☕️ The latest on Karl Stefanovic

In breaking news this morning, former independents Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall have announced the launch of a new party, ‘Community Strong Australia’.

It follows months of reporting about a potential new party, which is expected to back candidates across both houses of Parliament at the next election.

On this, Spender said: “Too many Australians feel politics is dominated by career politicians who don’t listen to them… Australians deserve a positive, responsible alternative.”

It is understood that no other sitting MPs have joined the party.

The quote: “I can't do it. No, I can't. I know a lot of people will be watching it on their phones, but the answer is unfortunately no.” NSW Premier Chris Minns on 2GB yesterday morning when asked whether he would call a public holiday for Friday, when the Socceroos play their final World Cup group stage match.

The stat: 16. The number of A380 planes Airbus will inspect after cracks were found in the wings.

The big question:

Yesterday’s results: 78% of you said you never play console games. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [1,919 votes].

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Today Show presenter Karl Stefanovic will reportedly leave Channel Nine after publishing a podcast interview with British far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Soon after the podcast was uploaded, it was removed from YouTube, Spotify, and Instagram.

On Wednesday, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson posted the interview on her social media accounts, saying: “It looks like [Nine is] trying to sack my good friend Karl Stefanovic for this video with Tommy Robinson!”

By Wednesday evening, media reports had surfaced that Stefanovic would be leaving Nine following “crisis meetings”.

So, what’s going on?

Stefanovic has hosted Nine’s Today show since 2005 (aside from a one-year gap in 2019).

In January, he launched a video podcast called The Karl Stefanovic Show, where he provides commentary on politics and current affairs, and interviews public figures. It is independent from Nine. The show’s description says it is: “Unfiltered. Unscripted. Uncensored.”

Stefanovic has hosted Hanson, former Prime Minister John Howard, and former TV host and vaccine skeptic Pete Evans among other guests.

This week, Stefanovic uploaded an interview with controversial far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has attracted attention for his anti-immigration, anti-Islam beliefs. He has been jailed for assault, contempt of court, using someone else’s passport, and mortgage fraud.

After recent incidents of violence in the UK, Robinson has attended and encouraged anti-immigration protests.

On Tuesday, Stefanovic shared an interview promo on social media.

Soon after the interview was uploaded, it was taken down from streaming platforms with no explanation. Google confirmed to TDA that the video’s removal from YouTube was not its decision. The promo and a preview of the podcast is still on X.

On Wednesday, Hanson shared the interview to her social media, including the full podcast on her YouTube. She called Stefanovic her “good friend,” adding: “The weak management of Channel 9 want to sack Karl over this interview.”

At the time of publishing, Stefanovic has not publicly addressed the podcast’s removal or a reported fallout with Nine.

On the episode itself, a Nine spokesperson told AAP: “The Karl Stefanovic Show is a completely independent production.”

“Nine has no involvement, including in the guest selection and other editorial processes. However, Nine is taking this matter seriously.”

The media company has not issued a public statement about severing ties with Stefanovic.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

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🎵 Who are the iconic Aussie artists caught up in one of the biggest data heists in music history? Read TDA Culture at 5pm today to find out more.

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The Government’s changes to CGT and negative gearing have passed Parliament, after Labor secured a deal with the Greens in the Senate.

One condition of the Greens’ support was ending the ability of self-managed super funds (SMSFs) to borrow money to buy residential investment properties. Existing borrowings will not be affected.

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia said the change would bring SMSFs “in line with the rules that apply to all other super funds”.

CGT applies to the profit from the sale of an investment, including property and shares.

Since 1999, if you held an investment for more than 12 months, you only paid tax on half the profit when you sold it.

From 1 July 2027, the flat 50% discount is gone. Instead, your original purchase price will be adjusted to account for inflation. You’ll only pay tax on the gain above that adjusted figure. No matter what, you’ll always pay a minimum tax rate of 30% (on gains made after 1 July 2027).

Gearing refers to borrowing money from a bank for a purchase, such as an investment property. Negative gearing is when a landlord spends more on an investment property than they make from the rental income.

Under negative gearing, this loss can be deducted from their taxable income, so they pay less tax overall.

The Government announced negative gearing will be restricted to newly built properties, taking effect from 1 July 2027, but applying to homes bought on or after Budget night (12 May).

While the Government has a majority in the House of Representatives (lower house), it has 30 senators in the Senate (upper house).

In a full Senate of 76 members, a majority is 39 votes. The Greens hold 10 Senate seats, so with their support Labor would have 40 votes, enough to pass the bill.

Labor negotiated with the Greens to secure the votes needed to pass the reforms.

Under the deal, people with self-managed super funds (SMSFs) will no longer be able to borrow through their SMSF to buy residential investment properties. Industry and retail super funds are already subject to similar restrictions. An SMSF is a super fund that individuals manage themselves, rather than having their retirement savings managed by an industry or retail super fund.

In a press conference after the deal was announced, Greens Senator Nick McKim said: “This will take some demand out of the housing market and it will mean that there is less opportunity for people in SMSF to show up to auctions and use their tax advantages to outbid renters and prospective first home buyers.”

The Coalition voted against the changes. Speaking to 2GB on Wednesday, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor described Labor's deal with the Greens as “dodgy”, “dishonest” and “dangerous”.

Taylor argued the Government wants “all super funds run by big industry super fund bureaucracies because they're their mates”. He also claimed Labor “hates” self-managed super funds.

The Association of Super Funds in Australia CEO Mary Delahunty said super funds are “generally prohibited” from borrowing as the super system “exists to preserve savings for retirements.”

“The law restricts funds from taking on the risk that a leveraged investment could have an outsized negative effect on those savings,” Delahunty said.

She added: “Until now, SMSFs have been the exception to this rule,” but now would be “in line with the rules that apply to all other super funds.”

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

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Dr Heather Handley from Museums Victoria led the study, which examined oral storytelling traditions from around the Pacific Ocean. Stories from Hawai’i, Australia, Fiji and other nations could be used to identify past volcanic eruptions that can help us understand the future. Handley said: “These knowledge systems can provide detailed, place-based insights into past volcanic activity that are often difficult to obtain through scientific methods alone.” She added that there are several cases where “modern science has simply re-discovered eruptions that Indigenous communities had already encoded in their Oral Traditions, centuries or millennia ago.”

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

Ever wondered how loud a human voice can actually get?

Canberra town crier Joseph McGrail Bateup is now the world’s loudest man after recording a 122.4 decibel shout. That’s as loud as a plane taking off.

Bateup said: “When I was a kid I didn’t really have a loud voice, I was very shy, withholding all that stuff until I left school and I joined the theatre… I got loud and as the years went by, louder.” In a win for the arts, he says he “can be louder than the sports cars” beside him when he’s performing as a town crier.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.