Australia

Party faithful have been closely tracking the rise of the charismatic South Australian MP Mark Butler as they quietly contemplate Labor after Albo.

Australia’s most decorated living soldier and accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith has delivered his Anzac Day message. WATCH

Former Defence Force chief Angus Campbell says ‘kinetic violent’ action from China over Taiwan is unlikely to take place immediately, as a former advisor to Japanese PM says it could happen within the decade.

Mark Butler has guaranteed he won’t cut people off the NDIS until alternative supports are in place, setting a deadline ticking for the states to get on board.

A Treasury official has admitted Labor’s plan to tackle the housing affordability crisis has failed to see a necessary lift in the completion of new homes.

About 160,000 people receiving support from the National Disability Insurance Scheme will lose it by 2030, under a major reset of the runaway taxpayer-funded program.

A call by the Greens and independent senator David Pocock to slap a 25 per cent tax on Australia’s third biggest export could end up hurting everyday consumers reeling from soaring electricity bills.

Roger Cook has warned that the States will not bear all the costs of federal cuts to the NDIS as Health Minister Mark Butler eyes tighter regulation and a reset of eligibility to rein in the runaway program.

The NDIS was meant to be based on free market principles and the individual. But its ballooning costs are now requiring major Federal Government intervention.

The tax burden on Australians is at the highest level in almost two decades, new government data shows, with a former Reserve Bank official warning it is likely to get even worse.

Three national funding streams will be fast-tracked in a bid to get capital moving faster to Australian businesses and strengthen critical supply chains, as the status of the Strait of Hormuz remains volatile.

War hero Ben Roberts-Smith has made his first public statement since being charged with five counts of alleged war crimes, emphatically denying the allegations against him.

The police bomb response unit attended the scene and identified ‘volatile explosive materials’.

LATIKA M BOURKE: Defence Minister Richard Marles should swap his glass jaw for a little Teflon coating because the defence spending boost looks like catch-up, on delay. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has addressed concerns about fuel supply after a major refinery blaze disrupted petrol production.