Guardian AU
Albanese announces crackdown on gambling ads, but falls well short of Labor’s own calls for total ban
Australia's Albanese government has announced restrictions on gambling advertising, including bans in sports venues and caps on TV and radio broadcasts, billing it as the country's most significant gambling reform. However, the measures stop well short of implementing all 31 recommendations from Labor's own landmark 2023 review, which called for a total advertising ban. Critics will note the government took over 1,000 days to act on its own report, only to deliver a partial response.
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Sydney Morning Herald
Albanese locks in plans to scrap investor tax breaks as way through housing crisis
Labor is pressing ahead with reforms to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, signaling the government views curbing investor tax advantages as central to its housing affordability strategy. The move ends months of speculation that Albanese would soften his position under political pressure. If legislated, the changes would mark the most significant shift in property tax policy in decades.
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Iran ‘holding global economy hostage’ as Australia joins urgent Hormuz talks
Ministers from 40 countries, including Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, have convened urgent virtual talks over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with military planners now set to follow. The strait handles roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply, making its blockage a direct threat to global energy markets and economic stability. The meeting signals growing international resolve to pressure Iran as the standoff escalates beyond a regional dispute into a global economic crisis.
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Police decision to call off ambulance scrutinised during custodial death inquest
Jeffrey Winmar, an Indigenous father, died in police custody in Melbourne's east in 2023, and a coronial inquest is now dissecting the decisions made in his final hours. Central to the scrutiny is a police call to stand down an ambulance — a choice that may have had fatal consequences. The inquest raises pressing questions about duty of care and the ongoing crisis of Indigenous deaths in custody.
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Taylor uses own televised address to criticise PM’s prime-time speech - video
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor wasted no time responding to the Prime Minister's national address, delivering his own televised rebuttal and accusing the government of failing to provide any meaningful detail on Australia's fuel crisis. Taylor argued the speech left Australians with more questions than answers as supply pressures mount amid the Iran conflict. He framed the government's response as slow and confused at a moment demanding decisive action.
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