‘She gets a layer of misogyny,’ Burns tells inquiry
Tory Shepherd
Josh Burns, who is Jewish, told the royal commission into antisemitism earlier of his guilt that his partner, Victorian Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell, has copped misogyny on top of antisemitism.
He told the inquiry about the impact of antisemitism on his staff after his office was vandalised, and that there had been more than 1,000 phone calls and 10,000 abusive social media messages.
And he said “probably one of the hardest things” was to have someone you love get abused”:
[She gets] the same questioning of her loyalty and the same attribution of blame that I get. But she gets a layer of misogyny and a layer of sort of violent, sexualised comments on top of it as well that I don’t get.
One example the commission was shown was attacking Purcell for getting “knocked up” by a “Nazi cunt”.
Burns said the Online Safety Act and the social media platforms needed better ways to deal with the attacks:
Instagram knows when I was looking for a new high chair for my six-month-old. They can do a better job of … making it a bit safer online.
The third block of hearings began on Monday, and will go for two weeks.
Key events
Josh Butler
Greens demand another gambling inquiry amid frustration over government reforms
The Greens want a Senate inquiry into Labor’s proposed reforms to gambling advertising, pushing for a probe to run over the parliamentary winter break.
The long-awaited gambling reforms were approved by Labor’s caucus meeting today, after a consultation period run with stakeholders.
We’re still awaiting the final form of the legislation but Anika Wells said there would only be minor changes to the exposure draft – which we understand will be some small changes to definitions and settings, nothing major.
The Greens are said to be quite unhappy and upset by the proposed reforms, saying they don’t go far enough to address gambling harms. The bill is expected to be introduced into the lower house this week, and may come to the Senate before parliament rises on Thursday night.
The Greens are also not keen to wave through Labor’s updates to the under-16s social media ban as the government proposes to double fines for big tech companies and give the eSafety commissioner more powers to investigate.
The Greens have long held concerns about the legislation and also want the new changes to be examined by another Senate committee.
Tom McIlroy
Labor obligated to act on housing crisis: Albanese
Anthony Albanese has told Labor MPs the government is “obligated” to address the crisis in housing affordability, days after tax reform proposals from the federal budget passed parliament.
Addressing a closed-door meeting of caucus at Parliament House this morning, the prime minister said “everyone now accepts that the housing market is broken”.
Once that premise was accepted, there was an obligation to act.
We will keep hearing from young people who had given up and will now own their first home.
A Labor MP asked Albanese about the advantage wealthy people have in using their existing assets to leverage more assets.
Albanese said the budget dealt with examples of inequality of opportunity.
We don’t stand for equality of outcomes, but we do stand for equality of opportunity. The concept of improving the situation for people who earn their income from work is part of this.
‘She gets a layer of misogyny,’ Burns tells inquiry
Tory Shepherd
Josh Burns, who is Jewish, told the royal commission into antisemitism earlier of his guilt that his partner, Victorian Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell, has copped misogyny on top of antisemitism.
He told the inquiry about the impact of antisemitism on his staff after his office was vandalised, and that there had been more than 1,000 phone calls and 10,000 abusive social media messages.
And he said “probably one of the hardest things” was to have someone you love get abused”:
[She gets] the same questioning of her loyalty and the same attribution of blame that I get. But she gets a layer of misogyny and a layer of sort of violent, sexualised comments on top of it as well that I don’t get.
One example the commission was shown was attacking Purcell for getting “knocked up” by a “Nazi cunt”.
Burns said the Online Safety Act and the social media platforms needed better ways to deal with the attacks:
Instagram knows when I was looking for a new high chair for my six-month-old. They can do a better job of … making it a bit safer online.
The third block of hearings began on Monday, and will go for two weeks.
Luca Ittimani
Property investor borrowing grows at fastest pace in 10 years
Property investor borrowing rose at its fastest rate in a decade in May despite three interest rate rises and the budget’s tax changes, data from the Reserve Bank shows.
Investor borrowing for housing grew $6.6bn in May, an 0.8% rise on a seasonally adjusted basis. Investor credit has grown by at least that much every month since August, with the annual pace rising to 10.3%, the fastest pace since 2015.
Owner-occupier borrowing has slowed to 0.4% growth in May, the slowest pace since February 2025, after rising 0.5% each prior month this year.
Borrowing across the economy overall picked up 0.7%, in line with the prior two months and higher than analysts had expected after rising interest rates increased the cost of loans.
The data provides the first system-wide insight on how borrowing has changed since the federal budget in mid-May cut off access to negative gearing for investors buying existing homes. Banks have responded by slashing investors’ borrowing capacity by about 20%, NAB has reported.
Westpac earlier in June reported investor loans had fallen by a fifth since the budget but owner-occupier demand had held steady.
Josh Burns calls out ‘ugly’ online abuse directed at Georgie Purcell
The federal Labor MP Josh Burns says social media platforms are “arenas of hate” which his partner, Georgie Purcell, has been on the receiving end of.
Speaking to the media a short time ago, after appearing at the royal commission into social cohesion, Burns said Purcell, a Victorian upper house MP for the Animal Justice party, had successfully built a “massive platform” but regularly received online abuse.
Burns said:
She’s very good at social media, but what comes with it, unfortunately, is all of the antisemitism that I receive, plus this added layer of misogyny and sexism that, frankly, only happens because she’s a woman in politics, that I don’t get as a male in politics.
She gets all of the abuse just because she’s associated with me, just because her partner’s Jewish, and then because she’s a woman in politics, she also gets an added layer of misogyny and often violent sexualised language, which is pretty ugly.
Burns continued:
Social media platforms are the arenas of hate, and they are the platforms in which people can spread messages of dehumanisation and racism and vilification.
And I would actually challenge the social media platforms to prove that they are not amplifying that.
You can read more about Purcell’s experience, in her own words, here:
Government rolls out Social Cohesion Education Hub
School students and teachers will soon have access to lessons combating antisemitism and discrimination via a national online hub.
The government has announced the hub will be rolled out from today, which was a recommendation by the special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal.
The education minister, Jason Clare, says the hub will bring together existing resources from across the country in one place, before developing more resources over time “in tranches to fill gaps and address emerging needs”.
The Social Cohesion Education Hub comes with a price tag of $6m over five years.
Clare says:
Bringing together existing resources from across the country into one place is the first step. We’ll keep adding to the hub over time to make sure we’re giving schools and educators the tools they need. What we teach in schools is important here too. That’s why education ministers have agreed to a focused review of the school curriculum.
Luca Ittimani
Shared ebikes now used by a million NSW residents monthly
Over 1 million New South Wales residents now use a shared ebike each month, roughly doubling since October, as the state moves to add new parking zones.
The secretary of Transport for NSW, Josh Murray, shared the number on Tuesday, announcing the new parking plan alongside minister John Graham. Graham said:
We’ve got to change the culture. We’re asking for cooperation for bike riders here. These bikes are incredibly popular but they are having an impact on our city.
The state has charged ebike operators 80 cents per ride and is directing some of that funding to help councils set up parking zones. Operators will enforce compliance by geotracking the bikes and requiring customers to send photos of correctly parked bikes, Graham said.
The government was moving towards requiring ebike riders to park in a bay or be unable to end their trips, which would leave their meter running, Graham said.
Riders can be required to park in a parking bay or the trip won’t end. That’s where this is heading.
Thirteen NSW councils now host sharebike schemes. Graham said the government expected councils to install thousands of additional parking spots over 2026.
You can read more about the parking plan here:
What’s changing on 1 July?
Tomorrow is 1 July which means you can file your tax return, but there are also a bunch of other changes coming into effect.
From automatic indexation on some social welfare payments to extended parental leave (which Labor was spruiking all of last week), my colleague Ima Caldwell has a breakdown of all the changes that you need to know:
Oh wait, another pollie has announced a podcast
Every politician and their dog seems to be buying sound equipment and setting up a podcast studio – with Sarah Hanson-Young the latest to announce her new show … the original and creatively named, “The Sarah Hanson-Young podcast”.
To name a few, Liberal MP Andrew Wallace has a podcast, named “Wally’s World”, Labor MP Dan Repacholi has “Dan & the Doctor”, David Pocock has a podcast “With David Pocock”, and Alex Antic brings you “Based with Senator Alex Antic”.
I’d love to know the listener numbers on any and all of these.
Hanson-Young’s new weekly podcast promises “her political insights and analysis on current affairs, and a chat with a special guest to share conversations she’s having about fixing a broken political system”.
Jordyn Beazley
Following on from our previous post …
The parties’ confidential settlement involved Cairo Takeaway, Birenbaum and the Daily Telegraph releasing a joint statement in which the Daily Telegraph apologised to Cairo Takeaway for “causing distress”. Cairo also apologised unreservedly to Birenbaum.
But just hours after the agreed joint statement was published, the dispute was reignited when Birenbaum posted an additional “personal statement” to his Instagram and X accounts claiming he was “vindicated”. He posted the personal statement to the X account three hours before he posted the joint statement.
His lawyer, Rebekah Giles, also sent statements to media in which she labelled the settlement “an important win for Ofir Birenbaum and the Australian Jewish community”, the court heard.
In May, during a hearing over allegations Birenbaum breached parts of the settlement, lawyers for Cairo Takeaway alleged the statements by Birenbaum and Giles were a “coordinated effort” to discredit the settlement and “control the narrative” in the media.
Birenbaum’s lawyer, Kieran Smark SC, denied the comments were inconsistent with the official joint statement. He also suggested Birenbaum was vindicated because the restaurant had made a public apology.
Jordyn Beazley
Ofir Birenbaum breached settlement with Cairo Takeaway, court finds
A pro-Israel activist breached parts of a legal settlement with Sydney restaurant Cairo Takeaway, a court has found.
Justice Robert Bromwich handed down his decision in the federal court of Australia on Tuesday in the latest chapter of the long-running feud after Ofir Birenbaum went to Cairo Takeaway wearing a Star of David cap and necklace with reporters from the Daily Telegraph in February 2025.
The operation, later revealed to have been dubbed “undercover Jew” internally by the newspaper, made international headlines after it backfired.
In August, Birenbaum launched defamation proceedings against the restaurant’s owner Hesham El Masry and staff member Talaat Yehia for statements made in a series of social media posts.
The case settled in March, but was reopened after the restaurant alleged Birenbaum had breached parts of the settlement the parties had agreed by claiming he was “completely vindicated”.
‘I honestly don’t think rebranding is going to help us get there’: Duniam
Jonno Duniam, who has announced he will retire from the Senate some time this year, disputes the call for a Liberal rebrand and says the focus should be on developing a suite of policies.
He tackles the suggestion from Melissa McIntosh a little stronger than some of his colleagues and says that talking about the Liberal party and its brand probably won’t help the Coalition win the next election.
He tells Sky News:
I think people are less concerned about the packaging or the box and what it looks like on the outside and more worried about what is on the inside, which is, frankly, where we’ve got to be focused. We’ve got to actually get our policy work done … That’s when we’ll start seeing the dial shift, or people return to us, having abandoned us.
I don’t think talking about ourselves and our brand is going to help us win the next election. I honestly don’t think rebranding is going to help us get there.
He also trashes any talk of preference deals, saying, “I think it is ridiculous for us in 2026 to be talking about preferences for a 2028 election.”
Duniam says ‘bet your bottom dollar’ Labor will legislate super for under-18s
Shadow frontbencher, Jono Duniam, says you can bet your bottom dollar Labor will mandate superannuation payments for under-18s.
Right now an employer only has to pay super to a worker aged under 18 if they work more than 30 hours a week.
Jim Chalmers this morning said the government was engaging with young people on the issue, but said the priority for the moment was payday super (requiring employers to pay super at the same time as a paycheque).
Duniam told Sky News the government should understand what the changes will do before “rushing into another dodgy dirty deal”.
On whether the government, the people who control whether this happens or not, are going to do it, I think you can bet your bottom dollar they will …
Obviously, there are implications for employers, and we want to understand all of this. You can’t just do these things on the fly. There are costs to employers, particularly when you’ve got a huge casual and young workforce. Let’s understand what impact that would have on the economy before we rush off into another dirty dodgy deal with the Greens.
Qantas customers told to start compensation claim
Jonathan Barrett
Qantas customers who were refused refunds for flights cancelled during the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions can start their compensation claims as part of a class action settlement.
Echo Law began contacting affected customers on Monday as part of a $105m settlement reached in March, in which Qantas agreed to resolve claims regarding its refund policies.
The court-approved letter sent to customers says that “even persons who have used their Qantas flight credit or were ultimately refunded for their flight are eligible for a settlement payment”.
The minimum compensation payment is $50, although some customers will receive “significantly more”, according to the letter.
The lawsuit alleged that affected customers were contractually entitled to cash refunds when their flights were cancelled, but were instead issued travel credits, often with restrictions and expiries.
Qantas settled the claim but did not admit fault.
Leeser won’t back calls for a Liberal rebrand
Like every other Liberal facing the media this morning, Julian Leeser is asked whether he wants to – like Melissa McIntosh – see a rebrand of the Liberal party.
He doesn’t say yes or no, but the underlying vibe is – not really.
He sticks to the messages that the Coalition has been trumpeting – lower taxes and stronger borders – and says that’s been going down well among his constituents in Sydney.
When I go around my electorate, I’ve been talking to them about our tax-back policy, which is going over very well in the community because we are going to let people keep more of the money they earn.
When you go into a new tax bracket because you’ve had a wage drives, you deserve to keep that money.
Asked whether he supports Andrew Hastie’s strategy of fighting One Nation head on or Angus Taylor’s approach, Leeser again doesn’t want to engage, and says:
I’m focused on selling our policies to people in my electorate.
Leeser describes antisemitic abuse post Bondi terror attack
Julian Leeser, a Liberal frontbencher and Jewish MP, says online abuse has “gone to a whole new level” since the Bondi terror attack in December, and has called on social media platforms to step up.
Yesterday we reported that the royal commission into antisemitism had received a mixed response from platforms, some which had provided little or no response.
Leeser told Sky News:
Every time I post anything on my social media, I’m called a traitor and a Mossad agent, and there are graphic, violent and sexual comments that are made that I will not repeat on your program. That’s what Jewish Australians are copping today.
I’m a member of parliament. You expect some level of abuse as a member of parliament, but no one should expect that level of abuse, and I don’t want an Australia for my children, or for anyone’s children, where people are judged on the basis of their race or religion.
Lawyer investigating CFMEU says call to pause Victorian big build projects is ‘silly’
Geoffrey Watson, the barrister who was appointed by the CFMEU administrator to investigate allegations of corruption and criminal offences within the union, said it would be counterproductive to pause Victoria’s big build projects while corruption in the sector is rooted out.
That call was made by deputy Liberal leader, Jane Hume, yesterday after reports by Nine newspapers that CFMEU officials appointed criminals to major roles within big-build firms and the state government knew the union’s takeover of construction sites was driving up costs and blowing out timelines.
Watson told RN Breakfast earlier this morning it was concerning. Watson has called for a royal commission to investigate how organised crime within the building sector “has infiltrated and really wrecked a major part of the economy”.
This is really into a criminal investigation … It happens to be the building industry, but it’s not like the other [construction sector] inquiries. It’s into crime. Now, why do I think we need it? It’s because the police, and they’ve made a statement today, they don’t have the relevant powers. They’ve been doing a great job, but they don’t have the relevant powers to investigate.
But asked whether federal funding for the big builds should be paused while the issue is investigated, Watson says that would be silly.
It’s silly. It’s counterproductive again, you want the projects now that they’ve started to get on and get finished … But if you said, as I heard suggested yesterday by somebody, that the site should be shut down, well, all you’re going to do is enable the people to be paid for not working. You’re going to drive a whole lot of innocent contractors out of business.