What we learned; Monday 8 May
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Ahead of the federal budget on Tuesday, Anthony Albanese confirmed the age cutoff for the single parent payment will rise from eight to 14.
The prime minister later addressed the Labor caucus, describing inflation as “a tax on the poor” as some commentators suggest the budget’s cost-of-living relief could add to inflationary pressures.
It comes amid continued criticism for the Labor government’s gas tax change, which David Pocock described as “tinkering around the edges” and the Greens’ Nick McKim said was “less than the bare minimum”.
Dugald Saunders is the new leader of the NSW Nationals party after Paul Toole was axed just a month after he was returned to the job following the state election.
Shane Patton, chief commissioner of Victoria Police, apologised for the actions of officers that contributed to trauma experienced by Indigenous families.
Westpac has posted a 22% rise in six-month net profit to $4bn in a result backed by rising interest rates.
Thank you so much for spending part of your day with us - we will be back to do it all again tomorrow. Until then, go well.
Updated
Woman endures icy nights in Tasmanian bush
From AAP:
A 73-year-old woman has spent two icy nights in Tasmanian bushland after crashing her car into a tree while swerving to avoid wildlife.
At 10.20am on Monday, a passing Tasmania Fire Service worker noticed a silver Nissan off the road at Pelham in the state’s Southern Midlands.
Tasmania Police inspector Philippa Burk said initial investigations indicated the woman had swerved to avoid wildlife, lost control and had been in the bushland since about 4.30pm on Saturday.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the temperature at nearby Bushy Park dropped to 0.2C on Saturday, minus 4.8C on Sunday and minus 3.6C on Monday.
Updated
