Here is a look at what is making news around the country today.
Today’s national news includes Treasure Chalmers saying tax cuts will not fuel inflation, Education costs rising faster than most household bills, Australia being the most hacked nation in the world, Australian road deaths jumping by almost 6 per cent last year, and Platypus being brought back to Australian national park after 50 years.
Nation
Tax Cuts is a worthy objective—Treasurer Chalmers
Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers called tax relief for some earners a “worthy objective,” amid criticism that the planned income tax cuts next year could further fuel historically high inflation. Mr Chalmers said the tax cuts are not due to take effect until next year, and Chalmers said they had not been a focus of this year’s budget. Earlier, critics were concerned that lowering income taxes may stoke cost-of-living pressures and force Australia’s central bank to raise rates to tackle inflation, Bloomberg has reported.
Economy
Education costs rise faster than household bills
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that the cost of education has skyrocketed in Australia, as the basic costs to send a child to school, university or kindergarten climb quicker than almost every major household expense, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. As rapid inflation and interest rate rises to add to living costs, analysis of the consumer price index shows education fees have escalated in the past 20 years to fill three of the top 10 fastest-growing expenses among 87 categories tracked by the ABS. In that time, secondary school tuition fees have almost tripled, growing faster than electricity prices, property rates and water bills, while the cost of attending preschool, primary school and university has more than doubled.
Defence
Australia is the most hacked nation in the world
Calls are growing for an international standard for data security as Australia remains the most hacked nation in the world. Almost 7,500 in every 100,000 online accounts were hacked in the last quarter of 2022. More than 132 million accounts have been the target of a breach in Australia since 2004. Data experts are calling on the Albanese government to adhere to an international standard for data security, Sky News reported.
Motoring
Australian road death toll jumps
Australian road deaths jumped almost 6 per cent in the past year as fatalities remain significantly higher than before the Covid pandemic and worse than long-term safety targets, The Guardian has reported. The latest road fatality figures, which cover the 12 months to 31 March, reveal 1,204 deaths on Australian roads – an annual increase of 5.9 per cent. The Northern Territory recorded a 14 per cent reduction in road deaths, from 43 in the previous reporting year down to 37 in 2022-23 – however, it still has by far the highest per capita rate of road deaths at 14.76 a year per 100,000 population, compared with the national average of 4.61.
Wildlife
Platypus back to Australian national park after 50 years
The platypus, a species unique to Australia, was reintroduced into the country’s oldest national park just south of Sydney on Friday in a landmark conservation project after disappearing from the area more than half a century ago. The relocation is a collaborative effort between the University of New South Wales, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, World Wild Fund for Nature Australia and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. The relocation comes at a time when the platypus is increasingly threatened by habitat destruction, river degradation, feral predators, and extreme weather events. Estimates of the current population vary widely, from 30,000 to some 300,000.
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