Daily News Roundup

October 3, 2018

Image: ABC News

Tampon tax to go, with states and territories agreeing to remove GST from sanitary products

After an 18-year campaign, the 10 per cent tax on tampons and pads will be removed after states and territories agreed to make sanitary products exempt from the GST.

Treasurers met this morning to discuss the matter and have unanimously agreed to pass the Federal Government’s proposal.

The GST on these products has long been described as unfair because products including condoms and Viagra are exempt.

But both major parties recently changed their policies to also exempt sanitary products.

The products to be made exempt are expected to include tampons, pads, menstrual cups, maternity pads and leak-proof underwear, but the full list will be subject to public consultation.

The move will cost the states $30 million a year but the Coalition argues the shortfall will be easily covered because they are already receiving more GST revenue than forecast.

Earlier this year Scott Morrison, then treasurer, vowed to remove the tax and described it as an “anomaly” that should never have been applied to sanitary products in the first place.

“I can see it is a source of frustration and angst. Here’s a straightforward practical opportunity to deal with it once and for all,” he said at the time.

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Greg Inglis suspended for two games over drink driving, speeding charges

Rugby League star Greg Inglis has been handed a two-game suspension by the NRL after being charged with drink driving and speeding.

Inglis is alleged have had a blood alcohol level of 0.085 and travelled 10 kilometres per hour over the limit while driving from Dubbo to Sydney on Monday.

He will now miss the Australian team’s matches against New Zealand and Tonga after a decision by Kangaroos’ coach Mal Meninga and NRL CEO Todd Greenberg.

Fronting the media on Tuesday afternoon, Inglis delivered an apology for his actions, saying they were “not good enough”.

“I know where I stand in the game as a role model to the community.”

He said he understands the NRL’s sanction.

“I know I did the wrong thing and, while I am disappointed at missing the tour, I accept the penalty,” he said.

Mr Greenberg said Inglis is one of the code’s best role models and had an exemplary record but made a poor decision.

“[However] he deserves full credit for being upfront today by apologising and taking full ownership of the mistake,” he said.

Mr Meninga said he hopes to see Inglis back in a Kangaroos jersey next year.

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Dwarf planet ‘the Goblin’ discovered on outskirts of solar system as hunt for Planet X continues

A dwarf planet nicknamed the Goblin has been discovered well beyond Pluto, further redefining our solar system.

A round frozen world just 300 kilometres across, the Goblin was spotted by astronomers in 2015 around Halloween, thus its spooky name. But it wasn’t publicly unveiled until now following further observations with ground telescopes.

One of the astronomers who made the discovery, Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science, said the Goblin was on the small end for a dwarf planet. It is officially known as 2015 TG387 by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Centre.

This is the third dwarf planet recently found to be orbiting on the frigid fringes of our solar system.

Goblin’s orbit is extremely elongated — so stretched out, in fact, that it takes 40,000 years for it to circle the sun.

At its most distant, the Goblin is 2,300 times further from the sun than Earth. That’s 2,300 astronomical units (AU). One AU is the distance from Earth to the sun, or roughly 150 million kilometres.

At its closest, the Goblin is 65 times farther from the sun than Earth, or 65 AU. Pluto, by comparison, is approximately between 30 and 50 AU.

 

This daily news roundup is curated with stories from ABC News.

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