Labor promotes $20bn in savings before mid-year budget update
Tom McIlroy
Ahead of Wednesday’s mid-year update to the federal budget, Labor is talking up $20bn in savings.
This weekend, the government has also moved to stop huge blowouts in the cost of its home battery program, with changes due to come into force in May.
Already over subscribed, the assistance for households to add storage options for their home solar systems is costing about $2bn. Another $5bn will be spent, but without changes to taper some of the rules, the cost was on track to hit $14bn. The changes announced on Saturday will slow that spending.
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, has separately listed various savings being included in the mid-year fiscal and economic outlook.
She says they include $6.8bn in savings from reduced spending on consultants, contractors and labour hire and non-wage expenses such as travel, hospitality and property.
Another $1.8bn will be saved from lifting the freeze on social security deeming rates to pre-pandemic settings.
About $882m will be saved from changes within the Department of Veterans Affairs, while the defence portfolio will see $574m in savings.
Then there’s $425m in uncommitted funds from the Hydrogen Headstart program, as well as $286m from additional childcare subsidy integrity activities.
“Delivering savings isn’t just good fiscal management, it’s about guaranteeing that the services our communities depend on remain strong and sustainable, while also dealing with the significant spending pressures we are facing,” Gallagher said.
Key events
Victoria’s West Gate Tunnel opens
We have a bit more here on the opening of the west gate tunnel from AAP:
A major new toll road intended to ease traffic in Australia’s second-largest city has finally opened, a decade after the project was first announced.
Victoria’s West Gate Tunnel, an alternative route to Melbourne’s west, opened to the public on Sunday morning with the long-awaited toll road heralded to be a “game-changer” for commuters.
The first trucks and cars passed through the 6.8km stretch just after midnight, drawing the $10.2bn project to a close.
Premier Jacinta Allan described the roadway – which has three lanes in each direction – a “massive game-changer for the way people travel around this great city and state”.
It means families can get home sooner, congestion will be reduced, and most importantly, for residents here in the western suburbs, it will get trucks off local roads.
Allen defended the Labor-backed project, despite a decade of turbulent planning, a doubling of its cost and years of delays.
Emergency warning issued for bushfire near Perth
An emergency warning has been issued for a bushfire north-east of Perth.
The fire is threatening lives and homes in the shires of Chittering and Toodyay. People in the area bordered by Julimar Road, Plunkett Road, Beach Road and Chittering Road are in danger and are being told to leave now if it safe to do so.
More to come.
NSW police appeal for information after shooting in Guildford West
Sydney police also updated the media about the alleged public place shooting in Sydney’s west overnight.
NSW police said that just after 12.30am on Sunday, police were called to a home on Hunt Street, Guildford West, following reports of shots being fired at a house while two women and a child were inside.
The shots were fired just after midnight in Guildford West, with a white hatchback reportedly fleeing the scene. A few hours later, a car matching the description was found on fire a few streets away. No one was hurt in the incident.
Police said:
It’s outrageous. This sort of thing is happening in the community. This is where we ask for the assistance from the community to come forward with any dashcam, any CCTV or any information to Granville police or Crimestoppers if they want to remain unknown.
Teenager dies after slipping and falling on rocks at Queensland beach
Queensland police have also spoken about the death of the 17-year-old girl who died after falling from a cliff after taking photos with friends:
A group of 17-year-old girls were watching the sunset at Moffat beach. They went over the railing to get a better view of the sun.
So, taking photos, they proceeded to make their way back up the embankment. And unfortunately, a 17-year-old has slipped and fallen 30m on to the rocks below.
And again her friends and some other witnesses and bystanders provided immediate first aid and my thanks and credit go to them in a very, very difficult situation. They managed to locate this young lady and provided as much assistance as they could.
Unfortunately, she passed away on scene.
Her injuries were quite severe, falling that distance and there were a lot of people who gave first aid, including off-duty medical personnel. Unfortunately, she passed away at the scene and it must have been very confronting.
Queensland police treating vehicle hitting 8 pedestrians as alleged ‘intentional, deliberate act’
Queensland police said they are treating it “as an intentional, deliberate act by the male offender to drive that vehicle in into the sidewalk, hitting those pedestrians”.
There was an incident a short time earlier involving some males. As a result, we believe that the offender has driven the vehicle away from that altercation and for whatever reason, has returned.
A few minutes later, locating the group of males and unfortunately, there were some other female pedestrians who were struck as well.
He said the initial incident “was minor” and they believe the driver was under the influence of alcohol.
Man charged with attempted murder after eight pedestrians allegedly hit by vehicle in Queensland
Police in Queensland provided this update just a few minutes ago on the alleged hit-and-run in Maroochydore:
A vehicle has struck eight pedestrians. As a result of that incident, one of those pedestrians is in hospital in Brisbane in a life-threatening condition.
She’s 24 years old. She’s unwell. She came from New South Wales to visit some family members as a surprise, and was only meant to be staying here for a couple of days before she was returning to New South Wales.
She was minding her own business, walking on the side of the road, when she was struck by this vehicle. Two other males were taken to hospital. They have since been released. The injuries were minor.
A 38-year-old male has been arrested and charged with eight attempted murders.
Cyclist in critical condition after crash near Lake Macquarie
A cyclist is in a critical condition following a crash near Lake Macquarie today:
Just after 11am (Sunday 14 December 2025), emergency services were called to the intersection of the Pacific Highway and Awabakal Drive, Nords Wharf, following reports of a crash.
Officers attached to Lake Macquarie police district attended and found a cyclist – a man aged in his 40s – and a car had collided.
He was taken to John Hunter hospital in a critical condition. The car – believed to be a black Toyota SUV – failed to stop after the collision.
Police have commenced an investigation to locate the SUV and determine the circumstances of the crash.
Police are asking the driver of the Toyota or anyone with information about this incident or dash cam footage is urged to contact Belmont police station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
King plays down Rowland travel entitlement repayments
The minister for infrastructure, Catherine King, was speaking to the media earlier, where she was asked about the attorney general, Michelle Rowland, repaying part of the cost of taking her family on a holiday to Western Australia after the independent watchdog found her spending breached the rules.
King said:
I understand community concern about this. But again, the reason this authority was set up in the first place was to provide that independent advice to parliamentarians. Whether you’re a backbencher or whether you’re a whether you’re a minister or whether you’re a shadow minister, to make sure that you’re actually following the rules.
And that’s really what the authority is doing at the moment. It’s also why the government has asked for some further advice to try and make sure that there’s some clarity around family reunion payments, in particular, and the way in which people are using them.
Alleged hit-and-run on Sunshine Coast leaves pedestrian in critical condition
A 23-year-old woman is fighting for her life, and a man is in custody, after an alleged hit-and-run on the Sunshine Coast.
Emergency services were called to Aerodrome Road at Maroochydore just before midnight on Saturday after a Toyota Yaris ploughed into eight pedestrians.
The driver of the Yaris, a 38-year-old man, allegedly fled the scene in the car after the crash, but was found by police a short time later at a nearby house. Investigations are ongoing.
The woman was airlifted to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a critical condition.
Labor promotes $20bn in savings before mid-year budget update
Tom McIlroy
Ahead of Wednesday’s mid-year update to the federal budget, Labor is talking up $20bn in savings.
This weekend, the government has also moved to stop huge blowouts in the cost of its home battery program, with changes due to come into force in May.
Already over subscribed, the assistance for households to add storage options for their home solar systems is costing about $2bn. Another $5bn will be spent, but without changes to taper some of the rules, the cost was on track to hit $14bn. The changes announced on Saturday will slow that spending.
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, has separately listed various savings being included in the mid-year fiscal and economic outlook.
She says they include $6.8bn in savings from reduced spending on consultants, contractors and labour hire and non-wage expenses such as travel, hospitality and property.
Another $1.8bn will be saved from lifting the freeze on social security deeming rates to pre-pandemic settings.
About $882m will be saved from changes within the Department of Veterans Affairs, while the defence portfolio will see $574m in savings.
Then there’s $425m in uncommitted funds from the Hydrogen Headstart program, as well as $286m from additional childcare subsidy integrity activities.
“Delivering savings isn’t just good fiscal management, it’s about guaranteeing that the services our communities depend on remain strong and sustainable, while also dealing with the significant spending pressures we are facing,” Gallagher said.
Phone of Belgian woman missing in Tasmania since 2023 found in Tarkine wilderness
Tasmania Police resources will formally join an independent search for missing Belgian woman, Celine Cremer, after her mobile phone was located at Philosopher Falls in the north-west of the state yesterday.
It has been two and a half years since Cremer disappeared, with her friends and family arranging a privately organised search of the area this weekend, with Tasmania Police’s support.
Inspector Andrew Hanson said the private search party located a mobile phone, which has been confirmed as belonging to Celine and which will undergo further forensic examination.
Inspector Hanson said it’s believed Cremer walked off the track to take a more direct route back to her car as daylight faded. He said:
In the days since Celine’s disappearance, the winter weather in the area included sub zero temperatures, snow and rainfall.”
Expert medical advice at the time indicated those conditions were not survivable for the duration she is believed to have been exposed.
Tom McIlroy
Opposition MP repays money spent on family trips
Opposition shadow assistant minister, Philip Thompson, says he has repaid taxpayers for family flights taken in Queensland.
Thompson, and the attorney-general Michelle Rowland, are among the first MPs to repay money in the current expenses scandal.
Thompson, the member for Herbert, says he asked staffers to run an internal check against the publicly available data from the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority. He believes the spending on family travel was within the rules, but has opted to repay anyway.
“A few things didn’t add up – including travel listed for February when I was actually in Townsville helping with the community flood response,” he said.
“I have asked the IPEA to review those records and clear things up ASAP.
“The internal check also flagged that some Cairns flights for family visits hadn’t been reimbursed by me as I had planned. I have now fixed that and taken immediate action to make full payment through the authority.”
One of Australia’s smallest surviving newborns weighs about the same as a can of soup
Tiny Charlie Jones is a mini miracle, defying the odds as one of Australia’s smallest surviving newborns, AAP has reported.
Born at just over 26 weeks, Charlie weighed 360 grams – slightly bigger than a can of soup – when he arrived at Brisbane’s Mater hospital on 8 October. Charlie is the smallest ever born at the Queensland hospital and one of the tiniest in the country.
Doctors feared baby Charlie would be too tiny for the equipment he needed to keep him alive.
After more than two months in the hospital’s neonatal critical care unit, Charlie now weighs 1.44kg and he could be home in January.
Mum Samantha Jones, 28, has spent every day by her son’s side and knew he was special.
At times, we thought he might not make it, but he is so strong and determined. He’s a fighter for sure.
Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel opens to fanfare
The West Gate Tunnel in Melbourne has opened today, providing an alternative to the West Gate Bridge, with new ramps, bridges, elevated roadways and a widened and upgraded West Gate freeway.
To mark the occasion, a procession of old cars drove through the tunnel. Take a look at the action:
