What we learned: Wednesday 18 December
That’s where we’ll leave the blog for today. Have a great evening.
Here were today’s major developments:
The Albanese Labor government released its midyear economic update (Myefo) showing Australia’s federal budget is headed for a deficit of $26.9bn this financial year and is not projected to return to balance until 2034-35. The update breaks Labor’s streak of two full-year budget surpluses with a deficit in its third year.
The gambling industry’s lobby group criticised the federal government’s “moral judgment” after the Myefo confirmed gambling companies would be stripped of their access to the tax concessions. Australian Tax Office figures showed they had claimed almost $90m in a single year.
The federal government says it has sent an initial $2m humanitarian assistance package for Vanuatu that includes a 64-person disaster response team to support recovery efforts following yesterday’s devastating 7.3-magnitude earthquake.
Veteran broadcaster Alan Jones has appeared in court in Sydney for the first time since he was arrested. His lawyer confirmed Jones will plead not guilty to 34 historical sexual assault charges. He will face a jury trial.
The Victorian government has responded to a review of the CFMEU it commissioned in the wake of corruption allegations that engulfed the powerful union. The government has accepted all of the report’s eight recommendations in full or in principle.
And New South Wales police say they have dismantled the largest alleged magic mushroom lab they have ever found in an apartment, and charged four people.
Updated
Universities applaud Labor’s $2.5bn pledge
University bodies have welcomed the federal government’s additional $2.5bn commitment in the Myefo to establish a new managed growth funding system and introduce needs-based funding for universities.
Universities Australia’s chief executive, Luke Sheehy, said the commitments recognised the “vital role” the sector played to “drive prosperity and tackle workforce shortages”.
He said:
From helping more Australians from disadvantaged backgrounds access higher education to creating a funding framework that supports long-term sustainability, these investments will strengthen our universities across cities and regions, benefiting the entire nation.
Sheehy also welcomed the establishment of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission to provide independent advice and sector reform, announced in a release by the education minister today. The body will operate permanently from 2026.
The release also hinted at the removal of Ministerial Direction 107, which has been operating as an effective international student cap. Sheehy said certainty and stability were now “urgently needed” to ensure the continued global competitiveness of Australia’s international student sector and stabilise numbers.
The Australian Technology of Universities executive director, Dr Ant Bagshaw, said the body could now see a “path forward” which could support growth ambitions of the sector.
Updated
