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Australia news live: federal budget to include $64bn in savings and ‘reprioritisations’; Australia’s hantavirus risk ‘very low’, health department says | Australia news
Budget to include $64bn in savings and ‘reprioritisations’
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, and the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, are speaking in Canberra ahead of next week’s federal budget.
Gallagher said the budget is ambitious and “all about reform” and looking at savings “right across government”. She said:
We have spent months working across government to find responsible savings, to be able to repair the budget but also to reprioritise, to deal with some of the spending pressures that are coming at us.
She said there are pressures across the board, including in defence, within the NDIS, in health and beyond.
The budget will include savings of $64bn in “reprioritisations and savings”.
In every single budget we have found savings to return to budget, to reprioritise, to meet those increasing pressures across the government, and this gross savings figure is much bigger than those that have come before.
Key events
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Barnaby Joyce says Farrer votes can send a message to Canberra in byelection
The One Nation MP, Barnaby Joyce, says voters in Farrer can be at the “forefront of the change in politics in Australia” by supporting the right-wing party in Saturday’s federal byelection.
Joyce appeared at a press conference in Albury with the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, and Farrer candidate, David Farley, on the eve of the highly anticipated byelection.
The contest – which was triggered by former Liberal leader Sussan Ley’s resignation from parliament – is expected to be a race between Farley and the independent Michelle Milthorpe.
Joyce said:
You have the opportunity to say to Canberra, to say to parliament, no, you’re not doing a good enough job. We’re not just going to accept what you’ve delivered.
Joyce said One Nation was already “changing the direction of this nation”, claiming credit for the Coalition’s decision to dump a net zero emissions target and pursue a hardline immigration policy.
Australia has so much potential, so much potential. We could be a powerhouse for good in the world, but we have to first of all become the powerhouse.
Josh Taylor
Employment effect of datacentres ‘relatively small’
The NSW inquiry into datacentres has heard evidence downplaying industry claims of the potential growth in employment in the datacentres sector with more centres being built across the country.
A Mandala 2024 report commissioned by the datacentre industry claimed by 2030 there will be 17,900 people employed in datacentre operations in Australia.
Dr Riki Scanlan, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Sydney, told the NSW inquiry that this would represent less than 1% of people in NSW and datacentres fall “well below” employment targets for industrial areas in Western Sydney.
These are highly, capital-intensive and not labour-intensive, workforces and sectors … we also have to … take into account that these are datacentres that are substituting from the existing datacentres in Commonwealth bank basements.
And so if you’ve got three people employed to manage a Commonwealth Bank datacentre, who are now being laid off because Commonwealth Bank has got rid of it, and now it’s a quarter of a person for the Commonwealth Bank [in a] datacentre operation in a large hyperscale or co-located datacentre somewhere else, perhaps is actually a net drop in employment overall.
He said that employment effects of datacentres are “relatively small, if not negative”.
Academics giving evidence to the committee argued that planning should be handled more delicately, noting the potential cumulative environmental impact of clusters of datacentres emerging in areas such as Lane Cove.
Lane Cove council and the City of Sydney will give evidence this afternoon.
Jordyn Beazley
More on Janai Safar, whose lawyers will make an application for her bail before a NSW court at some point today.
Commonwealth prosecutors have just appeared briefly again to tell judge Daniel Convington that they’ve heard from one of Safar’s lawyers that she won’t be able to appear until after midday.
Jordyn Beazley
Lawyers seeking ‘urgent psychologist report’ for arrested returnee from Syria Janai Safar
Lawyers acting on behalf of the Sydney women who returned to Australia last night after spending years in Syrian detention camps have told prosecutors they are seeking an “urgent psychologist report” before making an application for her release, a court has heard.
Janai Safar, 32, was one of four women who returned to Australia with children on Thursday who were allegedly linked to Islamic State fighters. Three of those women have been charged, including Safar who faces one country of entering, or remaining in, declared areas, and another charge being a member of a terrorist organisation. Each offence she faces carries a maximum of ten years in prison.
Safar’s application for bail is due to be heard before NSW bail court today. She is yet to appear, but prosecutors from the commonwealth department of public prosecution made a brief appearance a short time ago. One prosecutor told judge Daniel Convington they understand an application for her release will be made today.
The prosecutor said:
I understand that there will be a release application today. However, I’m informed by email that the defense are seeking an urgent psychologist report.
Douglas Smith
First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria elects co-chair to lead Australia’s first formal Treaty body
Australia’s first formal Treaty body, Gellung Warl, appointed its inaugural co-chairs in Bendigo this week, marking a landmark step for the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.
Dja Dja Wurrung, Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dhudhuroa, Waywurru, Barapa Barapa, Wergaia and Wiradjuri man Djaran Murray-Jackson, will serve alongside Meriki Onus from the Gunnai and Gunditjmara clan as co-chairs for Gellung Warl.
Established on 1 May, Gellung Warl is the formal Treaty body represented by the First Peoples’ Assembly – a democratically elected group of traditional owners empowered to make decisions for First Peoples across Victoria.
Onus said Gellung Warl would work to deliver better outcomes across a range of areas.
We have walked a decade-long journey and negotiated and signed Australia’s first Treaty, now we must make sure that Treaty delivers real change for us,” she said.
“Our first priority is working with our communities on how we can use Gellung Warl’s new powers and responsibilities to secure better outcomes across health, education and employment for our people.
Murray-Jackson said First Nations peoples were the “experts on our own lives”, and that they “know what does and doesn’t work for our communities”.
Treaty is how we make the most of our local knowledge to get better outcomes for our people.
We’ve just had our third Treaty elections and we’re really proud of the results.
Our elections are non-compulsory, yet over 10,000 First Peoples enrolled for the elections, showing how deeply our people are committed to Treaty.
Jack Snape
Golf Australia reveals plan to combat re-zoning of public courses
Golf Australia is preparing to defend the country’s public courses against re-zoning attempts as part of its five-year strategy released on Friday, even as participation growth skews towards non-traditional venues like simulators and driving ranges.
The sport reported annual growth in adult participation of 10% over the past five years, sustaining a boom that began during the Covid pandemic.
The greens and fairways at Moore Park in inner Sydney have been the highest-profile target for downsizing, with the NSW government confirming on Thursday the 18-hole course would be configured into a 12-hole layout, despite opposition from golfers. Venues on defence land are also earmarked for sale under the federal government’s defence sell-off.
Read more here:
Hantavirus update: risk to Australia ‘very low’, health department says
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) said yesterday that it is aware of four Australians aboard the MV Hondius, the ship at the centre of the hantavirus outbreak.
A spokesperson told the Guardian that it is not aware of any Australians affected by the reported outbreak, but said Dfat remains ready to provide consular assistance if needed.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health added that the risk to human health in Australia from the outbreak remained low. In a statement, the spokesperson added:
There are no reports of hantavirus infection in humans in Australia, and the risk to Australia remains very low. The World Health Organization has assessed the global risk from this outbreak as low.
Hantavirus is a serious infection but transmission between humans is rare and only observed where there is close and prolonged contact.
Chalmers added that, in nominal terms, the savings levels are “much bigger than normal when it comes to budgets”.
This is a historically large gross savings figure. It is also exceedingly rare that a government will be landing down two budget updates in a row where there’s a net save.
Chalmers promises ‘especially responsible budget’
Chalmers said the number reflects “64 billion reasons why this is an especially responsible budget”.
There are big pressures in our economy and in our budget, and despite all of these pressures we will be saving more than we spend in the budget that Katy and I hand down on Tuesday night.
That’s because we take this inflation challenge in our economy very seriously.
The budget will focus on fuel security, cost of living and housing, productivity, tax reform and a “very substantial” savings package.
Budget to include $64bn in savings and ‘reprioritisations’
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, and the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, are speaking in Canberra ahead of next week’s federal budget.
Gallagher said the budget is ambitious and “all about reform” and looking at savings “right across government”. She said:
We have spent months working across government to find responsible savings, to be able to repair the budget but also to reprioritise, to deal with some of the spending pressures that are coming at us.
She said there are pressures across the board, including in defence, within the NDIS, in health and beyond.
The budget will include savings of $64bn in “reprioritisations and savings”.
In every single budget we have found savings to return to budget, to reprioritise, to meet those increasing pressures across the government, and this gross savings figure is much bigger than those that have come before.
Housing downturn looms as rate hikes bite, data suggests
Australia is on the cusp of a housing market downturn as interest rates and affordability woes sap buyer demand, new data suggests.
AAP reports Sydney and Melbourne are already in the early stages of decline while price growth across the mid-sized capitals is losing momentum, Cotality’s latest Housing Chart Pack found.
Combined capital city home values rose just 0.2% in April, with the property analytics firm’s research director, Tim Lawless, warning the national market could dip into negative territory within months. Lawless said:
Sydney and Melbourne are already five months into the early phases of decline, while price growth is slowing across the mid-sized capitals.
Listings are picking up as demand softens, interest rates are rising, while affordability and serviceability pressures are biting.
A significant increase in distressed sales or mortgage arrears wasn’t expected, Lawless told AAP.
The forecast comes after the Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate to 4.35%, the third hike so far in 2026 that have fully reversed cuts in 2025.
