Doorstop, Parliament House

SUBJECTS: AUKUS; Capital Gains Tax; President Herzog Visit; Labor Party donations

JOURNALIST: Is the government considering changes to the capital gains tax?

MARLES: Our position in respect of housing policy hasn’t changed, and that includes the tax arrangements around housing policy. It’s been a consistent position over a long period of time, and we haven’t changed it.

JOURNALIST: And also, on a slightly separate issue, is the government considering any kind of new steps when it comes to supporting industries that are impacted by the AI transition?

MARLES: Well, look, AI represents a real opportunity in respect to productivity for the country. We’ve got an AI strategy. Industry Minister Ayres has been working very closely on that as we look to greater take-up of AI in the workplace. Obviously, that needs to be worked through with workers and unions in the process of that, and that will happen. But AI represents a huge opportunity for our country, and in particular in respect of productivity growth.

JOURNALIST: Mr Marles, a report this morning that Israeli forces bulldozed part of the Gaza cemetery containing war graves that included Australian graves. Are you aware of this report, and are you investigating it?

MARLES: I’m actually not aware of that report, so I will need to take that one on notice.

JOURNALIST: And a separate one — I think there was a report from the US Congressional Research Service talking about the contemplation of not selling any nuclear submarines to Australia. This was a report that was released, I believe, at the end of January, and it’s talking about the potential that the US wouldn’t sell these nuclear submarines to Australia as part of the AUKUS deal. You were at that report?

MARLES: Well, I mean, we’ve been working very closely with our partners in the United States in respect of AUKUS, the optimal pathway for Australia acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine capability that involves the transfer of Virginia-class submarines to Australia. President Trump himself has made clear that we are full steam ahead in respect of that, and we had an AUKUS defence ministers’ meeting in Washington in December, literally just a couple of months ago. And so we are working at a pace in relation to all of this that includes the transfer of the Virginias. But right now we’re very focused on making sure that HMAS Stirling in Rockingham is ready for the establishment of the submarine rotational force.

JOURNALIST: This is a policy research arm of Congress, though, and it says that selling nuclear submarines to Australia — I’m quoting here — could weaken, rather than strengthen, deterrence and war-fighting capability in connection with the US-China crisis or conflict.

MARLES: You’re going to hear a whole lot of commentary at the end of the day from the US Congress. Yeah, we’re working with the US administration, and we’ve heard the United States President make clear the position of the United States in respect of this question, and he has said that we are full steam ahead in respect of this, and it includes the transfer of the Virginias.

JOURNALIST: Do you agree with Ed Husic’s comment that Isaac Herzog’s visit won’t enhance social cohesion in Australia?

MARLES: Well, the visit of the Israeli President will be a very important visit, and particularly, obviously, in the context of the aftermath of the Bondi massacre. He is a guest of both the Prime Minister and the Governor-General. He will be a welcome and honoured visitor to our country. It is an important visit in terms of the bilateral relationship between Australia and Israel, but in the context of what occurred at Bondi, the visit of the President of Israel will be particularly significant to Australia’s Jewish community. I know that his visit will be very meaningful for Australia’s Jewish community. So, it is an important visit, and we look forward to next week.

JOURNALIST: The Australian Electoral Commission reported earlier in the week that the Labor Party received funding from Tabcorp and Sportsbet last year. This is at a time when your government is considering the Murphy report. Is that kind of donation acceptance appropriate during that time, particularly at a time when the government won’t let the Australian people in on any of its thoughts or considerations about this matter?

MARLES: Well, in terms of donations to the Labor Party, obviously they are handled by the party organisation, but they are done in accordance with all the rules and regulations in respect of donations, and they are appropriately declared. In terms of what the government is doing in respect of the Murphy report, we’ve been working through those issues, and we will continue to do that to make sure that there is appropriate action there. There has been more action under our government in respect of limits on advertising, in respect of gambling, than we have seen from any other government.

JOURNALIST: Those were reforms that were proposed and being discussed before the Murphy report, I mean—

MARLES: We’ll continue to work through all that, but I make the point that we’ve done more in respect of this than any previous government. And so we very much stand by our record in respect of this. It is an important issue.

JOURNALIST: A UN commission found in September 2025 that President Herzog’s statement amounted to direct and public incitement to commit genocide. How does hosting him as an official guest of the state satisfy Australia’s treaty obligation to punish or at least investigate an incitement like that?

MARLES: In the wake of the Bondi massacre, having the President of Israel, who is the equivalent of our Governor-General, come to Australia is particularly significant and very meaningful for Australia’s Jewish community. That’s a really important visit in that respect. And so when President Herzog comes here, he will be coming here in that context, and he does so at the invitation of the Governor-General and the Prime Minister, and he will be a welcome (inaudible)

ENDS