Live: Western Sydney MP hints at own version of new political party

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government will look to strengthen the powers of the eSafety commissioner to enforce an under-16s social media ban.

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Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 8:22am

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 8:22am

PM on the defensive over passage of budget measures through parliament

By Joshua Boscaini

The prime minister has been on the defensive this morning over the government's changes to capital gains tax (CGT) and negative gearing.

Yesterday, the government's signature budget legislation passed parliament, paving the way for changes to CGT and negative gearing.

It will replace the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount with a discount based on inflation and apply a minimum 30 per cent minimum tax on gains, limit negative gearing t new builds and include a $250 Working Australians Tax Offset (WATO)

Speaking to Channel Nine, Albanese says he thinks the concerns about the budget measures will eventually "dissipate".

"I remember when the fringe benefits tax was brought in by the the Hawke-Keating government, people said every restaurant would close, every hospitality venue was over, everyone was going to lose their jobs," Albanese says.

"Guess what? It didn't happen. And now that these changes have occurred as well and are implemented and legislated, some of the nonsense that's out there will dissipate because it won't head up against reality."

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 8:10am

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 8:10am

Albanese says govt has to comply with law on return of so-called ISIS bride

By Joshua Boscaini

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government will ensure the "strongest possible monitoring" when a so-called ISIS bride returns to Australia.

An Australian woman living in Syria with links to Islamic State and who was subject to a temporary exclusion order (TEO) has been issued a permit to come home.

Legal experts say the Commonwealth risked losing a High Court challenge if it barred so-called ISIS bride Hodan Abby from returning home.

Speaking to Channel Seven, Albanese says the government needs to comply with the law and any possible legal challenges.

"No-one wants people who've fled our country and fought or supported ISIS to be able to just come back," Albanese says.

"But Australian citizens, of course, do have rights … that's  democracy. We respect the rule of law.

"The law, with the consequences of legal challenges, which were there needs to be complied with. We're following that and there will be absolutely strict monitoring will be applied."

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 7:54am

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 7:54am

PM says govt will review if commissioner has adequate powers on social media ban

By Joshua Boscaini

Yesterday in Question Time, the prime minister signalled the federal government will be strengthening social media laws.

Social media platforms have had to block under-16s from accessing their platforms and take reasonable steps to verify a user's age.

But the eSafety commissioner has raised concerns that the social media age restriction laws had "very thin scaffolding".

Asked about his comments yesterday, Anthony Albanese says the government wants to make sure the laws are as strong as possible.

"We're just looking at are the laws as strong as possible, given some of the feedback that's there? Does the eSafety commissioner have every power at her disposal? And we'll adjust things accordingly," Albanese says.

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 7:45am

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 7:45am

Albanese says it's unclear if Australians have been caught in Venezuela earthquake

By Joshua Boscaini

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says it is "certainly possible" Australians have been caught up in a deadly earthquake in Venezuela.

Thousands of people are feared dead after two powerful earthquakes, measuring magnitude-7.5 and 7.2, struck the nation's capital, Caracas.

Doing the media rounds, starting with ABC News Breakfast this morning, the PM says it's unclear if any Australians have been impacted.

"It's not clear yet if Australians are caught up in this because Australians are great travellers, of course, right around the world," Albanese says.

"We're continuing to monitor the situation and our heart goes out to anyone here who has relatives or friends in Venezuela."

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 7:37am

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 7:37am

Coalition says it will cooperate with Labor if it wants to exclude ISIS-bride from Australia

By Joshua Boscaini

The shadow home affairs minister says the Coalition would work with Labor to amend laws to prevent ISIS-linked Australians from returning home if they were subject to a High Court challenge.

An Australian woman living in Syria with links to Islamic State (IS) and who was subject to a temporary exclusion order (TEO) has been issued a permit to come home.

Yesterday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told the ABC he issued a permit for so-called ISIS bride Hodan Abby.

Legal experts say the Commonwealth risked losing a High Court challenge if it barred Abby from returning home.

But speaking to ABC's AM program, Jonno Duniam says managing Abby's return to Australia will be costly for Australia's security agencies.

"If the government does believe that this individual should be excluded from the country for a longer period, then let's work together to strengthen those laws," Duniam says.

"Of course, there may well be legal challenges but we're open to working with the government on that."

Key Event

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 7:22am

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 7:22am

Treasurer says he thinks anger over CGT, negative gearing measures will pass over time

By Joshua Boscaini

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he's confident the anger over the government's changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax will pass over time.

The federal government's budget measures to change the capital gains tax, negative gearing, and introduce a $250 Working Australian Tax Offset (WATO) passed parliament yesterday.

Labor struck a deal with the Greens to pass the bill through the Senate, which involved stopping self-managed super funds from borrowing to purchase housing.

The government backed down on several aspects of its budget measures following strong resistance from the small business community.

Speaking to ABC's AM program, Chalmers says there has always been resistance to tax reform.

"Everytime there's tax reform, tax reform people say the sky will fall in, people say that it is disastrous, but typically what happens in time is people look back on big tax reform and wonder what all of the fuss is all about and I'm confident that will happen again," Chalmers says.

Key Event

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 7:08am

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 7:08am

Western Sydney MP says new party has 'sparked an idea in me'

By Joshua Boscaini

Independent MP Dai Le has hinted that she could possibly start her Western Sydney political party.

Sydney MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender launched Community Strong Australia yesterday, but the party will remain leaderless for now.

Asked on Channel Nine if she would join the new party, the Fowler MP says it has sparked an idea.

"We've got the Western Sydney Community Party out here, so that has given me some kind of idea what to do," Le says.

"I think we definitely need a Western Sydney voice, so that's something that it has sparked an idea in me."

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 7:04am

Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 7:04am

Good morning 👋

By Joshua Boscaini

Hello and welcome to our federal politics live blog. Thanks for joining us early on this chilly Friday morning here in the nation's capital!

I'm Josh Boscaini, joining you live from Parliament House in Canberra, here and ready to bring you all of today's federal politics news.

We've got a fairly busy morning ahead, so let's get into the day and see what we get!