Julian Burnside to challenge Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong
Human rights lawyer Julian Burnside has backed the reintroduction of death taxes to help reduce Australia’s debt and deficit and tackle climate change, in his bid to topple Treasurer Josh Frydenberg at the federal election.
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Human rights lawyer Julian Burnside has backed the reintroduction of death taxes to help reduce Australia’s debt and deficit and tackle climate change.
Mr Burnside, a prominent barrister, confirmed this morning that he had joined the Greens in recent days and would take on Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in the leafy eastern Melbourne suburbs seat of Kooyong in the upcoming federal election.
He said this morning that most Kooyong residents were “concerned to leave a nice house or lots of money to their kids”.
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In the past, I've said I wasn’t interested in politics. But it’s clear to me that things urgently need to change. So I’ve decided to run in Kooyong as @Greens candidate because of the situation our community, our country and our planet are facing… #auspol #KooyongVotes
— Julian Burnside (@JulianBurnside) March 5, 2019
“I think leaving a planet you can live in is also a good idea,” Mr Burnside said, as he described climate change as the main issue facing the country.
Asked if he supported taxing deceased estates, Mr Burnside said “death taxes” had been “part of the political landscape in Australia” until former Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen scrapped them.
“Whether the country is improved by Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s policy positions is another question,” Mr Burnside said.
“But I think the number one thing is, first of all, our deficit is far too high, and second of all, I think we need to take seriously the threat to the human species on this planet.”
Asked if he would be happy to pay a death tax, Mr Burnside said: “When I’m dead, I don’t care.”
“If having a good house means that I can contribute a bit more to reducing the deficit, and maybe does something towards combating climate change, that’s good,” he said.
He added that he supported the Greens’ “suite of policies” and said he would “work from inside” to change any he disagreed with.
Mr Burnside’s Twitter profile notes he is “very troubled by climate change and our mistreatment of asylum seekers” and “worried about the level of dishonesty in politics”.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison dismissed any speculation Mr Burnside would be a threat to Mr Frydenberg in Kooyong.
Mr Morrison said the barrister “makes a lot of noise” but wouldn’t be able to get tangible results.
“Julian Burnside won’t be able to prevent retirees getting taxed $5 billion a year. A vote for Julian Burnside won’t be able to do that. He won’t be able to stop Labor’s tax attack on the electors of Kooyong. There is only one person who can stop that and that is the Treasurer,” he told reporters in Canberra today.
Mr Frydenberg is already facing a challenge from former Liberal Party member Oliver Yates, who will run as an independent.
The Treasurer and Deputy Liberal leader holds his seat on a margin of 12.8 per cent after a redistribution last year.
He won 58.2 per cent of the primary vote at the 2016 election, while Labor won 19.8 per cent.
Mr Burnside’s candidacy and strong name recognition is likely to boost the Greens vote beyond the 18.9 per cent it won at the last poll.
It could parachute them into second place, in a position to benefit from preference flows, and potentially into the running to claim the seat.
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