Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

Rachel Mealey:

Treasurer, good morning.

Jim Chalmers:

Thanks very much, Rachel, good morning.

Mealey:

People are listening to AM right now on the way to work. Many dropped their kids off to school on the way. You’re speaking to those cars this morning, carrying 2 generations. What can you tell them about how you’re going to make the tax system fairer?

Chalmers:

First of all, I’d say we’ve made a lot of progress in our economy the last few years. And the best way to sustain that progress, to lift living standards, to make people better off over time is to make our economy more productive, more resilient and make our budget more sustainable. And those were the 3 major issues that we grappled with over the course of the last 3 days.

Now, when it comes to tax, the government’s tax policies haven’t changed. Our major focus is on cutting taxes, 2 more times for every taxpaying worker in those cars dropping the kids off at school this morning. And really from the Economic Reform Roundtable’s point of view, they wanted to make sure that any future tax reforms – which are a matter for the Cabinet – are consistent with 3 principles. The first one, that it deliver a fair go for working people and young people. Secondly, that it attract more business investment, that’s a challenge in our economy. And thirdly, that changes make the system simpler, more sustainable so that we can fund the kind of services that all of those families rely on.

Mealey:

Can you point to any measures that will address that intergenerational unfairness?

Chalmers:

Certainly the tax cuts are part of that. When we changed the tax cuts and then delivered 2 more rounds it was about making sure that every taxpaying worker got a tax cut, including young people. Making sure that people on low and middle incomes got a fair go in middle Australia. That’s a big priority. But also a lot of our effort on housing, building more homes, is about meeting our generational responsibilities to people who are finding it harder and harder to get a toehold into the market or to find somewhere decent to rent. Certainly a lot of our policies on skills and training, free TAFE, a lot of what we’re delivering there is about intergenerational fairness.

But, really, one of the defining outcomes of this Economic Reform Roundtable was building consensus and momentum around ensuring that intergenerational fairness is one of the defining principles of our country but also of our government. And that’s certainly something that we will pick up and run with.

Mealey:

Is the treatment of family trusts in your sights, or perhaps a reduction of capital gains discounts? Can you change the system without any of those measures on the agenda that genuinely address the unfairness in the tax system?

Chalmers:

We haven’t changed our policies on those examples that you raise. And we’ve tried to make it clear that a lot of what we’re doing already, whether it’s making superannuation tax concessions still concessional but more sustainable, whether it’s the tax cuts that I’ve referred to a couple of times already, the changes that we are already delivering in the tax system are an important part of this. We haven’t changed our specific policies on those areas that you identify, but what we have agreed with the Economic Reform Roundtable is that any further steps that we take down the tax reform path, which would be a matter for Cabinet, would be consistent with those 3 principles that I mentioned.

Mealey:

You’ve said that there was agreement in the room on the need for a road user charge. In what time frame could an owner of an EV expect to start paying a road user charge, and how much do you think they’ll pay every year?

Chalmers:

It depends on the model that we settle on and the timing of that model. I’ve got an important meeting with the state and territory treasurers in a couple of weeks’ time. And they will provide us an options paper to work through. There was a surprising degree of consensus around the need for road user charging when it comes to EVs. But there’s not yet a perfect consensus on the best model or on the best timing of that, and so I committed to work with the states and territories on that. Obviously at the end of the day a matter for our Cabinet. I work closely with colleagues like Catherine King and Chris Bowen and the Prime Minister and others on that, and so we haven’t come to a concluded view on the model or the timing of that model. But the direction of travel is pretty clear. It’s something we’ve been working on for a little while, and the next mover will be the states and territories at the meeting that I convene on the 5th of September.

Mealey:

While you’re talking about Cabinet, before the last election you told us you’d take that road user charge and make some other tweaks to the tax system in this term. Will any other changes be made to the tax system before the next election?

Chalmers:

I think, again, that’s a matter for the Cabinet. But as you rightly point out, we said before the election that road user charging was something that we wanted to work through. We also took to the election those income tax cuts which are our highest priority when it comes to tax reform – cutting taxes next year and the year after as well as having cut taxes last year. So that’s our highest priority. Work to do on road user charging. There are other suggestions put to us from time to time. I want to be respectful to the views raised in the room at the Economic Reform Roundtable, but at the end of the day, as I said before, the timing of any other tax changes will be a matter for me to determine with my Cabinet colleagues.

Mealey:

Will this folder of ideas that you’ve left the room with have an impact on Australia’s productivity?

Chalmers:

Absolutely. And we’ve spent bit of time this morning, Rachel, talking about tax, but that was just one part of the progress that was made over the course of the last few days. Making our federation work more efficiently, moving towards a single economic market, dealing with some of the unnecessary duplication across state borders and also when it comes to international standards, simplifying trade, reforming tariffs, winding back unnecessary regulations, speeding up approvals, building more homes more quickly, making artificial intelligence a national priority and getting that right, attracting more investment, modernising government services, these were the directions where there was broad, I think, and quite deep consensus emerging out of the Economic Reform Roundtable. If we do all of those things right, it will shift the needle. It will take time. Productivity is not one of those areas –

Mealey:

How much time? Do you have a time frame and a target?

Chalmers:

I think we’re just being upfront with people and saying this is a problem in our economy the last couple of decades. It hasn’t been productive enough to lift living standards in an enduring way. It will take time to turn around. But the progress, the momentum and the consensus that was built over the course of the last few days will help. It will take time. We have to move on all of these fronts simultaneously, and we intend to.

Mealey:

Jim Chalmers, thanks very much for joining AM.

Chalmers:

Appreciate it, Rachel. Thank you.

Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

We continue to see a significant number of individuals retiring, or otherwise exiting from their partnerships and neglecting their own tax obligations. Whether employed or retired, our expectation of all taxpayers is that they’ll remain up to date by lodging accurately and on time.

If you’re an individual professional practitioner (IPP), you must record, as assessable income in your individual tax return, any assessable distributions derived during an income year that are related to the net income of your partnership.

As a former partner in a professional services firm, your tax obligations don’t end when your role in the partnership finishes. There are a range of common reporting issues among retired or exited partners that can lead to compliance risks if not addressed early.

Omissions of final partnership income or distributions

Many partnership agreements continue to pay the IPP for a set period after they leave the firm. These payments are considered assessable income in the income year from which they’re derived. We’re concerned that former partners incorrectly report these distributions as capital revenue and not income or, in some cases, omit the amounts completely.

You can still receive assessable partnership distributions after retiring or exiting the partnership, depending on the governing documents and agreements for your firm.

Incorrect treatment of retirement payments or deferred entitlements

Concerningly, we’re seeing that some retired partners don’t understand their partnership agreement, or their final partnership statements, and are incorrectly categorising these distributions as ‘pension’ type payments. Based on the arrangements identified to date, these distributions are the allocation of profits or income from professional firms and must be reported as assessable income by the IPP.

Misreporting of capital account adjustments

The capital account measures the partner’s equity investment in the partnership and may hold shares or other investments. Changes to a capital account may result in losses. However, not all losses will be deductible or give rise to a capital loss.

Accurate record keeping and reporting is essential to determine whether losses can only be applied against current or future year capital gains and whether any gains may be eligible for the capital gains tax discount.

While service arrangements may vary widely in the precise steps used, in essence they involve a taxpayer incurring a deduction for fees and charges in the conduct of its business for the acquisition of staff, clerical and administrative services, premises, plant or equipment from an associated entity. These arrangements are sometimes called Phillips arrangements. Our concerns are detailed in TR 2006/2 Income tax: deductibility of service fees paid to associated service entities: Phillips arrangements.

If you’re planning to leave, or have recently left, a professional firm

Our reviews found that the key drivers of this behaviour included IPPs not understanding the terms of either their agreements or any retirement deeds. There was also often uncertainty around final year entitlements or a delay or incomplete information from their firm. Finally, changing financial advisers or record-keeping practices, or the misunderstanding of how retirement payments are taxed, also contributed to the number of errors we observed.

If you’re planning to leave, or have recently left, a professional firm, we recommend that you:

• review your agreement and final statements 
• seek advice early from a tax professional who’s familiar with professional firm structures
• use updated guidance from us, or your firm’s finance team
• keep records of all communications and payments post-exit
• accurately report all income and distributions received – this includes all income derived, including amounts that may not be physically received but are applied or dealt with on your behalf
• include any capital gains or adjustments related to your exit
• ensure retirement payments are correctly classified.

If you’re still uncertain about to how to treat payments, you may seek a private ruling from us in relation to your circumstances.

Keep up to date

We have tailored communication channels for medium, large and multinational businesses, to keep you up to date with updates and changes you need to know.

Read more articles in our online Business bulletins newsroom.

Subscribe to our free:

• fortnightly Business bulletins email newsletterExternal Link
• email notifications about new and updated information on our website – you can choose to receive updates relevant to your situation. Choose the ‘Business and organisations’ category to ensure your subscription includes notifications for more Business bulletins newsroom articles like this one.

Source: South Australia Police

Explore the abundant natural beauty in our backyard on a free guided walk hosted by the City of Wanneroo’s Conservation team this spring.

Source: Mental Health Australia

Road users are advised of changed traffic conditions on the Hume Highway Bridge over Cabramatta Creek, Cabramatta.

The changes are necessary to improve safety for road users and extend the life of the bridge.

We will work for up to 12-day shifts and possibly one night shift between Monday 1 September and Tuesday 30 September 2025, weather permitting. 

Our day shift work hours are between 7am and 5pm,Monday to Friday. If required, our night shift work hours will be between 8pm and 5am, Sunday to Thursday. We will not work on Friday or Saturday nights.

There will be temporary traffic changes while we complete this work. This includes a single lane closure when equipment is being delivered and removed from site. Stop and go traffic controls may be needed for one night shift on the Hume Highway.

A reduced speed limit of 40km/h will be in place. Please keep to the speed limit and follow the direction of traffic controllers and signs.

Thank you for your patience while we finish this important work.

For the latest traffic updates across the network, download the Live Traffic NSW App, visit livetraffic.com or call 132 701.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force has now charged a 40-year-old woman in relation to a fatal crash that occurred in Palmerston in May this year.

On Wednesday, 20 August 2025, police charged the woman, who was the driver of the Nissan X-Trail, with:

• 3 x Drive Motor Vehicle Causing Death or Serious Harm
• 1 x Drive with Prohibited Drug in Body

 She has been remanded to appear in Darwin Local Court 22 August 2025.

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

MATT SHIRVINGTON, HOST: Well, turning now to an important summit that’s just two hours away, Education Ministers from around the country will sit down together for a special meeting on child safety in early education and care. The government is today proposing a $189 million package to keep kids safe, including funding a new National Educator Register, mandatory child safety training for all staff and mandatory phone ban from September, just 10 days away.

Joining me now is the Federal Education Minister, Jason Clare, live in Sydney. Good morning to you. Well, how confident, first off, you’ll sit down with the States today. Are they all on board?

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Yeah, I think so. I think they get it. I think every Australian gets it. Australians have been sickened by the revelations out of Victoria and other parts of the country over the last few months and they expect us to act. 

We’ve already, as you know, mate, passed laws through the Federal Parliament to cut off funding to child care centres that aren’t up to scratch, that aren’t meeting the safety standards that parents expect and that our kids deserve. We’re already using those powers. We’ve sent notices to 37 childcare centres already telling them that they’ve got to get up a scratch or we’ll cut off their funding. And there’s more to come on that front. 

But today’s meeting, as you rightly point out, is about the next step, about a National Educator Register so we can track people working from centre to centre and from state to state. National mandatory child safety training. So, the people in our centres, the awesome people who work in our centres, who look after our kids, who educate our kids, have got the skills they need to be able to identify somebody who might be up to no good in their centres and keep our kids safe. 

But not just that, also a national trial of CCTV to make sure that we get that right. That’s one of the tools that we can use to deter these bad actors from perpetrating the sort of crimes that we’ve seen against our kids, but also help police with investigations. A national ban on mobile phones, the personal phones that are used by paedophiles in centres. We’ve seen evidence of that as well, as well as more national inspections of centres. They’re important to be able to make sure that centres are up to scratch.

SHIRVINGTON: Jason, the big one was the National Register, because you can fail a Working with Children Check in one state and then go to another and get a job. When is that going to be implemented? That’s critical, isn’t it?

CLARE: Yeah, it’s one part of the puzzle. I don’t think anything’s a silver bullet here, but work on that, if we get approval today, will start immediately. 

We’ve got to build that from scratch and we’ll have to pass laws to make it mandatory for centres to put the information in it. But we want to test and trial that by December of this year and have it rolling out from February of next year. It’s just one of the things that we need to do, Shirvo. The mobile phone ban is important as well. So is the training for all of the educators. The CCTV is part of it as well. There’s not one single thing that we need to do here. We need to do all of it.

SHIRVINGTON: Just on the 37 centres that you identified that are absolutely failing standards at the moment, you’ve given them six months to improve. However, they’re still operating, aren’t they? Are you comfortable with that?

CLARE: These 37 centres have been failing to meet the sort of safety and quality standards that we expect for more than seven years. So, time after time, regulators have told them that you’re not meeting the standard and they’ve continued to not meet that standard. Now, what I’ve said is, if you don’t meet the standard you should —

SHIRVINGTON: But they are still open, for the next six months.

CLARE: Yeah, that’s right. And I’ve said, meet the standard or we’ll shut you down. So, they’ve got six months. They’ve told the parents at that centre that they’re subject to these new laws. They’ve got six months to meet that standard or the funding gets cut off.

SHIRVINGTON: It’s a long time. A lot can happen in six months. Minister, I’ll let you go. I know you’ve got a busy day. Thanks for joining us.

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

RAFAEL EPSTEIN, HOST:  Let’s turn our attention to what our Federal and State Ministers will do, how they will try to keep our kids safe. I want to know what you make of what you hear. CCTV, national register –

these are all the ideas that are running around. 1300 222 774 is the phone number. Jess Walsh is the Minister for Early Childhood Education in the Federal Government. Minister, good morning.

SENATOR DR JESS WALSH, MINISTER FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND MINISTER FOR YOUTH: Thanks for having me, Raf.

EPSTEIN: If I can start with CCTV – who wants all of this CCTV? It sounds a bit more like a problem than a solution.

WALSH: Well, CCTV, Raf, is one part of what is the biggest ever child safety package in early childhood education in our nation’s history that we’re bringing to this meeting. And I do want your listeners to know that CCTV is part of it. The first ever nationwide register of early educators is part of it too. Mandatory child safe training is really important and will be on the table today, along with more transparency to help parents hold providers to account. So, we want parents to know more information about what’s going on in their services to help them make choices and hold providers to account.

EPSTEIN: Just on the CCTV, though, a lot of parents get nervous about can it be just as much misused as used. Is it just an announceable? I’m just keen to drill down on who thinks it’s a big part of the solution.

WALSH: Sure. So, CCTV is already out there in services, Raf, and we think it’s time to assess the effectiveness of CCTV in keeping children safe. It has been a recommendation from both Victorian and NSW reviews that have been undertaken while these horrendous allegations and stories have been aired in early childhood education. So, what we want to do is put a framework around it. We will get an independent expert to look at CCTV, how it can help keep children safe, but also what the guardrails are that need to be put around CCTV to help keep children safe.

EPSTEIN: Does it mean you’re committed to some mandatory form of it?

WALSH: No, it’s an assessment, Raf. So, we’re going to draw 300 services into this assessment program. We’re going to appoint an independent expert to have oversight of this program. Sometimes State regulators, require services to install CCTV where they have some initial concerns, and we’ll draw those services into this assessment. And we’ll also encourage services who want to look at CCTV to participate on a voluntary basis as well. And we’ll take a good look at it and get some advice back about how to use it effectively and what the guardrails are that are needed.

EPSTEIN: Jess Walsh is who you’re listening to, the Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education. All of these Ministers getting together today to try and find some of the answers. A national register. Everyone’s a bit slow to this one, aren’t you? Like, it seems obvious that that should have been there for some time.

WALSH: Oh, look, I think it is pretty clear that this should have been in place and we are putting it into place. So, we are confident we’ll come out of this meeting with a decision to have the first ever nationwide register of early childhood educators. I think as Victorians, we’re all really aware of why it’s needed. We have this horrific alleged offending in Victoria. We’ve been in a situation where police are having to use search and seize powers to find pieces of paper, you know, that show police where this alleged offender worked. That is just not good enough. We need to know where our early childhood educators are working. We need our regulators to know that. We need them to be able to track patterns of behaviour, raise flags and take appropriate action.

EPSTEIN: It’s the same system that we’ve been talking about all week in child care. Minister, just on the register. For example, I heard your colleague Jason Clare saying on TV this morning, you’re going to have a national register up and running and working in February next year. How confident are you of that? Like, again, I think people love the idea and it seems to be a big part of the solution. Can you actually get that working, functioning fully, by February next year?

WALSH: We can. That’s the advice that we have. As soon as the meeting makes the decision today to go ahead with the register, the work to build it will begin. Providers will start uploading information from December and it will be mandatory from February for providers to participate in that register. And for the first time, we’ll know, not just at a state level, but at a national level, where early childhood educators are working. And regulators will be able to see that information as they should be able to, to help guide their interventions.

EPSTEIN: And just back to the CCTV idea, Goodstart have been pretty vocal about this. They’re a big provider. They call the CCTV just one tool, and a minor one. A lot of people, I think, assume that if you’ve got a data bank of video of young kids, it is going to be hacked. How confident are you about it as a big part of the solution?

WALSH: Well, I agree with those comments that you’ve cited there from Goodstart, that it’s a part of the solution, but not the only solution. In terms of confidence, you know, we do need to have this assessment, and we do need to understand what the guardrails are that need to be in place.

EPSTEIN: Is it just an announceable that you can say, you know, say something today?

WALSH: Absolutely not, Raf. And you’re focused on CCTV, but I also want to draw your attention to some of the other measures as well, particularly mandatory child safe training. So, CCTV is definitely part of the solution and it’s the regulators and the police who are really interested in having it. And a lot of parents do feel confident at the idea that CCTV will be there. Other parents, as you’ve said, have concerns about images being stored. It’s part of the solution. It’s not a silver bullet and we want to look at the guardrails around it. But you can’t replace long term, dedicated early childhood educators who know what they’re looking for when they go into work every day. And that is what is most critical to me in all of this. So, mandatory child safe training is a really important part of this package.

EPSTEIN: Labor’s been talking since opposition, since the deep days of the COVID lockdowns, about early childhood education. Labor has not been talking about mandatory child safe training. At the same time, it’s a bit wild, isn’t it, that we’re only now talking about that?

WALSH: Well, there’s training for early childhood educators in how to keep people safe. That’s part of the training. This is dedicated training that is really about detecting signs of child abuse.

EPSTEIN. So, I guess I’m saying that we’re a bit late to the mandatory part, aren’t we?

WALSH: Look, again, Raf, I think the best time to have put some of these measures into place would have been ahead of all of these absolutely horrific allegations and experiences that parents are having that no parent should have. I mean, there is no doubt about that. No one shies away from that. The second best time to do this is now. We are in a meeting today, an urgent meeting that’s been called to deal with this. What I’m really focused on is taking action now, Raf. I want to come out of this meeting with a strong, united plan. I want the states and territories to be working in lockstep with the Commonwealth. I want parents to know that we are focused on keeping children safe. I want parents to know that we will work together with the states and territories to restore their confidence in early learning, because the vast majority of early childhood educators are there to do the right thing and we want to support them to do that with these reforms.

EPSTEIN: Jess Walsh is the Minister for Early Childhood Education in the Federal Government. Thanks so much for your time today. Good luck with it.

WALSH: Thank you. Raf.

Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

Consumer Affairs Victoria is urging all families to keep their home safe for young children by checking they have curtain and blind cords secured.

Looped curtain and blind cords can quickly become deadly if a child places one over their head and becomes entangled. Tragically, unsecured cords are responsible for the strangulation deaths of 1 to 2 Australian children each year.

How to make your home safe

Install a curtain and blind cord safety kit to keep cords tensioned and out of reach.

Order a free kit from Consumer Affairs Victoria or buy one at a hardware store.

Check every room for looped cords, especially if blinds or curtains were installed before 2015. Older products may not meet current mandatory safety standards.

Renters can install safety kits without needing approval from their rental provider.

New reforms to keep children safe in rental properties

From 1 December 2025, all residential rental properties must have secured cords on internal window coverings to prevent them forming loops.

Renters will have the right to request an urgent repair if cords are not secured. It will also become an offence for a rental provider (landlord) to allow a new renter to move into a rental property that does not meet this mandatory minimum rental standard.

The new rules will close the gap left by the existing Commonwealth Safety Standard, which only applies to blinds and curtains installed from 2015 onwards.

Consumer Affairs Victoria Director Nicole Rich says loose and looped curtain and blind cords pose an unacceptable risk to children.

‘The new standards will ensure that all rental properties meet this essential safety standard with no exemptions.’

For more information, visit Product Safety Australia.

Source:

Credit: Hastings Fire Brigade

Four brigades in Victoria’s south east are part of 26 CFA brigades now trained and ready to respond to select medical Triple Zero (000) calls as part of a new program that officially commenced in 2023.

The Fire Medical Response (FMR) program is a joint initiative of CFA and Ambulance Victoria that sees CFA brigades and Ambulance Victoria dispatched simultaneously to cardiac arrests.

Hastings, Phillip Island, Cockatoo, and Emerald fire brigades went live on 21 of August, with Sorrento and Wonthaggi joining the program earlier in the month. Ultimately, 50 CFA brigades around Victoria will undertake the FMR role in their communities.

Hastings Fire Brigade Captain Mike Willmott said the decision to join the program was an easy one given the benefits it will provide his community.

“When we asked our volunteers about joining the program, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Our members didn’t hesitate to step up,” Mike said.

“I’m just so proud of our volunteers, who are taking on this important role in addition to firefighting. When a person suffers a cardiac arrest, their chance of survival reduces by 10 per cent every minute that CPR and defibrillation is delayed.

“What this program means is that community members who call for an ambulance may receive both a fire truck and an ambulance. There is no specific order in which the services arrive to the incident. Our ultimate aim is to get to the patient as quickly as possible.”

The four brigades have been training extensively with Ambulance Victoria and CFA in preparation for the program, which will complement Ambulance Victoria’s response in those local areas.

CFA Assistant Chief Fire Officer Sean Kerr said the program was a natural fit for CFA because of the 52,000 volunteers across the state.

“CFA has more than 1,100 volunteer fire stations with more than 52,000 members,” Sean said.

“This puts CFA in a unique position to complement the Ambulance Victoria response in 50 locations across Victoria to help deliver early intervention to cardiac arrests.”

Ambulance Victoria Executive Director of Regional Operations, Danielle North, said Victoria has Australia’s best cardiac survival rate and the third best anywhere in the world, thanks to high rates of early intervention.

“The Fire Medical Response program will improve survival rates for people in rural and regional Victoria,” Danielle said.

“Quick intervention with CPR and a defibrillator has the greatest impact on improving a patient’s chances of surviving a cardiac arrest.” 

Submitted by	CFA media