Your afternoon Briefing: Labor opens door to backing tax package

Your 2-minute digest of the day’s top stories.

Hello readers. Labor opens the door to ultimately backing Scott Morrison’s $158bn tax package, and Kerryn Phelps returns to Canberra to convince senators to keep the Medivac system intact.

Acting Treasurer Simon Birmingham during a doorstop in Canberra to respond to the Shadow TreasurerÕs Jim Chalmers Press Club address in Canberra. Picture Gary Ramage

Labor opens door to backing tax package

Labor’s caucus has left the door open to ultimately backing Scott Morrison’s $158 billion income tax package if its amendments fail in the Senate.

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(FILES) A file photo taken on August 6, 2002, shows Captain Belinda Fleming standing in front of a Regional Express Airlines (REX) plane during the airline's launch at Sydney Airport. The regional Australian airline on March 20, 2017, grounded six planes from its fleet after a propeller fell off one of them as it approached Sydney airport. / AFP PHOTO / WILLIAM WEST

‘Despicable and cowardly’

Airline Regional Express (Rex) temporarily suspended ASX trade on Monday as it hit back against claims of shoddy maintenance practices.

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Former MP Kerryn Phelps speaks to the media during a press conference at Australian Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, July 1, 2019. (AAP Image/Rohan Thomson) NO ARCHIVING

Phelps pushes Senate on Medivac bill

Former independent MP Kerryn Phelps will lobby key crossbenchers — including Jacqui Lambie — not to repeal the contentious Medivac legislation, urging them to “open their mind and hearts to the plight of people on Manus Island and Nauru”.

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***BESTPIX*** MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JUNE 29: Boris Johnson talks on stage at Manchester Central Convention Complex on June 29, 2019 in Manchester, England. Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt are the final two MPs left in the contest to replace Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party. The winner will be announced on July 23rd 2019 and will also take up the post of Prime Minister of the UK and Northern Ireland. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Boris may regret becoming PM

Boris Johnson may live to regret becoming Prime Minister as his need to be popular will render him ineffective, writes Clare Foges.

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Logies - Norman Gunston and Tom Gleeson

Moment Gleeson became Gunston

As the TV industry clutches its pearls over Tom Gleeson winning the gold Logie after a campaign dissing its very existence, straight from the archives comes the last ABC talent to win one: Norman Gunston. | WATCH