Your afternoon Briefing: Lambie demands Tas debt relief for tax cuts support

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

Hello readers. Jacqui Lambie wants Tasmania’s debt from the government relieved if she’s to pass Morrison’s full tax cuts agenda, and a factional brawl has gripped Labor in Victoria.

 

Lambie puts debt spanner in PM’s works

Independent senator Jacqui Lambie says she wants to see Tasmania’s debt from the federal government relieved if she is to pass Scott Morrison’s full tax cuts agenda.

Senator Lambie, in a statement to her supporters today, writes that she cannot “in good conscience” support tax cuts while the Tasmanian state government owes $157m to the Commonwealth in social housing debt.

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Factional brawl grips Labor

Key Victorian Labor branches in Melbourne’s south have launched a petition calling on Anthony Albanese, Daniel Andrews and party administrators to allow them a democratic vote on a replacement for Victorian upper house MP Philip Dalidakis, rather than proceeding with plans to rubber stamp a factional deal when the ALP national executive meets on Friday.

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MPs unite in church of Bob

The day the new parliament set aside to pay tribute to Labor’s most beloved and longest serving leader was always going to be entertaining. You’re in the minority it seems, if you don’t have a colourful anecdote about Hawkey, writes Alice Workman in Sketch.

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Uni protest and speech freedom

Free speech stifled

Our unis claim there isn’t a problem with free speech on campus. The evidence, including sacking a Barrier Reef science sceptic, says otherwise, according to Matthew Lesh.

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Origin shock as Pearce called up

Mitchell Pearce has been called into the NSW side for the deciding State of Origin game at ANZ Stadium after Nathan Cleary succumbed to an ankle problem.

Pearce was in contention for the opening two games of the series but withdrew through injury. He has now been given the chance for some Origin redemption after Cleary was unable to overcome the ankle injury he suffered in the second game of the series in Perth.