Some buyers say they are ready to absorb the fallout of housing weakness if it means boosting home ownership across the board
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Falling property prices have come at the worst possible time for Alex Hogan and his partner. They are now weighing up whether they can afford to have another child.
Locked out of the established housing market, the Queensland couple resorted to buying a block of land to build a family home.
Continue reading...Exclusive: FoI documents show senior health officials were warned of concerns about assessment tool weeks after it launched
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People with dementia were warned not to apply for home support because of fears their care would be downgraded by the government’s aged care algorithm.
Documents released to Guardian Australia under freedom of information (FoI) laws reveal the warnings came within weeks of the November rollout of the algorithm, which is used to determine funding packages and priority of need for older Australians requiring home support.
Continue reading...Funding from $560m invitation-only scheme prompts calls to make grant rules more transparent
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Anthony Albanese has claimed he did not know he was a member of his local golf club when his government gave it $6m for renovations, accusing the ABC of inappropriate reporting.
The money came from an opaque $560m invitation-only grants scheme to fund projects Labor promised at the 2025 election, largely for Labor-held seats, prompting calls to make grant rules more transparent.
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Anniversary of death of last known Tasmanian tiger
It’s National Threatened Species Day today. Many papers have run full-page ads from a range of conservation organisations noting that it is the anniversary of the death of the last Tasmanian tiger – the last known one, that is.
We remain committed to long-term environmental recovery, in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups, wildlife experts and local communities.
We are making good progress towards our target of protecting 30% of Australia’s land, to preserve vital habitat for our precious species.
It’s not clear if there’s a human who can actually apply a common-sense overlay to these decisions. And it’s not clear how you can review these if they’re made by a computer.
So the bill that I’m introducing today would actually create a mandatory framework that applies whenever government is using an automated system to make a decision that affects people’s significant rights and would require those three things to be addressed: transparency, human oversight, and review.
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Duniam targets ‘frivolous’ asylum seeker claims
The opposition is “very close” to “having a full migration package”, Duniam says. He says they’re willing to work with the government and that illegal overstayers must be deported.
We spend more per student per year than we ever have before and we’ve got declining standards across the board, and the problem with the curriculum is we have left foundations behind.
Continue reading...Powerful floods in Himalayan border area sweep away houses, roads and bridges. Follow today’s news live
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Dfat aware of a ‘number’ of Australians in flood zone
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) said it is aware of a “number” of Australians in the area affected by the flooding, saying officials stand ready to provide consular assistance.
We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by the significant flooding in Nepal and Tibet, China.
Australians in the affected area should follow the advice of local authorities.
We are deeply saddened by the devastating flooding in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts and surrounding areas.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by this disaster. We express our solidarity with the people of Nepal during this difficult time.
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Victorian Labor expands on free dental care election promise
The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, and health minister, Ingrid Stitt, have held a press conference this morning off the back of their announcement yesterday that the Labor government would open 10 free public dental clinics if re-elected in November.
You can’t use a Medicare card for dental unless you’ve got a healthcare card or you are a category of a particular citizen, it is very difficult … I’ve been visiting a lot of dentists over the past few weeks. There [are] waiting lists. People are in enormous, unbearable pain.
This will be a cost of living measure but it will also make sure that we deal with the healthcare of some of the most vulnerable Victorians. This is really going to fill the gap that’s been there for decades.
Continue reading...Premier Ben Carroll says $230m would be earmarked for 10 public dental clinics to operate on a walk-in basis
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Victorians would be able to walk into a dental clinic and receive free checkups and treatment under an Australian-first proposal the Labor government will take to the November state election.
The premier, Ben Carroll, will announce the plan – Labor’s first major election commitment – at a rally on Saturday to mark fewer than 100 days until Victorians go to the polls.
Continue reading...Jenny Ware, member of inquiry that recommended wagering advertising ban, says ‘public health crisis’ demands stronger response from major parties
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The former Liberal MP Jenny Ware has condemned her one-time Coalition colleagues for backing Labor’s gambling legislation, claiming “vulnerable Australians have been let down”, as the parliament failed to back a full ban on wagering ads.
Ware, a member of the Peta Murphy-led inquiry in 2023 that recommended entirely ending wagering advertising and inducements, called gambling a public health crisis that demanded a much stronger response from both sides of politics.
Continue reading...The government’s gambling ad changes are expected to pass the Senate on Wednesday night or Thursday morning with the Coalition’s support
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The husband of the late Labor MP Peta Murphy has said the government’s gambling reform “falls well short” of what she called for in 2023, lamenting that its shortcomings were due to the “considerable lobbying power” of the wagering, sporting and media industries.
Rod Glover said he had “mixed emotions” about Labor’s reforms, which are expected to pass parliament by Thursday, praising Anthony Albanese and minister Anika Wells for changes he said would reduce harms. But he said reform had taken too long and could have gone even further in meeting Murphy’s recommendations, which called for a full ban on gambling ads and inducements.
Continue reading...David Pocock says legislation still includes ‘indiscriminate cut’ impacting thousands of participants but will pass lower house on Wednesday
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The government’s controversial NDIS bill will pass after “substantial” amendments were agreed to in a deal between Labor and the Coalition, with some of the changes attracting heavy criticism from the Greens, the ACT senator David Pocock and the disability community.
Sixty-three government amendments across both houses were introduced as part of backroom deals to pass the bill in the upper house on Tuesday night, the NDIS ministers, Mark Butler and Jenny McAllister, revealed.
Continue reading...The new measure falls short of calls for gambling ads to move to an opt-in model, or for an outright ban
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The Labor government has pledged a new single-service opt-out register for gambling ads – an idea similar to the Do Not Call register for spam calls – as part of amendments to its wagering ad bill, as well as restrictions on inducements and limiting commissions for agents.
The communications minister, Anika Wells, has also confirmed gambling companies will face a new levy to pay for the register, a beefed-up measure to curb wagering ads, after concerns were raised through a Senate inquiry that people would struggle to find or complete individual opt-out options on each online service.
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Coalition demands NDIS changes focus on fraud, corruption
Liberal frontbencher Tim Wilson also called on the government to focus more on fraud and corruption issues in the NDIS, as the Coalition and Labor negotiate on changes to the disability scheme.
We have people who are awarding either packages to people when they shouldn’t be used, we’re having people taking advantage of the system and we know this is being exposed.
And so as a consequence we’ve seen this massive growth continue to go on and we need to make sure that that’s the focus, not the targeting of the clients. You know, if you go out to voters in Australia, there are a lot of people who are on disability support packages who are very nervous about their future and it’s because of how this government has looked at reforms and they feel like they’re being targeted, not the fraudsters.
We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.
Under the government’s proposed bill, it doesn’t limit the capacity to advertise to children and that’s something that I’m concerned about, making sure that we’ve got the measures that are consistent, appropriate, and also reflecting the changing nature of technology
Continue reading...Sources say Albanese government willing to tighten rules on betting inducements but less likely to budge on TV and online advertisements
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The Albanese government is prepared to tighten rules on gambling inducements, but is less likely to budge on advertising rules, as negotiations continue on wagering legislation, which so far has lacked the support needed to pass parliament.
Federal Labor is open to considering amendments to its legislation from the Coalition when MPs return to Canberra this week, sources say.
Continue reading...Former Republican state congressman, who once argued Christianity and capitalism should merge, confirmed by US Senate to fill long-vacant role
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Former Virginia congressman David Brat has been confirmed by the US Senate to be the next US ambassador to Australia, after the role had been left vacant for 18 months.
Brat’s confirmation was among more than 70 votes pushed through the Senate by Republicans on Friday, Washington time, before the summer recess.
Continue reading...Former leader shows support for new Victorian premier while paying tribute to Jacinta Allan
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Daniel Andrews has thrown his support behind Victoria’s new premier, Ben Carroll, saying he has what it takes to win November’s state election.
In a rare public statement on Wednesday, the former premier also paid tribute to Jacinta Allan, whom he handpicked to replace him as Labor leader when he resigned in September 2023.
Continue reading...Commission promised by new premier would be an ‘important signal’ for voters that the government was acting on alleged corruption
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Victorian voters heading to the polls will probably get a taste of the evidence heard by a royal commission – including how taxpayer funds were used on Big Build projects – but it could actually help Labor’s standing, an integrity expert says.
William Partlett, an associate professor of law and a fellow at the Centre for Public Integrity, said the commission promised by the new premier, Ben Carroll, would be an “important signal” for voters that the government was taking action.
Continue reading...Survey also shows Australians rounding on the government over its handling of inflation and the cost of living crisis
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One Nation’s primary vote has plateaued and Angus Taylor’s approval rating has crashed, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll.
But it is not all smooth sailing for Labor with Australians rubbishing the government’s handling of the inflation and cost of living crisis.
Continue reading...Jacinta Allan steps down from top job before expected spill, saying her deputy has her ‘unqualified support’
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Ben Carroll has been sworn in as the premier of Victoria after Jacinta Allan resigned, with his first act as leader to announce a royal commission into alleged corruption in the construction sector.
Carroll’s elevation comes just four months before the state election and follows a tumultuous 48 hours for Labor, during which Allan resigned and a surprise challenger emerged in the leadership contest.
Continue reading...Carroll, who was elected to parliament in 2012 and says he has always been ambitious, has been sworn in as premier after Jacinta Allan resigned
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In 2023, when then-public transport minister Ben Carroll failed in his surprising bid to secure the leadership of the Victorian Labor party, he told a press conference: “I was always very keen to rise.”
The premier Daniel Andrews had resigned, believing he had locked in his succession plan: his loyal deputy Jacinta Allan as premier, and treasurer Tim Pallas as deputy.
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