Guardian AU
New NDIS eligibility rules will cut 240,000 participants from scheme in four years, documents reveal
Sweeping changes to NDIS eligibility rules are projected to remove 241,000 participants from the scheme by mid-2031, according to internal government modelling. The cuts, set to take effect from January 2028, represent one of the most significant reductions to the disability support program since its inception. Proposed funding restrictions on social and community participation activities are expected to drive much of the savings.
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Inflation eases to 4.2% but interest rate rise still on horizon, economists warn
Australia's headline inflation rate eased to 4.2% in the year to April, driven largely by the government's fuel excise relief cutting petrol prices. However, economists caution the dip offers little comfort, with underlying price pressures remaining stubbornly elevated. The Reserve Bank is still expected to consider further rate hikes later this year as it battles to bring inflation back under control.
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Sydney Morning Herald
Labor MPs lobby for urgent capital gains tax changes as Chalmers digs in
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is holding firm on proposed capital gains tax changes despite mounting pressure from within Labor's own ranks, with MPs lobbying for urgent amendments ahead of the legislation hitting parliament. The policy has ignited a fierce internal and public debate over its implications for wealth creation and investment. The timing puts Chalmers in a difficult position, forced to defend the government's economic credentials on the eve of a parliamentary showdown.
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Australia politics live: outgoing Nacc boss says sorry for robodebt inquiry delays; new US ambassador starts in Washington
Australia's newly appointed ambassador to the United States, former defence secretary Greg Moriarty, has commenced his posting in Washington. Meanwhile, outgoing National Anti-Corruption Commission chief has apologised for delays in the robodebt inquiry, as scrutiny of the body's handling of high-profile cases continues. Independent MP Monique Ryan has also called for compassion in the treatment of women and children repatriated from Syrian detention camps, noting the unique trauma faced by minors who have spent their formative years in dire conditions.
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Australians with disabilities copped the biggest cuts in the budget. Yet conservative media’s heart bleeds for the wealthy | Greg Jericho
Australia's federal budget delivered its harshest cuts to people with disabilities, yet mainstream conservative commentary fixated on impacts to higher earners — a disparity that lays bare the nation's skewed political priorities. The piece points to the glaring inequality in dental care access as one symptom of a system that routinely shields the wealthy from scrutiny while leaving vulnerable Australians to absorb the pain. When the loudest voices in media reserve their outrage for those least in need of protection, the result is policy debate that is both distorted and damaging.
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