Canavan's Swag Stay, Budget Woes, NDIS Overhauls

0:00It's April 23rd, Sydney news today starts now, AI-powered and ready. Nationals leader Matt Cainivan hit the campaign trail hard and fair, swapping hotel beds for a swag in southern New South Wales ahead of the May by election. He aimed to connect with voters in this coalition stronghold, but chilly nights forced him to upgrade gear and crash at the candidates' place after running low on socks. Bulls show a tight race between one nation's David Farley, independent Michelle Milthorp, and the Nationals. Preference deals are shaking things up. Farley puts Nationals ahead of Liberals, while both coalition parties back, one nation over Milthorp. Early voting starts next Tuesday, and these flows could tip the scales against the Indy. Meanwhile, the government's prepping voters for a tough budget in three weeks with grim warnings from treasurer Jim Chalmers on inflation and unemployment risks from global wars. Health Minister Mark Butler laid out massive NDIS overhalls at the National Press Club,

1:01Sleshing Growth, to 2% from 10.5, tightening, eligibility to boot over 160,000 people, and cutting participation supports back to 2023 levels. States are pushing back hard, refusing to pick up the slack without more cash, but Butler countered with $10 billion on offer and pointed, fingers at past shifts. Labor's betting the focus shifts to tax reform chatter, like calls for 25% gas export levy, or hiking the petroleum resource rent tax, on windfalls, and never access 10% as a goal for mass, and his been was always to the experience. A Senate inquiry grilled gas giants this week, with X Treasury boss Ken Henry urging, just do it on resource taxes. West Australia's premier Roger Cook lobbied against it, and PM Anthony Albanese seems to have cooled the idea for now, leaving everyone watching how. The budget lands these big swings.