Australia politics live: Josh Burns tells antisemitism inquiry of online hate; RBA warns datacentre boom may fire up inflation

Australia's government is defending its overhaul of capital gains tax as housing markets cool. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said auction clearance rates have risen in Brisbane and Adelaide but softened in Sydney and Melbourne, where prices could fall more than one hundred thousand dollars. The new CGT approach adjusts the discount to reflect real gains rather than applying a flat rate, avoiding what Chalmers called the housing distortions created by Howard-era policies in nineteen ninety-nine. Meanwhile, Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh is calling for her party to rebrand. She suggests Coalition policies on heartland issues are sound, but they're not getting through to voters—and the party needs better messaging to reconnect with the voters it once represented.

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