Australia news live: Queensland Labor ahead in Stafford byelection despite large swing

The opposition leader Angus Taylor was on Sky News this morning suggesting Labor’s plan to index tax thresholds might cost the budget as much as $250bn over a decade.Jim Chalmers, responding to Taylor’s comments on ABC’s Insiders, said Taylor’s proposed budget approach was “irresponsible”.Last time we cut income taxes, Angus Taylor voted against it and said he would repeal it.Angus Taylor would be adding a quarter of a trillion dollars to national debt. That would cost tens of billions of dollars in extra debt interest, because he’s got these uncosted, unfunded, tax announcements that he made in his Budget reply, which was all about trying to stave off One Nation. Continue reading...