1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: International correspondence with ends in Eye Insurance Peace of Mind 2 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:06,200 Speaker 1: for New Zealand Business. 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 2: Murray Old OSSI correspondence to me. Now he mus Afternoondia Heather, 4 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 2: so is Gareth Wood? Has he just completely lost the 5 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 2: plot here? Has he? 6 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: Well? No his argument and it's being put this afternoon 7 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: by his lawyer. He says, listen until my appeal is heard. 8 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: The appeal process is heard and has concluded I am 9 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: entitled to remain a member of the New South Wales Parliament. 10 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: He's currently in jail, as you say, very serious sex 11 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: offenses against a couple of young men. He went to 12 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 1: jail straight away last week with bail was revoked, so 13 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: he's been in jail for a week now. The Parliament 14 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:46,840 Speaker 1: can't under the constitution, the Parliament can't punish him, heaber, 15 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: that's not allowed. But the Parliament can seek to preserve 16 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: its dignity by expelling MPs who are convicted of pretty 17 00:00:57,520 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: serious crimes. That's what the government wants to do and 18 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: got by part of the support. But at Gareth Ward's 19 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:07,039 Speaker 1: lawyer went to the Supreme Court on Tuesday this week 20 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: and sought an adjunction. Successfully sought an injunction to prevent 21 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: the Parliament considering emotion along those lines to kick him 22 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: out at once. So he's in jail, probably in protective custody, 23 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: still collecting around a quarter million dollars a year in salary. 24 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: And he says he's entitled to say as an MP 25 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,479 Speaker 1: until he has had his appeal has been heard. 26 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 2: Ah ok, fair enough. I suppose, I suppose what do 27 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:32,039 Speaker 2: you make of this plan about GST? 28 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,199 Speaker 1: Well, look on the service, it looks to be pretty smart. 29 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: But Albany, but the Prime Minister Anthony Albanezi, you know, 30 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: he says it won't be considered in a nutshell right, 31 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,679 Speaker 1: The GST has been ten percent forever ever since it 32 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: came in about twenty five years ago. The government has 33 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: an economic roundtable later this month. Unions, business leaders all invited. 34 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 1: Now a new suggestion from an economist, raise the GST 35 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: to fifteen percent, right up from ten to fifteen percent, 36 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: and taking items that currently are exempt like fresh food, 37 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: like childcare, like education, like help and utilities as well. 38 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: These are exempt from the GST. Now the sums look 39 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: pretty igh watering. It would raise over ninety billion dollars 40 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 1: a year. But here's the thing. If you raise that 41 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: says this economist's plan, you'd have to provide offsets. Every 42 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: tax player would get around three and a half thousand 43 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: dollars in rebates, which would eliminate the impact of the 44 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 1: higher GST on the first twenty two to twenty three 45 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: thousand dollars of everyone's annual income, which would help young 46 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: people starting out in the workforce. You wouldn't be paying 47 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,079 Speaker 1: as much income tax and never to get young people 48 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,679 Speaker 1: earn less. But they've still paid a disproportioned amount of 49 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: income tax. But Alban Eazy just, I don't know what 50 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:48,359 Speaker 1: the problem is. He's got ninety four seats in the 51 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: lower House of Federal Parliament. The opposition is fifty seats behind. 52 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: If he's not going to do it now, he'll never 53 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: do it because he's got the perfect opportunity with a 54 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: margin like that. Have some cur have some testicular fortitude 55 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: and say we're going to have tax re form here. 56 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,640 Speaker 1: We need it because you can't keep relying it relying 57 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 1: on income text just not going to work. 58 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 2: As you see Albanezy's come out and defended just to 59 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 2: Alan for the working from home idea. 60 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:16,640 Speaker 1: Well, look at a labor it's a labor thing. You 61 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: know workers have to have I mean, look, I'm a 62 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:22,919 Speaker 1: labor voter, you know that. But the right to work 63 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:26,360 Speaker 1: from home isn't the spotlight over here. Property Council Austray says, listen, 64 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:31,079 Speaker 1: we've got all this vacant office space in downtown's all 65 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:34,240 Speaker 1: over the country. The vacancy rates in some of the 66 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: high rise buildings in our CBDs ever, are at a 67 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: thirty year high three zeros. They have them in this 68 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 1: high for thirty years fifteen percent plus in some cb 69 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: details worse than some pockets of Melbourne. Now, look, the 70 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: cb details are making a slow comeback, but you know 71 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: from COVID. COVID destroyed businesses. We all know people work 72 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: from home and people got used to it. They quite 73 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: liked working from home. The Property Council says, listen, employers 74 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: have to get workers back into these offices because property 75 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: counts are losing money and the Victorian governments confirmed it's 76 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,119 Speaker 1: going to actually legislate to guarantee the right of employees 77 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: to work from home two days a week. The bosses 78 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:16,679 Speaker 1: are saying, you're out of your mind. The Property Council 79 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: are saying, listen, we need the revenue to keep on 80 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: adding to the office space because the economy isn't going 81 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,839 Speaker 1: to stand still. Interesting to see where this one's going 82 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: to land. 83 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 2: Marz appreciate your time, Murray Old's Australia correspondent. For more 84 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:33,359 Speaker 2: from Hither Duplessy Alan Drive, listen live to news talks 85 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:36,600 Speaker 2: it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 86 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 2: on iHeartRadio.