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TRANSCRIPT
- Government delays start to program for early disability intervention services
- A senior US official says the federal immigration operation will be more focused
- Aryna Sabalenka welcomes possibility of Serena Williams' return to the sport
The federal government has offered to delay the start of a new program for early intervention autism services because states and territories say they are not ready.
Members of national cabinet are meeting in Sydney to reach a new five-year hospital agreement between the Commonwealth, states and territories.
Health Minister Mark Butler says the date for the Thriving Kids early intervention program will be delayed from its original plan to roll out from July 1st.
The money needed to kickstart the next phase of the program is linked to the public hospital deal.
Mr Butler says the program is designed to offer support to children with low to moderate support needs outside the NDIS.
"Well existing participants aren't coming off the program. I made a very clear commitment that existing participants would stay on the program subject to all the usual rules. But state and territories in the Commonwealth agreed way back in 2023 that far too many young children were ending up on the NDIS. In some parts of the country, as many as one in four young boys were ending up on a scheme that was established for severe and permanent disability."
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Older Australians are waiting an average of eight months to get access to home support services, which includes showering, meal preparation and cleaning.
The data in the Productivity Commission's Report on Government Services represents almost a doubling in the median wait time over the last financial year.
A spokesman for Aged Care Minister Sam Rae says the report includes data that predates the government’s aged care reforms, including a new single assessment system which came in at the start of 2025.
The spokesperson says action is being taken to reduce wait times.
The federal government announced the release of 20,000 home care packages late last year, and another 63,000 by the middle of this year .
Overall, Australia spent nearly $40 billion on aged care in the 2024/25 financial year, up from $38 billion the previous year.
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US border chief Tom Homan says federal agents will focus on targeted operations, shifting away from broad street sweeps that have provoked outrage in America and abroad.
Mr Homan admitted the federal immigration agency ICE could "do better" - in a rare acknowledgment from the administration that their operations had not been perfect.
This follows the fatal shooting of two US citizens in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents in the past month.
Mr Homan adds he would reduce the 3000-strong force of agents deployed to the city if he received cooperation from state and local leaders.
Mayor Frey continues to vocalise strong opposition to the enforcement, saying this kind of conduct needs to stop.
"What's become clear to me is this is obviously not about safety. This is not even about immigration. This is about silencing a narrative or a political position that differs from that of a federal administration. We've seen this kind of conduct in other countries. We cannot see it right here in America."
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In Tennis, world No 1, Aryna Sabalenka has welcomed the possibility of Serena Williams' return to the sport.
The 23-time grand slam singles champion did not rule out a potential comeback when interviewed on the NBC's Today Show.
Serena Williams: I am just having fun and enjoying me life right now.
Interviewer: Okay, but that's not a yes or a no.
Serena Williams: That is not a yes or a no. I don't know. I'm going to see what happens. I have two kids. When I filled out the form the other day - occupation? I put down housewife. Listen, I can't discuss this. (laughs)
The 44-year-old retired after the 2022 US Open, but rejoined the drug testing pool late last year.
The action is a requirement before returning to the sport.
And that's the latest from the SBS Newsroom.
