Iconic airline makes comeback after more than 20 years – as an AI-powered travel agency

News.com.au

time21 minutes ago

  • News.com.au

‘Trusted name': Iconic airline makes comeback after more than 20 years – as an AI-powered travel agency

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Fight looms as Gaza protest planned for Harbour Bridge
Fight looms as Gaza protest planned for Harbour Bridge

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Fight looms as Gaza protest planned for Harbour Bridge

A pro-Palestine demonstration is planned for one of Australia's most recognisable landmarks, prompting a potential court showdown to block the rally. Protesters have planned a "March for Humanity" across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday in opposition to Israel limiting food deliveries to Gaza, which has brought the risk of mass hunger to two million citizens. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has labelled Israel's actions as "quite clearly" a breach of international law, with protest organisers encouraging him to attend the proposed march to back up his words. But NSW Premier Chris Minns was quick to oppose the protest, arguing his government "cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos". "(We) cannot support a protest of this scale and nature taking place on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, especially with one week's notice," he said on Monday. "The bridge is one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure in our city … unplanned disruption risks not only significant inconvenience, but real public safety concerns." NSW has a permit system that allows protest participants to block public roads and infrastructure, but police can go to court to deny permission. Protest organisers Palestine Action Group noted the bridge was closed for the 2023 World Pride march and for the filming of the movie Fall Guy in that same year. Given Mr Minns cited a lack of preparation time as a reason to halt the march, spokesman Josh Lees queried if he would support it taking place a week later. "The premier warns of chaos, but there is nothing chaotic about people marching for peace, to stop mass starvation," he said. "We invite everyone who is appalled by the deliberate starvation of two million people to join us, including the prime minister, who has recognised that Israel is clearly breaching international law." Weekly pro-Palestine protests have been taking place in the Sydney city centre and other state capitals since Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to designated terror organisation Hamas's deadly October 7, 2023 attack. NSW Police confirmed they had received the required paperwork for Sunday's protest. Senior officers would consult relevant stakeholders, including protest organisers, about other routes that could be taken, a spokesperson said. In 2024, the force challenged protests coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, citing public safety concerns. But the court bid was dropped when organisers scrapped one protest and shifted the route of another so it did not pass Sydney's Great Synagogue. The NSW government has since passed controversial laws granting police powers to restrict protests near places of worship. Pro-democracy groups have repeatedly argued the laws have emboldened the force to "act with impunity". A pro-Palestine demonstration is planned for one of Australia's most recognisable landmarks, prompting a potential court showdown to block the rally. Protesters have planned a "March for Humanity" across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday in opposition to Israel limiting food deliveries to Gaza, which has brought the risk of mass hunger to two million citizens. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has labelled Israel's actions as "quite clearly" a breach of international law, with protest organisers encouraging him to attend the proposed march to back up his words. But NSW Premier Chris Minns was quick to oppose the protest, arguing his government "cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos". "(We) cannot support a protest of this scale and nature taking place on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, especially with one week's notice," he said on Monday. "The bridge is one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure in our city … unplanned disruption risks not only significant inconvenience, but real public safety concerns." NSW has a permit system that allows protest participants to block public roads and infrastructure, but police can go to court to deny permission. Protest organisers Palestine Action Group noted the bridge was closed for the 2023 World Pride march and for the filming of the movie Fall Guy in that same year. Given Mr Minns cited a lack of preparation time as a reason to halt the march, spokesman Josh Lees queried if he would support it taking place a week later. "The premier warns of chaos, but there is nothing chaotic about people marching for peace, to stop mass starvation," he said. "We invite everyone who is appalled by the deliberate starvation of two million people to join us, including the prime minister, who has recognised that Israel is clearly breaching international law." Weekly pro-Palestine protests have been taking place in the Sydney city centre and other state capitals since Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to designated terror organisation Hamas's deadly October 7, 2023 attack. NSW Police confirmed they had received the required paperwork for Sunday's protest. Senior officers would consult relevant stakeholders, including protest organisers, about other routes that could be taken, a spokesperson said. In 2024, the force challenged protests coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, citing public safety concerns. But the court bid was dropped when organisers scrapped one protest and shifted the route of another so it did not pass Sydney's Great Synagogue. The NSW government has since passed controversial laws granting police powers to restrict protests near places of worship. Pro-democracy groups have repeatedly argued the laws have emboldened the force to "act with impunity". A pro-Palestine demonstration is planned for one of Australia's most recognisable landmarks, prompting a potential court showdown to block the rally. Protesters have planned a "March for Humanity" across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday in opposition to Israel limiting food deliveries to Gaza, which has brought the risk of mass hunger to two million citizens. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has labelled Israel's actions as "quite clearly" a breach of international law, with protest organisers encouraging him to attend the proposed march to back up his words. But NSW Premier Chris Minns was quick to oppose the protest, arguing his government "cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos". "(We) cannot support a protest of this scale and nature taking place on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, especially with one week's notice," he said on Monday. "The bridge is one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure in our city … unplanned disruption risks not only significant inconvenience, but real public safety concerns." NSW has a permit system that allows protest participants to block public roads and infrastructure, but police can go to court to deny permission. Protest organisers Palestine Action Group noted the bridge was closed for the 2023 World Pride march and for the filming of the movie Fall Guy in that same year. Given Mr Minns cited a lack of preparation time as a reason to halt the march, spokesman Josh Lees queried if he would support it taking place a week later. "The premier warns of chaos, but there is nothing chaotic about people marching for peace, to stop mass starvation," he said. "We invite everyone who is appalled by the deliberate starvation of two million people to join us, including the prime minister, who has recognised that Israel is clearly breaching international law." Weekly pro-Palestine protests have been taking place in the Sydney city centre and other state capitals since Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to designated terror organisation Hamas's deadly October 7, 2023 attack. NSW Police confirmed they had received the required paperwork for Sunday's protest. Senior officers would consult relevant stakeholders, including protest organisers, about other routes that could be taken, a spokesperson said. In 2024, the force challenged protests coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, citing public safety concerns. But the court bid was dropped when organisers scrapped one protest and shifted the route of another so it did not pass Sydney's Great Synagogue. The NSW government has since passed controversial laws granting police powers to restrict protests near places of worship. Pro-democracy groups have repeatedly argued the laws have emboldened the force to "act with impunity". A pro-Palestine demonstration is planned for one of Australia's most recognisable landmarks, prompting a potential court showdown to block the rally. Protesters have planned a "March for Humanity" across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday in opposition to Israel limiting food deliveries to Gaza, which has brought the risk of mass hunger to two million citizens. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has labelled Israel's actions as "quite clearly" a breach of international law, with protest organisers encouraging him to attend the proposed march to back up his words. But NSW Premier Chris Minns was quick to oppose the protest, arguing his government "cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos". "(We) cannot support a protest of this scale and nature taking place on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, especially with one week's notice," he said on Monday. "The bridge is one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure in our city … unplanned disruption risks not only significant inconvenience, but real public safety concerns." NSW has a permit system that allows protest participants to block public roads and infrastructure, but police can go to court to deny permission. Protest organisers Palestine Action Group noted the bridge was closed for the 2023 World Pride march and for the filming of the movie Fall Guy in that same year. Given Mr Minns cited a lack of preparation time as a reason to halt the march, spokesman Josh Lees queried if he would support it taking place a week later. "The premier warns of chaos, but there is nothing chaotic about people marching for peace, to stop mass starvation," he said. "We invite everyone who is appalled by the deliberate starvation of two million people to join us, including the prime minister, who has recognised that Israel is clearly breaching international law." Weekly pro-Palestine protests have been taking place in the Sydney city centre and other state capitals since Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to designated terror organisation Hamas's deadly October 7, 2023 attack. NSW Police confirmed they had received the required paperwork for Sunday's protest. Senior officers would consult relevant stakeholders, including protest organisers, about other routes that could be taken, a spokesperson said. In 2024, the force challenged protests coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, citing public safety concerns. But the court bid was dropped when organisers scrapped one protest and shifted the route of another so it did not pass Sydney's Great Synagogue. The NSW government has since passed controversial laws granting police powers to restrict protests near places of worship. Pro-democracy groups have repeatedly argued the laws have emboldened the force to "act with impunity".

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