Jim Chalmers’ budget tips the scales in favour of younger and less well-off households – but it’s middle-class gen X that are turning to the rightwing party

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Proposals also grant the health minister power to change disability support rules without state or territory approval. Here’s what you need to know

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As heavily foreshadowed, the opposition has promised to drastically cut immigration, and will tie intake to new housing builds, with Angus Taylor saying 'the number of people coming in far exceeds the number of houses built ... By inviting in too m

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Holding Jewish people responsible for Israel a ‘building block’ of racism, inquiry hears

There will always be “edge

Indexation would start in 2028-29 with the two lower tax brackets for workers earning under $135,000

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Angus Taylor will impose a fiscal straitjacket on a future Co

The proposed changes draw a clearer line between those who are fully entitled and those who are not

A few years ago, during the turmoil in Afghanistan, a friend of mine and his family were offered a humanitarian pathway to Austra

Greens senator Jordon Steele-John says the Albanese government’s proposed changes to the national disability insurance scheme are ‘the largest cut made by a government to a government program in the history of the commonwealth’. The senator says it is

Addition of Tasmanian crossbencher means Labor has gained a seat in the Senate – but still doesn’t have a majority

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Tax changes revealed in the budget aimed at investment properties will also affect other assets, including shares

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They know all the fault lines

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The CGT discount not only increased the benefit to non-wage earners, it did so in a way that incentivised investing in rental properties rather than shares

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Wages

Changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing will make the strategy of renting in a preferred area while buying a cheaper property elsewhere less attractive, experts say

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Premier Roger Cook has the prime minister’s implicit support but he’s making it harder for federal Labor to meet its much-vaunted climate targets

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Opposition leader to unveil plan to dramatically cut number of migrants in budget reply speech on Thursday

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Exclusive: Sweeping overhaul expected to be introduced to parliament Thursday as Greens warn proposal is ‘extraordinarily alarming’

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Australians w

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• See all our Australia budget 2026 coverage

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Australia to send military plane to strait of Hormuz reopening mission

How can Labor say changes to property taxes are a win for young people, when they also lock in boomers’ ability to negatively gear their investment properties? Why is the NDIS receiving such severe cuts? Guardian Australia’s business reporter Luca Itti

In response to a question from Guardian Australia’s economics editor, Patrick Commins, about whether fully abolishing negative gearing would have raised more revenue, and why the government didn’t take that approach, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says t

Queenslander under pressure after YouTube interview where he said he was ‘not ruling it out’ but ‘I don’t have the facts yet’

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The Murdoch papers sharpened their sickles and hammered Jim Chalmers’ budget for ‘the most radical redistribution of wealth since the Whitlam era’

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Opposition leader Angus Taylor and shadow treasurer Tim Wilson say future Coalition government would reinstate generous rules for property investors

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The treasurer has shown economic reforms should not be left to the too-hard basket, and instead be pursued with a sense of urgency

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More than half of the benefit of the CGT concession went to the top 1% of income earners, the most recent data shows

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This year’s federal bu

None of the budget measures will change the outcome for most would-be home buyers in the short term, but Jim Chalmers’ reforms go well beyond one electoral cycle

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Select the federal budget topics you’re interested in to get the news tailored for you

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On

Funds flow to charities and other organisations, with Executive Council of Australian Jewry getting $124m for extra security

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Buried in the Australian budget papers are a multitude of decisions that don’t make the headlines. Here are a few of this year’s

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers has handed down what he calls the most important budget in decades. As Donald Trump’s war on Iran continues to cause chaos around the world, and support for One Nation surges in Australia, the treasurer insists this is a budget t

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• Chalmers goes for broke in federal budget facing twin threats of housing pain and Iran war disaster

• Budget 2026 winner and losers

• What the budget means for your generation

…

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, delivers the 2026 federal budget in the House of Representatives. He says this is the most 'important and ambitious budget in decades'. 'Important, because the world is throwing a lot of challenges at us … and a

Labor has announced funding for Australian Submarine Agency will jump to $512m in next financial year amid concerns the sovereign submarine fleet may never arrive

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Jim Chalmers has sold the budget as a historic shift in favour of intergenerational fairness. Four Guardian Australia staff members assess what it means for their age group

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With some long-awaited sanity on housing and taxes, including CGT and negative gearing changes, it’s one of the most important for good – but will still leave some out in the cold

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Worst-case scenario modelling by Treasury shows oil prices as high as $200 a barrel in September quarter and inflation at 7.25% due to Iran war

• Federal budget 2026 LIVE updates: Australia government budget announcement and speech – latest

Negative gearing, capital gains tax and family trusts are all facing a big shake-up in the name of intergenerational fairness. How will it all work?

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NDIS changes foreshadowed by health minister Mark Butler will drastically reduce access to the scheme, with nearly 700 staff positions to go at NDIA

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Labor’s ambitious and politically risky tax reform aims to help first home buyers and foster intergenerational fairness

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Jim Chalmers, determined not to miss his reform moment more than four years into government, has backed the largest change to Australia’s sclerotic tax system since the Howard era

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The government’s response to the Murphy report is hardly dynamite. Harm advocates, gambling operators and advertisers are all waiting to see whether Labor’s rhetoric will be matched by action

The Labor government decided to release its co

Labor introduced condolence motions in parliament on Tuesday to honour the five-year-old who was allegedly murdered in Alice Springs last month

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Coalition senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price delivers a tearful speech during a condolence motion for five-year-old Warlpiri girl Kumanjayi Little Baby, whose body was found in Alice Springs on 30 April after a frantic five-day search. Speaking in the fe

It was a mistake to preference One Nation in Farrer. It’s time to return to our values and help solve the problems Australians face every day

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Farrer byelection win casts shadow over 2026 federal budget as government signals it’s alive to populist rightwing threat

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Health minister Mark Butler says six people from MC Hondius plus flight crew from charter plane to be isolated for weeks

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With baby boomers outnumbered on the electoral roll, Labor are finally emerging from their shell to address intergenerational unfairness

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One Nation supporters are not unique or special. And there are plenty of ways to express anger at a failing political system without scapegoating particular communities

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Labor’s anticipated reforms are not a panacea but they could nudge Australia toward a more equitable trajectory

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Anthony Albanese says ‘very wide-ranging budget’ will have a focus on housing, productivity and fuel security

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‘We’re not a party of government … yet,’ says Joyce

Barnaby Joyce is doing something of a victory

What if One Nation formed a conservative coalition … with the Coalition?!

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