Independent senator David Pocock has indicated he is open to the idea of independents forming a political party to counter the growing influence of One Nation on the right. Pocock also called for a Senate inquiry into changes to capital gains tax discounts for all business investments and suggested the tech industry could receive a special carve-out or deal.
In other news, staged demolition of the Waterloo public housing estate in Sydney is set to begin tomorrow, despite ongoing community opposition. The NSW government plans to replace 750 public housing properties with 3,300 new homes, half of which will be private, 20% affordable, and 30% public or community housing. Displaced tenants have been promised the right to return once construction is complete.
A 39-year-old man has died following a suspected shark attack at Kennedy Shoal on the Great Barrier Reef. Queensland police confirmed the death is being treated as sudden and non-suspicious, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
Eleven Australians who were part of the Global Sumud flotilla, intercepted by Israeli forces while carrying aid to Gaza, are returning home. Three activists, including Violet Coco, are expected to arrive in Melbourne and Brisbane from this evening, while seven others will land in Sydney tomorrow morning.
Queensland police shot dead an alleged domestic violence perpetrator who was armed with a firearm at a home north of Brisbane. Meanwhile, the NSW police watchdog announced it expects to begin public hearings into alleged police brutality at a February protest against the Israeli president by September, following a record number of complaints.
