AU Engine

Source: Prime Minister of Australia

One week to go: Bundle of joy for new parents as paid parental leave expands to 6 months

In one week, the Albanese Labor Government will deliver a major expansion of Paid Parental Leave, helping new parents spend more time at home with their newest family member.

From 1 July eligible families will be able to access up to 26 weeks of Paid Parental Leave, backed by the Government.

Thanks to Labor’s changes, families accessing the full entitlement will receive almost $30,000 across their Paid Parental Leave.

This is more than double the entitlement available to families before Labor came to government.

The changes that come into effect on 1 July mean: 

• < More time
• < More money
• < More people eligible

Since the expansion of the Paid Parental Leave scheme began, parents of more than 460,000 children have already benefited.

From 1 July, 2.6 million Australians will also benefit when a range of social security payments, thresholds and limits increase.

At a time when global uncertainty has placed pressure on households, these changes will deliver more money in the bank and help many cover the cost of essentials.

Over 1.2 million families with children will receive a boost to their Family Tax Benefit payment to help them with the cost of raising their children.

The maximum rate for Family Tax Benefit Part A will increase to $235.48 per fortnight for each child aged under 13, and to $306.46 per fortnight for each child aged 13 and over.

For Family Tax Benefit Part B, the maximum rate will rise to $200.34 per fortnight for families with a youngest child under five, and to $139.86 per fortnight for families whose youngest child is aged five or older.

Income and assets thresholds will increase for a range of recipients, including pensioners and Parenting Payment Single recipients. This means recipients will be able to have higher levels of income and assets before their payments are affected.

More information on new payment rates and thresholds is available on the Department of Social Services website.

Quotes attributable to the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese:

“The first months with a new baby are precious. My Government is making it easier for parents to spend that time together.

“That’s why we’re expanding Paid Parental Leave again from 1 July, giving parents more time at home with their newborn and more support when they need it most.

“It was Labor that created Paid Parental Leave, and it’s Labor that’s continuing to strengthen it for Australian families.

“This is good for business, good for families and good for our economy.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher:

“The Albanese Government has consistently put Australian women at the heart of our priorities, and from July 1 they will be even better off.

“By expanding Paid Parental Leave we are making the scheme stronger, fairer and better suited to the way modern families share care.

“These changes give parents more time, more flexibility and more financial security, while helping make caring responsibilities more equal between women and men.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek:

“Labor’s changes to Paid Parental Leave mean working parents get more time off and more money when they welcome a new arrival into their family.

“It was a Labor Government that introduced Paid Parental Leave in this country, and now it’s the Albanese Labor Government expanding it to six months of leave.

“Labor will keep delivering real change that helps Australian families.”

Source: Prime Minister of Australia

One week to go: Bundle of joy for new parents as paid parental leave expands to 6 months

In one week, the Albanese Labor Government will deliver a major expansion of Paid Parental Leave, helping new parents spend more time at home with their newest family member.

From 1 July eligible families will be able to access up to 26 weeks of Paid Parental Leave, backed by the Government.

Thanks to Labor’s changes, families accessing the full entitlement will receive almost $30,000 across their Paid Parental Leave.

This is more than double the entitlement available to families before Labor came to government.

The changes that come into effect on 1 July mean: 

• < More time
• < More money
• < More people eligible

Since the expansion of the Paid Parental Leave scheme began, parents of more than 460,000 children have already benefited.

From 1 July, 2.6 million Australians will also benefit when a range of social security payments, thresholds and limits increase.

At a time when global uncertainty has placed pressure on households, these changes will deliver more money in the bank and help many cover the cost of essentials.

Over 1.2 million families with children will receive a boost to their Family Tax Benefit payment to help them with the cost of raising their children.

The maximum rate for Family Tax Benefit Part A will increase to $235.48 per fortnight for each child aged under 13, and to $306.46 per fortnight for each child aged 13 and over.

For Family Tax Benefit Part B, the maximum rate will rise to $200.34 per fortnight for families with a youngest child under five, and to $139.86 per fortnight for families whose youngest child is aged five or older.

Income and assets thresholds will increase for a range of recipients, including pensioners and Parenting Payment Single recipients. This means recipients will be able to have higher levels of income and assets before their payments are affected.

More information on new payment rates and thresholds is available on the Department of Social Services website.

Quotes attributable to the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese:

“The first months with a new baby are precious. My Government is making it easier for parents to spend that time together.

“That’s why we’re expanding Paid Parental Leave again from 1 July, giving parents more time at home with their newborn and more support when they need it most.

“It was Labor that created Paid Parental Leave, and it’s Labor that’s continuing to strengthen it for Australian families.

“This is good for business, good for families and good for our economy.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher:

“The Albanese Government has consistently put Australian women at the heart of our priorities, and from July 1 they will be even better off.

“By expanding Paid Parental Leave we are making the scheme stronger, fairer and better suited to the way modern families share care.

“These changes give parents more time, more flexibility and more financial security, while helping make caring responsibilities more equal between women and men.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek:

“Labor’s changes to Paid Parental Leave mean working parents get more time off and more money when they welcome a new arrival into their family.

“It was a Labor Government that introduced Paid Parental Leave in this country, and now it’s the Albanese Labor Government expanding it to six months of leave.

“Labor will keep delivering real change that helps Australian families.”

Source: Prime Minister of Australia

begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, and I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

I also acknowledge Her Excellency the Governor-General, Sam Mostyn; Australian Defence Force leaders; Australian War Memorial Chair Kim Beazley; Australian War Memorial Director Matt Anderson; and my colleagues from across the Parliament.

I extend my respects to all serving Defence members and all veterans here today. You honour us with your presence.

Each year, we begin the Parliamentary year with the Last Post ceremony.

From across the Parliament and across the political spectrum, we join here in solemn remembrance of generations of Australian sacrifice.

We join in gratitude for the difference Australians in uniform have made in the world when it was so desperately needed.

We reflect on the courage and strength of character that, for decades, has defined those who have served in our name.

And, bonded by the power of Lest we forget – that most unadorned of sentences that dwells within us like a heartbeat – we vow to keep the flame of memory burning so brightly that its glow reaches future generations.

Today we adjourned the Parliament so that everyone who wished to could come mark the opening of this Atrium and Anzac Hall, an addition to the Australian War Memorial that makes that flame burns so much brighter.

What a sublime and powerful addition it is. A bold vision turned into a reality that enhances the institution of which it is now part.

It amounts to an act of profound respect from the nation to all who have served in our name, and all who serve now.

The fighters for peace, the keepers of peace.

It honours all who went and all who fell. It honours those who came home, including the many whose hearts never knew peace again.

It is an act of remembrance that also acknowledges that while our troops are supported, not every conflict has been – and that, too, is part of our hard-won freedom.

So much here is on a profoundly human scale.

From the fluffy dice that Captain Lukas Wilds took from his V12 Monaro and carried with him to Afghanistan, to every window on G for George, each one an invitation to imagine the face on the other side as they flew against the odds, ever deeper into enemy skies.

Amid the array of artefacts, read all the words. Listen to the voices.

Look at the faces and get lost amid the smiles, the hope and camaraderie – the counterpoint to war’s relentless, inhuman arithmetic. They are its true cost.

Yet, amid this loss and sacrifice, what pulses so powerfully is life, and an abiding sense of what is worth fighting for. As Australians. As human beings.

It pulses with the hope that drives every peacekeeping mission.

And it pulses with love – along, inevitably, with the grief that is love in the face of the final absence.

I’d like to quote from one letter displayed here. It was written by Hilda Barnes on the 30th of June 1945, about her son Pilot Officer Keith Osmond Barnes, reported missing over Germany in January 1944.

It is a reminder of the forms that hope can take. And I quote:

“… we are still hoping he may be found in hospital somewhere … he may have lost his memory or even disfigured by burns.

“I am enclosing a photo of him. I thought it might help if he has lost his memory. You will have an idea of what he looks like. He was 20 years and 10 months of age at his presumed death.”

Then the following line:

“He is our baby.”

Next week it will be 81 years since Hilda Barnes wrote that letter. Here in this place of memory, her words call to us still – as does the face of the son she longed for in vain.

Along with so many others, generation after generation.

When the Australian War Memorial opened during World War II, nearly a year before G for George was delivered to No. 460 Squadron, Prime Minister Curtin said it would bring our nation closer to the meaning of Australian courage, sacrifice and faith.

Even as we move further away in years, the Atrium and Anzac Hall bring us even closer.

And as they do, that heartbeat within us grows louder.

Lest we forget.

Source: Prime Minister of Australia

begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, and I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

I also acknowledge Her Excellency the Governor-General, Sam Mostyn; Australian Defence Force leaders; Australian War Memorial Chair Kim Beazley; Australian War Memorial Director Matt Anderson; and my colleagues from across the Parliament.

I extend my respects to all serving Defence members and all veterans here today. You honour us with your presence.

Each year, we begin the Parliamentary year with the Last Post ceremony.

From across the Parliament and across the political spectrum, we join here in solemn remembrance of generations of Australian sacrifice.

We join in gratitude for the difference Australians in uniform have made in the world when it was so desperately needed.

We reflect on the courage and strength of character that, for decades, has defined those who have served in our name.

And, bonded by the power of Lest we forget – that most unadorned of sentences that dwells within us like a heartbeat – we vow to keep the flame of memory burning so brightly that its glow reaches future generations.

Today we adjourned the Parliament so that everyone who wished to could come mark the opening of this Atrium and Anzac Hall, an addition to the Australian War Memorial that makes that flame burns so much brighter.

What a sublime and powerful addition it is. A bold vision turned into a reality that enhances the institution of which it is now part.

It amounts to an act of profound respect from the nation to all who have served in our name, and all who serve now.

The fighters for peace, the keepers of peace.

It honours all who went and all who fell. It honours those who came home, including the many whose hearts never knew peace again.

It is an act of remembrance that also acknowledges that while our troops are supported, not every conflict has been – and that, too, is part of our hard-won freedom.

So much here is on a profoundly human scale.

From the fluffy dice that Captain Lukas Wilds took from his V12 Monaro and carried with him to Afghanistan, to every window on G for George, each one an invitation to imagine the face on the other side as they flew against the odds, ever deeper into enemy skies.

Amid the array of artefacts, read all the words. Listen to the voices.

Look at the faces and get lost amid the smiles, the hope and camaraderie – the counterpoint to war’s relentless, inhuman arithmetic. They are its true cost.

Yet, amid this loss and sacrifice, what pulses so powerfully is life, and an abiding sense of what is worth fighting for. As Australians. As human beings.

It pulses with the hope that drives every peacekeeping mission.

And it pulses with love – along, inevitably, with the grief that is love in the face of the final absence.

I’d like to quote from one letter displayed here. It was written by Hilda Barnes on the 30th of June 1945, about her son Pilot Officer Keith Osmond Barnes, reported missing over Germany in January 1944.

It is a reminder of the forms that hope can take. And I quote:

“… we are still hoping he may be found in hospital somewhere … he may have lost his memory or even disfigured by burns.

“I am enclosing a photo of him. I thought it might help if he has lost his memory. You will have an idea of what he looks like. He was 20 years and 10 months of age at his presumed death.”

Then the following line:

“He is our baby.”

Next week it will be 81 years since Hilda Barnes wrote that letter. Here in this place of memory, her words call to us still – as does the face of the son she longed for in vain.

Along with so many others, generation after generation.

When the Australian War Memorial opened during World War II, nearly a year before G for George was delivered to No. 460 Squadron, Prime Minister Curtin said it would bring our nation closer to the meaning of Australian courage, sacrifice and faith.

Even as we move further away in years, the Atrium and Anzac Hall bring us even closer.

And as they do, that heartbeat within us grows louder.

Lest we forget.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Northern Territory Police have charged a 31-year-old man with escaping from lawful custody after he allegedly escaped from custody overnight.  

Just after midnight, Corrections reported to Police that the man, who is currently serving a custodial sentence and is a known associate of the Mongol Mob outlaw motorcycle gang, had escaped from custody at Royal Darwin Hospital.

Police responded immediately and, with the assistance of Dog Operations Unit and Casuarina Police Station, located the man on Trower Road.

He was arrested and returned to Royal Darwin Hospital before being handed back into Corrections custody.

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Tim Healey said this was an excellent result by attending members.  

“Police received the report and, within eight minutes, located and re-arrested the man.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

A 45-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly driving while more than six times the legal alcohol limit, placing his passenger and the wider community at serious risk.

Just before midnight last night, police were conducting traffic diversions following a crash at the intersection of Tiger Brennan Drive and Woolner Road when a white Holden Captiva drove over traffic cones that had been set up to direct motorists before coming to a stop.

Officers at the scene stopped the vehicle and subjected the driver to a roadside breath test, which returned a reading of 0.306% blood alcohol concentration.

The 45-year-old driver was arrested and taken to Palmerston Watch House. His female passenger, who was heavily intoxicated, was taken into protective custody.

Senior Sergeant Dev Kanyilmaz from Road Policing division condemned the driver’s actions.

“The driver showed a complete disregard for his own safety, the safety of his passenger, and every other road user.

“Choosing to get behind the wheel while allegedly more than six times the legal limit is an incredibly dangerous decision that could have ended in tragedy.

“If you choose to drink and drive, expect to be caught. The consequences could be losing your licence, facing court, causing serious injury, or taking a life.

“Our message is simple: if you’re drinking, don’t drive.”

Source: Tasmania Police

Fatal crash on East Derwent Highway

Tuesday, 23 June 2026 – 4:43 pm.

Police are investigating a serious crash on the East Derwent Highway at Old Beach earlier today.
Sadly, police can confirm that two people died at the scene.
Both people were occupants of the same vehicle, a Holden Barina hatchback
Police are unable to confirm further details at this stage, or the relationship of the two deceased to one another.
Police and emergency services were called to the East Derwent Highway, near Cassidy’s Road, shortly before noon today following reports of a crash involving a Holden Barina and a Mitsubishi Triton utility.
The driver of the utility was not physically injured in the crash.
As at 4.35pm today, the East Derwent Highway remained closed and was expected to be closed into this evening while emergency crews, Crash Investigation Services and Forensics officers continue their investigations.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those involved.
Anyone with information about the crash, or dash cam footage, should contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers Tasmania anonymously on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au
The crash is the third serious crash with a fatality in Tasmania since Friday.
On 19 June, a 52-year-old George Town woman died at the scene of a two-vehicle crash at Hillwood, on the Batman Highway.
On 22 June, a North-West man aged in his 60s died in hospital as the result of injuries sustained in a two-vehicle crash at Carrick, on the Bass Highway.
The 2026 Tasmanian road toll now stands at 16, compared to 25 at this time last year.

Source: Tasmania Police

Serious Crash, Charles Street, Launceston

Tuesday, 23 June 2026 – 4:32 pm.

Police are investigating a serious crash on Charles Street, Launceston.
Emergency services were called to the scene about 12.34pm today, where three vehicles and a pedestrian were involved in a collision.
A 65-year-old Youngtown woman suffered serious injuries (not believed to be life-threatening) and was taken to the Launceston General Hospital. Two other people involved in the crash were taken to the Launceston General Hospital as a precaution.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The road was closed for three hours to allow crash investigators to examine the scene and conduct inquiries. Police would like to thank motorists for their patience and understanding.
Anyone with information or relevant dash cam footage is asked to contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers Tasmania on 1800 333 000 or at crimestopperstas.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously. Please quote ESCAD: 178:23062026.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force are continuing to investigate a road crash involving a pedestrian and a single vehicle earlier today.

Around 4:10am, police received a report from a man travelling to work who believed he had struck an object on Chibnall Road. After turning his vehicle around to investigate, he located an unconscious man.

The man remains in a critical condition at Royal Darwin Hospital.

Chibnall Road was closed throughout the morning and has now re-opened.

The man remains unidentified and police are urging anyone with information to come forward.

He is described as Caucasian in appearance, aged in his late 20’s to early 30’s, with dark hair.

Anyone with information, no matter how small, urged to contact police on 131 444 and quote reference P26178127.

Source: Prime Minister of Australia

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thank you so much for joining us. Our tax reforms will make it easier for Australians to buy their first home and they’ll cut taxes for every Australian worker. Our tax reforms give support to small business. And we will amend our legislation to give every active small business generous capital gains tax concessions. Our tax reforms will give better alignment for income earned from work with income earned from assets and wealth. Most Australians have nothing to sell but their time. Nothing to give but their hard work. And that’s how they earn an income. That’s how they put food on the table. And we want those people, those hard-working Australians, to have the opportunity to own their own home.

Today we have secured support to get this legislation through the Parliament with the majority of senators. I expect that just as the three right-wing parties have opposed every one of our tax cuts, every pay rise for workers, every cost of living measure, every policy to build more homes and help more people buy a first home, they will oppose these measures and continue in their race to the bottom to see who can be more anti-aspirational, more anti-worker and confirm that they’re defined purely by what they’re against. My government is defined by what we are in favour of. Delivering real change in the national interest, making difficult decisions, but so that Australia can move forward. We’ll continue to be defined by that. These reforms are important. They’re a result of an ambitious Budget that was handed down in the interests of the Australian people. We’ll hear from the Treasurer, then the Health Minister, then the Manager of Government Business in the Senate and Finance Minister and then we’ll take questions.

< JIM CHALMERS, TREASURER

There is also, agreed with The Greens in the Senate that we will take an additional step when it comes to limited recourse borrowing arrangements. Now, many of you would know that super funds are, generally, are prohibited from borrowing to make investments, but this has been an exception in the system. And so the changes that we’ve agreed today will strengthen the rules that limit borrowing by superannuation funds. We will ban these arrangements for residential property going forward, but we will leave the existing arrangements in place for those existing investments and also have a 45 day transition period for any investments which are currently midstream, and that’s important as well. In 2014, David Murray, in the review that he led for the Coalition, recommended that these arrangements be banned. In 2019 and 2022, the Council of Financial Regulators also highlighted the risks in these arrangements and we will be dealing with that with this amendment in the Senate. This is a very small part of the housing market. SMSFs, for example, are less than one per cent of total residential property borrowing and less than half a per cent of new residential borrowing each year. So, a small part of the market. Now, this is an important change in its own right, but it also reflects the realities of a Senate where nobody has the numbers on their own. And that’s why we are willing to support these arrangements today, the changes to these arrangements today. I’ll hand you to Mark and then to Katy.

< MARK BUTLER, MINISTER FOR HEALTH

It was obviously pretty clear to us as we came back to Parliament that it was going to be next to impossible to have this bill dealt with over the course of this fortnight. The Opposition had indicated, in spite of some encouraging comments from the Leader of the Opposition in his Budget Reply speech, that they were looking at a six month delay to this bill being dealt with in the Parliament. Let me be clear, a six month extension would cost the Budget billions of dollars, but would also delay our ability to get those cost blowouts under control, to clear up eligibility rules and to crack down on the fraud and the integrity issues that the community knows are there with the NDIS. And that is why we have agreed to an extension of this inquiry that’s been underway for the last several weeks, for another eight weeks to report on 14 August. This is another opportunity for us to provide ongoing reassurances about our intentions around this package and the degree to which this is an important reform to secure the long term future of this important social program. We’ve also agreed to a series of amendments in areas that we’d been considering over the course of this inquiry to make it very clear what support determinations would be able to be made and restricting them only to social activity and therapy areas, making sure that there is no impact on the ability of participants to continue to engage in employment. Also to clarify what appropriate treatment might be that we would expect participants or applicants for the scheme to undertake before they would be considered for entry into the scheme, particularly to ensure that that does not involve any restrictive practices and also only considers treatment that would be publicly funded. So, this is obviously, as Jim said, a reflection of the realities in the Senate. We think this reform is the right direction for the country. We think reform is urgent and needs to be considered by the Parliament immediately after this report is delivered on the 14th of August. But there obviously was not, there was not a pathway to consider this bill over the course of this fortnight.

< KATY GALLAGHER, MANAGER OF GOVERNMENT BUSINESS IN THE SENATE

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