TRANSCRIPT
- Anthony Albanese responds to suggestions the government is considering negative gearing changes
- Penny Wong says there are too many Australians in Lebanon for the government to evacuate
- Australia is beaten by England in the third men's one day international
The Prime Minister is deflecting suggestions that the government is considering changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing.
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper is reporting the federal government has asked Treasury for advice on changes to the tax concessions.
The government's housing agenda has met opposition in the Senate, with the Greens calling for changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions for its support of the Help to Buy and Build to Rent schemes.
Mr Albanese is not denying the reports.
"I've seen those reports, and what do is we value the public service. So from time to time I'm sure the public service are looking at policy ideas, that's because we value them. But we have our housing policy, it's out there for all to see, it's currently being blocked."
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Inflation is predicted to fall when the latest figures come out later today - but not in time, or enough, to help lower interest rates just yet.
In announcing yesterday interest rates would remain at 4.35 per cent, Reserve Bank Governor Michelle Bullock cautioned the quarterly inflation rate is a more reliable guide than the monthly one- which is the one that will be released today.
Ms Bullock says the quarterly figure isn't coming down fast enough for the central bank's liking.
The lack of an interest rate reduction has sparked renewed debate about the level of government spending.
Opposition Finance spokeswoman Jane Hume has told the Seven Network excessive government spending is keeping interest rates from coming down quicker.
"The Reserve Bank economists told the Cost of Living committee that I chair that, unless they see a reduction in public sector expenditure, well, then they're not going to be able to bring interest rates down any sooner."
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Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the higher number of Australians in Lebanon means the government can't mount an evacuation exercise on the scale it has in previous troubled areas.
Ms Wong says her thoughts are with the Lebanese-Australians and associated communities, as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon continues.
Ms Wong has re-iterated the Prime Minister's call for Australians to leave Lebanon by commercial travel if they can, as, while the government is working on contingency plans, they won't be able to help everybody.
"The numbers in relation to Lebanon are much higher than anything that we have seen in our evacuations out of Sudan or Israel, or those we have taken from Gaza. So, these are very large numbers of Australians who are in Lebanon, which is why the Prime Minister and I have been calling for some time for people to leave. I would urge people, if you are able to leave by other means, please do so."
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has used the U-N General Assembly to lament the current state of the world- in particular, the growing number of actors ignoring the principles of the UN.
Mr Guterres has cited the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, as examples of leaders believing they can do anything they like without facing any consequence.
"The level of impunity in the world is politically indefensible and morally intolerable. Today, a growing number of governments and others feel entitled to a ‘get out of jail free’ card. They can trample international law. They can violate the United Nations Charter. They can invade another country, lay waste to all societies, or utterly disregard the welfare of their own people. And nothing will happen.”
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Google is expanding its artificial intelligence product for web searches from Australia.
It's testing whether the summaries artificial intelligence creates will encourage users to click on more links.
Google's product, known as AI overviews, has been tested in the U-S since May.
The A-I tool can instruct users on how to, for example, to clean a couch, or solve a maths problem.
But experts are warning users should scrutinise its results carefully.
Amongst the errors in testing in the US were instances when A-I told users to put glue on cheese to make it stick to pizza.
Google says restrictions have been added to A-I to stop misuse or inappropriate results.
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Twelve Singaporean army personnel have been injured after one tank ran into the back of another during annual joint military exercises with Australian personnel in Queensland.
No Australian personnel were injured in the incident, which occurred 100 kilometres north of Rockhampton.
Singaporean personnel have been taken to hospital with minor injuries.
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In cricket,
A century from England's Harry Brook has led England to victory by 46 runs in the third men's one day international against Australia.
Australia scored 304 batting first in the match at Chester-le-Street in northern England.
Wicketkeeper Alex Carey top-scored for the Aussies, scoring 77.
England got off to a poor start in reply, but acting captain Brook turned things around, scoring 110 from just 94 balls.
Heavy rain forced the match to be curtailed early... but England was well past the par score required for victory at that point.
Australia leads the five-match series, two games to one.
