Hi there. It's Tuesday, October 25 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Let's start here
It's budget night, baby.
Labor is handing down its first federal budget since 2013, and it's one a lot of people will be watching closely as Australians face increasing cost-of-living pressures.
We already know about a plan to build 1 million new homes by the end of the decade as part of a historic deal between the federal government, states, private investors and the construction sector, which is an attempt to help mitigate the nation's housing crisis.
We're bringing all the details and what it all means in real time — follow along, ask your burning questions and join the conversation with our live blog.
What else is going on
- Lidia Thorpe has addressed the Senate chamber over her failure to disclose a past relationship with a former bikie while she was sitting on a law enforcement committee, but says she has no intention of leaving politics. Here's what she said, if you missed it:
- More Medibank customers may have had their information stolen after the health insurance provider revealed that the cyber attack on the company was wider than originally thought
- The AFL has apologised to past players who were "let down" by the league's concussion research project after an independent review criticised the under-funded and under-resourced study
What Australia has been searching for online
- Leslie Jordan. The Emmy-winning actor whose wry Southern drawl and versatility made him a comedy and drama stand-out on TV shows like Will & Grace, American Horror Story and Boston Legal has died in a car crash aged 67.
- Brad Hazzard. The NSW Health Minister has announced he will retire from politics at next year's state election after 32 years. He described his six years in the health portfolio, half of which was largely occupied by COVID, as "the best of times and the worst of times".
One more thing
Sick of rain? No? That's great, because there's plenty more of it to come.
The Bureau of Meteorology's latest climate driver update suggests La Niña will hang around until early 2023, but the negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is on track to collapse at the end of spring.
ABC Weather reporter Kate Doyle explains it like this:
All seven of the climate models monitored by the BOM suggest the La Niña will last through November.
Five of the models are predicting the phenomenon to persist until at least the end of the year. A few have the likelihood of its presence above or borderline in January, but all suggest we will be below La Niña levels by February.
Its life span can differ greatly between events, but a typical La Niña would be expected to break down at about the end of summer or in autumn.
Here's the full story.
You're up to date
See you tomorrow.
ABC/wires
