Latest news with #MartinOllman


Perth Now
5 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Chalmers backs ‘ambitious' 1.2m homes goal
Jim Chalmers has doubled down on Labor's ability to build 1.2 million homes by June 30, 2029, after accidentally published advice from Treasury said the deadline would not be met. Partially unredacted files released to the ABC through a Freedom of Information request showed Treasury warning that the National Housing Accords would 'not be met,' and suggested a review of Housing Australia, the national housing agency. While Labor has committed to building 1.2 million well-located homes in the five years to June 30, 2029, the target is already 55,300 homes behind following its first year of operation. Recent data compiled by the Institute of Public Affairs has also revealed that in the decade between 2014 to 2024, the time it took to build a freestanding home had increased 50 per cent, from 8.5 months to 12.7 months. In the same period the cost of building materials had also soared by 53 per cent. Jim Chalmers backed Labor's ability to reach the 1.2 million Housing Accord target. NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Despite the slow start, Mr Chalmers backed Labor's ability to reach the target, adding that he was 'pretty relaxed' about the accidental FOI slip. 'Under current trajectories, we would fall short. But that doesn't mean that between now and over the course of the next four years, that we can't consider ways and work with the states and territories and others, local governments and others, on ways to build more homes,' he told reporters on Monday. While he acknowledged the government needs to 'do more' and 'do better' to reach the 1.2 million figure, he said the ambition was warranted given that housing is one of the 'defining challenges in our economy'. 'It's not the worst thing from time to time for it to be understood in the broader community that this will be a difficult target to meet,' he said. 'But if we all do our bit, we all play our part, as the Commonwealth has been willing to play, then we can build the homes that people desperately need.' Under the policy, Australia needs to build 1.2 million well-located homes in the five years to June 30, 2029. NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia Acting Coalition housing spokesman James Paterson said the advice from Treasury has 'confirmed what Australians already know'. 'Labor will fail to build the 1.2 million new homes they promised,' he said. 'Under the former Coalition Government, Australia built an average of 190,000 new homes per year. Under Labor, that figure has dropped to barely 170,000. To meet their own housing target, Labor needs to build 250,000 new homes annually. 'Instead of building housing, Labor are obsessed with building housing bureaucracies.' Housing Minister Clare O'Neil has previously vowed to cut red tape and regulation to supercharge the number of homes coming onto the market. Housing Minister Clare O'Neil has vowed to cut red tape and regulation. NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Like Mr Chalmers, she said the Productivity Roundtable in August would help identify ways to improve planning policy. 'It's just too hard to build a house in this country because we're not innovating enough and because we don't have the workforce we need,' she told the ABC earlier this month. 'So, the roundtable in August is going to be a really important opportunity for me and other people in this sector to come forward and say we need to make some big decisions about how we are going to shift those dynamics so we can get better housing outcomes for Australians.' Sharing more details of the highly-anticipated talks in August, Mr Chalmers said business leaders, unions and regulators would be asked to focus on resilience, productivity and sustainability across the three days. RBA governor Michele Bullock will speak on the first day of talks, while Productivity Commissioner Danielle Wood and Treasury Secretary Jenny Wilkinson will respectively take charge of days three and four.


Perth Now
6 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Shock tax hike advice to Treasurer
Accidentally published advice from Treasury has revealed Jim Chalmers has been advised to increase taxes in order to return the budget to surplus, with the government also warned it will not meet its 1.2 million homes target as part of the National Housing Accords. First reported by the ABC, the details were mistakenly revealed in an unredacted Freedom of Information request submitted by the broadcaster and shared in an incoming government brief issued by Treasury after Labor won the May 3 election. Although Treasury requested the documents be deleted and unpublished after noting the error, the ABC said the details were 'in the public interest'. While no specific taxes were identified, the Treasurer was told he would need to identify 'additional revenue and spending reductions' in order to put the budget in a 'sustainable' position, the ABC reported. The papers said 'tax should be raised as part of broader tax reform,' and suggested 'indirect taxes' and superannuation taxes as a potential avenues. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been urged by Treasury to increase taxes in order to return the budget to a 'sustainable' position, unredacted documents have revealed. NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia This comes as Labor intends to double the taxes on superannuation accounts above $3m, from 15 to 30 per cent, with Mr Chalmers stating the move would only affect 0.5 per cent of people. However the Opposition has opposed the tax as the $3m threshold will not be indexed, with the tax also affecting unrealised gains, penalising people who hold property and other assets in their super portfolio. In the unredacted papers, Housing Minister Clare O'Neil was also advised to 'adjust' Labor's 1.2 million homes target, which it currently must meet by June 30, 2029. Ms O'Neil was urged to look at how migration and skills training could boost the construction workforce, and reassess how to best use state and territory grants as 'leverage' for improved home building rates. Speaking on ABC RN on Monday, Environment Minister Murray Watt said it was 'not unusual' for a minister to receive advice from government departments. He also said Labor remained committed to the Housing Accord targets. 'I, of course, haven't seen them (the Treasury advice documents) myself, but you will have seen that we've taken a lot of steps already to ensure that we can meet that housing goal,' he said. 'We recognise that it's ambitious, but it's certainly our intention to meet it.'


Perth Now
6 days ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
‘Urgent' forum to combat AI child abuse
Experts and authorities on child exploitation material will meet for emergency meetings this week as the amount of AI-generated abuse explodes. The National Children's Commissioner will meet fellow experts in Canberra on Thursday for the roundtable discussions. 'We are seeing AI generate entirely new types of child abuse material. This is a turning point,' international expert Jon Rouse said. Figures from the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children show AI use has massively increased among predators. Federal politicians met with social media and search engine company representatives in 2023 for a child exploitation inquiry. Since then, the use of AI has increased immensely. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia The centre reports a 1325 per cent increase in child sexual exploitation material reports involving generative AI, up from 4700 in 2023 to more than 67,000 in 2024. While based in the US, the centre works closely with law enforcement around the world. The meeting in Canberra has been called to discuss responses to AI-generated child sexual abuse material, deepfakes, automated grooming and childlike AI personas. 'This roundtable represents a pivotal moment for child protection in Australia,' International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children Australia chief executive Colm Gannon said. 'AI is being weaponised to harm children, and Australia must act swiftly to prevent these technologies from outpacing our systems of protection.' Australian of the Year Grace Tame will lend her expertise to the roundtable, as will representatives from the eSafety Commissioner, child protection organisation Bravehearts, and Childlight Australia. 'If we act now, Australia can set a global benchmark for ethical AI and child protection,' Mr Gannon said.


Perth Now
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Demand for Russia to pay over MH17
Australia has joined the UN's aviation watchdog in demanding Russia pay reparations for the downing of MH17. More than a decade has passed since the Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on-board. Despite extensive official and journalist-led investigations putting the blame firmly on the Russian government, the Kremlin has not paid a cent in compensation, including to the families of the 38 Australians killed. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said overnight that 'Australia stands ready to engage'. 'The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council has ordered Russia to negotiate with Australia and the Netherlands on full reparations for the downing of Flight MH17,' she posted on social media. 'We welcome this decision, and Australia stands ready to engage. 'We call on Russia to comply and make reparations for this horrific act. 'We remain unwavering in our commitment to truth, justice and accountability for the 298 victims – including 38 who called Australia home – and their families and loved ones.' Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia 'stands ready' to negotiate with Russia on reparations for MH17. NewsWire / Martin Ollman / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Earlier this year, ICAO declared Russia breached international law by using weapons against civil aircraft in flight. Australia and the Netherlands, which led the international investigation, launched the case with ICAO in 2022. Investigators have found MH17 was shot down using a Russian-made missile. It was fired from a launcher transported from Russia to eastern Ukraine and operated by pro-Russian separatists. In 2022, a Dutch court convicted in absentia two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatist of murder in 2022. One of the men, Igor Girkin, was the head of Russia's proxies in the mostly occupied Ukrainian region of Donetsk. He has since fallen out with Vladimir Putin and been arrested and sentenced to four years in prison for inciting extremism.

Herald Sun
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Herald Sun
Liberals apologise after hackers post explicit photos on party socials
Don't miss out on the headlines from Hacking. Followed categories will be added to My News. Hours after Sussan Ley vowed to lead a Liberal Party 'that is proudly for women', explicit images were posted on its social media accounts. The images appeared on the Liberals' Facebook and Instagram accounts about midnight and were the product of hacking, the party said in a statement on Thursday. 'Overnight, the social media account of a contractor used by the party was hacked, leading to the posting of unauthorised material on the Liberal Party's Meta accounts at around midnight,' the statement said. 'All material was removed within 10 minutes of it being posted and the matter was urgently raised with the Australian Cyber Security Centre and with Meta overnight 'We apologise for any offence caused.' The Liberal party's Facebook account was hacked overnight. Picture: Facebook Explicit images appearing to advertise breast implants were shared to the party's official page. Picture: Facebook The hack came as the Liberal Party tries to rebrand after years of criticism for its dwindling female representation. In her first major speech on Wednesday, the newly elected Opposition Leader said she wanted to boost the number of women in her party's ranks and left the door open to quotas. 'We must be a Liberal Party that is proudly for women and made up of women. Our party must preselect more women in winnable seats so that we see more Liberal women in federal parliament,' she said. 'Now, I'm agnostic on specific methods to make it happen, but I am a zealot that it does actually happen. Current approaches have clearly not worked, so I am open to any approach that will.' Hours earlier, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley declared she wanted to lead a Liberal Party that is 'proudly for women and made up of women'. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman Originally published as Liberals apologise after hackers post explicit photos on party socials