TRANSCRIPT
- Treasurer Jim Chalmers hands down the 2024 Federal Budget
- The Opposition calls energy bill relief in the Budget "a band-aid on a bullet wound"
- And in rugby league, Gold Coast and Brisbane rocked by injuries.
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has handed down the 2024 Budget with a focus on addressing cost-of-living pressures and stubborn inflation.
Dr Chalmers has delivered a $9.3 billion surplus for the current financial year in the first back-to-back budget surplus seen in close to two decades after last year's $22 billion surplus.
He outlines the aims of the budget to parliament.
"Our main priorities are helping with the cost of living, building more homes for Australians, investing in a future made in Australia and the skills and universities we'll need to make it a reality, strengthening Medicare and the care economy and responsible economic management which is set to produce another surplus and help fight inflation."
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The Opposition has called energy rebates in the Federal Budget "a band-aid on a bullet wound" and accuses the Albanese government of failing on inflation.
The 2024/25 federal budget will see households and small businesses receiving a total of 3.5 billion dollars in energy bill relief.
From July 1st, more than ten million households will get a total rebate of $300 each over the year.
Eligible small businesses will receive $325 over the same period.
The Government expects this to reduce headline inflation by half of a percentage point while not adding to broader inflationary pressures.
But the Opposition's spokesman for Treasury, Angus Taylor, told Sky News this rebate is only necessary because Labor failed to deliver on a pre-election promise to lower energy bills and continues to fall short of taming inflation.
"It's putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. It should have dealt with the bullet wound but it hasn't. So, we're not going to get in the way of putting a band-aid on it but what we needed to see in this budget was a wholesale attack on inflation, beating the inflation dragon. And we haven't seen that. Australians have become poorer under Labor and sadly we've seen a budget that's not going to change that at all."
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This is the first Budget since the Government launched the Working for Women national strategy for gender equality.
The Budget invests nearly a billion dollars to the Leaving Violence Program to support those leaving a violent partner.
A billion dollars goes towards social housing for young people and women and children fleeing violence.
Tax cuts later in the year will provide greater tax relief to low and middle-income taxpayers, who are disproportionately women.
Minister for Women Katy Gallagher says Labor is focused on reaching gender equality in Australia.
"You should see this as continued progress on the list of things each budget we've been trying to gently, and sometimes not so gently, shift the dial on support for women and promoting a gender equal Australia because we know that it's good for everyone, not just women."
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In other news,
Israeli tanks have forged deeper into eastern Rafah, reaching some residential districts in an escalating ground invasion of the southern border city where more than one million Palestinians have been sheltering after being displaced in seven months of war.
Israel's international allies and aid groups have repeatedly urged it against a ground offensive into the refugee-packed Rafah, warning of a potential humanitarian catastrophe.
And Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani says Israel's assault on Rafah has set back the ceasefire talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt.
"In the past few weeks, we have seen some momentum building. But, unfortunately, things didn't move in the right direction. And, right now, what happened with Rafah has set us backward a little bit. We are seeing there is a fundamental difference between the two parties. There is one party who wants to end the war and then talk about the hostages. There is another party who wants the hostages and wants to continue the war. As long as there is not any commonality between those two things - it won't get us to a result."
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In rugby league,
Gold Coast and Brisbane have been rocked by injuries ahead of the NRL's Magic Round.
The Titans are worst hit with number six AJ Brimson and winger Phil Sami both set to miss at least a month with hamstring injuries.
Captain Kieran Foran will also miss at least a week.
In some good news though, outside back Harley Smith-Shields saw a surgeon for a pectoral injury and it's revealed he has not suffered a season-ending full rupture as coach Des Hasler initially feared.
The Broncos, meanwhile, have lost hooker Billy Walters to a wrist injury for Friday night's clash with Manly.
That has allowed 20-year-old Blake Mozer to come on the bench and Tyson Smoothy to start.
