Treasurer makes Covid tests tax-deductible

The treasurer Josh Frydenberg will today attempt to reset the national conversation with an announcement of tax-deductible Covid tests, as debate swirls around leaked text messages.

What we know:

• In a speech to the Australian Industry Group today, Frydenberg will announce Covid-19 tests for those who need them to work will be tax-deductible (AFR $); 
• The tax exemptions will apply to PCR and rapid antigen tests, which will also be exempt immediately from Fringe Benefits Tax (The Conversation); 
• Frydenberg will declare it time to “draw some clear lines in the sand” on government spending, with the plan marking a point of difference from Labor’s promise of free RATs;
• It comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he has forgiven Barnaby Joyce for describing him as a liar in a leaked text last year, declaring their “relationship has completely transformed” since then (ABC); 
• Defence Minister Peter Dutton meanwhile rejected claims made by former NSW premier Bob Carr that he leaked separate text messages describing Morrison as a “complete psycho” (The New Daily); 
• Labor MP Jim Chalmers described the Morrison government as “a smouldering ruin of disunity, dysfunction and division”.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt has revealed he would demand an immediate moratorium on new fossil fuel projects in return for supporting Labor in the event of a hung parliament.

What we know:

• Bandt said he would insist on a moratorium on new coal, oil and gas developments while more extensive negotiations take place on climate action (ABC); 
• “With everyone from the International Energy Agency to the United Nations saying there must be no new coal and gas projects, this temporary freeze is a modest demand that no sensible government could reasonably refuse,” Bandt said;
• Labor supports new gas developments and wants to leave the question of new coal mines to market demand;
• Labor recently backed a new taxpayer-funded gas plant in the Hunter Valley on the condition it eventually switches to green hydrogen — a proposal experts have described as a hugely expensive white elephant (Renew Economy). 

Activists have expressed concern over China’s use of the Winter Olympics for propaganda purposes, after the country chose a Uighur athlete to light the Olympic flame.

What we know:

• The final torchbearer at the opening ceremony was cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang, who hails from the Xinjiang region where more than a million Uighurs are in re-education camps (Al Jazeera); 
• Ethnic tokenism is a common tactic used by Chinese officials to deflect criticism about policy in Xinjiang (Quartz); 
• “China is politicising the Olympics, which we warned the IOC would happen. But they didn’t want to listen to us. It is shocking and hugely insensitive to use a Uighur athlete this way, when there is an ongoing genocide,” said a spokesperson for the World Uighur Congress (The Guardian); 
• Chinese authorities meanwhile interrupted a Dutch journalist’s live report on the Winter Olympics on Friday, dragging him off-camera (Deadline); 
• The environmental impact of the event is also being questioned, with it being held in a dry region that doesn’t get much snow, requiring billions of gallons of water to be trucked from regional reservoirs to create fake snow (SBNation). 
• Event organisers are also facing challenges containing Covid, with the Australian curling team given a late reprieve to compete after one of its members tested positive (ABC); 
• Australia for the first time won two Winter Olympics medals on the same day, with Jakara Anthony securing gold in the women’s moguls competition on Sunday, hours after Tess Coady claimed a bronze in the women’s snowboard slopestyle (Fox Sports). 

The Morrison government has promised to restore ABC funding to 2018 levels, as part of its response to the media reform green paper.

Communications minister Paul Fletcher will end the $84m indexation pause, with the public broadcaster to be given $3.3bn for the next three years (The Guardian). 

This includes $45.8m to continue public interest journalism in regional communities.

ABC managing director David Anderson welcomed what he called “funding certainty”.

Fletcher also announced SBS will receive $953.7m, including an additional $37.5m in ongoing funding to support its long-term sustainability.

New reporting conditions will be imposed on both public broadcasters to detail the levels of Australian content, and other key services.

Fletcher also unveiled a plan to make streaming services like Netflix invest at least 5% of their profits in Australian content, and an extension of support for regional broadcasters and public interest journalism.

Between 4000 and 5000 editorial roles have been lost since 2010, a trend that accelerated through Covid with some estimates suggesting that at least 1000 journalists lost their jobs due to closures of publications in 2020.

Iconic soap opera Neighbours faces an uncertain future after the UK network it relied on for funding axed the show.

The UK’s Channel 5 announced it would no longer air the program, potentially putting an end to its 39-year run on television (Daily Mirror). 

Neighbours was dropped after years of steadily declining ratings in the UK (TV Black Box). 

Australian broadcaster Network Ten relies on funding from an international broadcast partner to produce the show, with industry analysts doubtful any other UK broadcaster would pay big money for the program.

Ten told the cast and crew that filming will be paused on Monday for a meeting, and that they were looking for another broadcast partner (The Guardian). 

“As outlined in the email to Neighbours cast and crew, it is our intention to continue our association with Neighbours if another broadcast partner comes forward,” a Ten spokesperson said.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews criticises George Christensen for attending an anti-vaccine mandate rally — mysteriously hinting that there was once a time the rogue MP espoused sensible views (news.com.au).

The first tweet came on Friday, from Soatok, a furry with an avatar of a sparkling, blue, wolf-like creature: “We interrupt your usual program of shitposts, memes, and cute fursuits to bring you something with real-world impact” ... Mayor Gene McGee of Ridgeland, Mississippi, was withholding $110,000 of funding from the Madison Country Library System. Library officials told the Mississippi Free Press that the mayor had demanded they purge their collection of LGBTQ+ books (VICE).