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Dec 4, 2025 - World

Administrative review tribunal no longer authorised to alter a person’s plan or reinstate funding, agency confirmsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastParticipants in the national disability insurance scheme will in most cases no longer be able to appeal against their total amount of funding support to any external review body, executives have confirmed, after revelations about automation to be introduced to the organisation.The minister for disability and the NDIS, Jenny McAllister, and National Disability Insurance Agency bosses were peppered with questions at Senate estimates on Thursday about changes to the way NDIS support plans will be generated under a new planning model coming into effect from mid-2026. Continue reading...

Dec 4, 2025 - World

Follow today’s news liveAccused childcare paedophile Joshua Dale Brown charged with 83 new offencesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChalmers says GDP growth figures ‘very positive and very promising’Chalmers also said he was encouraged by the release of national accounts figures yesterday, which showed annual GDP growth hitting 2.1%, even though the quarterly pace of growth was a disappointing 0.4%.The reason for that is because the overwhelming story of these national accounts was a very substantial recovery in the private sector. We saw business investment absolutely galloping. We saw investment in the building of new homes growing strongly as well. We saw the fourth consecutive quarter of productivity growth.And so, overwhelmingly, this is a very positive and a very promising story emerging out of these national accounts. Continue reading...

Dec 4, 2025 - World

The Russian president’s Delhi visit gives him a chance to reduce Moscow’s isolation but both countries need each other to negotiate Trump’s America and a powerful ChinaWhen Vladimir Putin last set foot in India almost exactly four years ago, the world order looked materially different. That visit – lasting just five hours due to the covid pandemic – saw Putin and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi discuss economic and military cooperation and reaffirm their special relationship.Three months later, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine would turn him into a global pariah, isolating Russia from the world and restricting Putin’s international travel. Continue reading...

Dec 4, 2025 - World

Government once seen as progressive on migration says aid cuts to blame for excluding countries ‘not experiencing war’The Ugandan government has stopped granting asylum and refugee status to people from Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia, citing severe funding shortfalls for the significant policy shift.Hillary Onek, Uganda’s minister for refugees, announced that the government would no longer grant the status to new arrivals from countries “not experiencing war”. Continue reading...

Dec 4, 2025 - World

Passengers welcome climbdown and say plan to turn Avanti West Coast service into ‘ghost train’ made no sense“I don’t think I’ve seen it this busy in years,” said Liam, a customer service specialist struggling to deal with a growing line of tired customers onboard the 7am Avanti West Coast service from Manchester to London.They were made more agitated by the news that the microwave was broken and bacon sandwiches were off the menu. “I don’t think there’s been this many people on the 7am since before Covid,” said the beleaguered staff member. Continue reading...