Australia news live: NDIA spent $170m over three years on legal fees fighting participants, Senate estimates hears

Published 5 June 2026 · india

From 53m ago 02.01 BST NDIA spent $170m in three years on legal fees fighting participants Cait Kelly The government has spent $66m this financial

From 53m ago 02.01 BST NDIA spent $170m in three years on legal fees fighting participants Cait Kelly The government has spent $66m this financial year to fight NDIS participants appealing decisions about their packages, up from $60m the previous year and $44m the year before that, Senate estimates has heard. Asked how many cases were submitted to the ART, NDIA deputy CEO Matthew Swainson said: double quotation mark So, in the 25-26 year to date, that’s to the end of March, we had 6,998 matters received. In the 24-25 financial year, we had 7,137. In 23-24, we have 4,044 new cases received. We resolved 1,979 applications in the last quarter. 96.9% of those were resolved prior to a hearing. There will be a more detailed breakdown of the legal costs after lunch. Share Updated at 02.08 BST 9m ago 02.46 BST NSW to spend $192.5m over three years to protect and restore state’s ecosystems Lisa Cox The New South Wales government will increase its annual funding for the protection and restoration of the state’s imperilled ecosystems by $50m a year – a fourfold increase and a rare win for an environment budget. The government will spend $195.2m – $65m a year – over three years on the state’s Saving our Species program. Funding for the program had been due to expire this year and was previously set at $15m per year. The government says the boost will fund ecosystem-wide actions to help not just individual species but also the habitats and natural systems they depend on. The Minns government has committed a further $26m for delivery of its nature strategy, which will set targets for nature recovery across NSW. Environment minister Penny Sharpe said: double quotation mark There’s no point protecting a regent honeyeater unless you’re also protecting the woodland it lives in, and that’s exactly what our plan does. This investment marks a new era for conservation in NSW. For the first time, we are taking a holistic approach by protecting entire ecosystems, not just individual species. Greens environment spokesperson, Sue Higginson, said the increase was “a very welcomed announcement, and direct investment in frontline services and boots on the ground at a landscape scale is a move that has been called on for decades”. She said more ambition was still needed to address the state’s extinction crisis, including work to “fix the failed biodiversity offsets system, fix our land clearing laws, end native forest logging, and expand our national park system to 30% of land and water by 2030”. Share Updated at 02.52 BST 19m ago 02.35 BST Andrew Messenger Queensland’s crime and corruption commission to investigate police financial mismanagement allegations A damning report on Queensland police finances has been referred to the state crime and corruption commission by the police commissioner. The inquiry was tabled in parliament yesterday. Police minister Dan Purdie said on Thursday that it revealed “shocking instances of financial mismanagement and governance failures in the Queensland Police Service” under the former Labor government: double quotation mark The executive level team (of the Queensland police) at that time were focused on other things and not on supporting the front line … The report is a bombshell review, and it is damning, and it exposed the extent of the former Labor government’s financial maladministration of the Queensland Police Service. With a series of systemic issues identified, which would have led to an estimated $400m deficit if left unchecked by the end of this financial year, which has led to the referrals to the crime and corruption commission. The report found that as many as 600 unsworn civilian positions had been created without a budget, by using unallocated funding for sworn officers, and that its board of management was likely not aware they existed. It recommends substantial funding cuts and a reallocation of about 40% of its sworn “non-operational” positions to the frontline in the next 18 months, representing about 280 officers. “Matters raised in the review have the potential to impact public confidence and trust in our administration practices, and as such, aspects of the review have now been referred to the crime and corruption commission,” commissioner Brett Pointing said on Thursday. Senior police refused to give details of the referral on the basis that doing so might prejudice a potential investigation. Pointing said he made the CCC referral himself. Share Updated at 02.54 BST 35m ago 02.19 BST New South Wales bans Nazi chants and slogans Laws providing police and courts additional powers to crack down on extremism, including banning Nazi chants or slogans, have passed parliament in New South Wales (NSW). The bill amends the Crimes Act to ban conduct which invokes imagery or characteristics associated with nazism, with proponents up for a year’s imprisonment or $11,000 fine. Committing the offence near a synagogue, Jewish school or the Sydney Jewish Museum carries a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment or a $22,000 fine. The state will also allow police to require a person they believe is committing any offence at a public assembly to remove their face covering. Attorney general Michael Daley said: double quotation mark These reforms give our law enforcement and courts greater powers to crack down on extremists who promote abhorrent Nazi chants and slogans.

These views are unacceptable and have no place in NSW and we are holding those who espouse them to account. Share Updated at 02.26 BST 53m ago 02.01 BST NDIA spent $170m in three years on legal fees fighting participants Cait Kelly The government has spent $66m this financial year to fight NDIS participants appealing decisions about their packages, up from $60m the previous year and $44m the year before that, Senate estimates has heard. Asked how many cases were submitted to the ART, NDIA deputy CEO Matthew Swainson said: double quotation mark So, in the 25-26 year to date, that’s to the end of March, we had 6,998 matters received. In the 24-25 financial year, we had 7,137. In 23-24, we have 4,044 new cases received. We resolved 1,979 applications in the last quarter. 96.9% of those were resolved prior to a hearing. There will be a more detailed breakdown of the legal costs after lunch. Share Updated at 02.08 BST 54m ago 02.00 BST Nick Visser Alrighty, Caitlin Cassidy is going to take the blog over for an hour, then it’ll be Ima Caldwell with the goods. Share Updated at 02.07 BST 1h ago 01.52 BST More than 100,000 cockroaches worth $200,000 seized from NSW breeder in record-breaking bust I feel terrible sharing this story, but my colleague Lisa Cox has a doozy: More than 100,000 live, exotic cockroaches have been seized from a commercial breeder in New South Wales in a record-breaking bust linked to the pet trade. Biosecurity officials seized the animals, which have a commercial value of up to $200,000, from a commercial breeder in Bathurst in the state’s central west this week. The captured cockroaches included dubia cockroaches and Madagascar hissing cockroaches – one of the world’s largest cockroach species. Read more, if you dare: More than 100,000 cockroaches worth $200,000 seized from NSW breeder in record-breaking bust Read more View image in fullscreen The seizure of 100,000 live, exotic cockroaches is the largest bust of illegal exotic invertebrates in Australia. Photograph: Australian Federal Environment Department Share Updated at 01.58 BST 1h ago 01.40 BST Cait Kelly Back to the NDIS discussions … First assistant secretary leading the NDIS sustainability taskforce, Anthea Long, has been answering questions from David Pocock about community supports. Pocock starts by quoting a spokesperson for the minister, who said some participants don’t use the full funding allocation for community support. But quarterly reporting shows 86% of the plans are used. Under the changes, there will be a 50% reduction in community support budgets. The NDIS says they did not desegregate it to a level to show the impact on cohorts of partisans with different disabilities. Analysis shows these cuts will impact people with Down syndrome the most. Long: double quotation mark Utilisation rates do vary. We had to make a range of assumptions as to what that would look like across the board. On average, we’ve assumed that there would be a reduction of 24.7% in [social, economic and community participation]. The department said the average SECP funding for someone with Down syndrome was $28,900. McAlister said SECP was one of the fastest-growing parts of the scheme: double quotation mark We don’t take this decision lightly. We understand the impacts on participants. But we assess the rate of growth … being at a scale of more than $100bn a year by the next decade … would not be considered reasonable by the community. The separate issue we also seek to address we have some concerns about the quality and value proposition of some of the models of support. Share Updated at 01.54 BST 2h ago 01.22 BST Jordon Steele-John points out only $5bn of the $38.7bn to be cut from NDIS will come from fraud Cait Kelly The Senate community affairs legislation committee’s discussion on the NDIS has been tense this morning. Greens senator Jordon Steele-John has kicked off the session by asking questions around how much of the NDIS cuts will come from fraud and how much will come from people’s plans. Steele-John says he has crunched the numbers himself. He says of the $38.7bn to be cut from the scheme over the forward estimates, less than $5bn will come from anti-fraud measures. There’s been a long back and forth between him and NDIS minister Jenny McAllister. In response, she said it’s not correct “to assert” the package doesn’t tackle fraud. double quotation mark Senator Steele-John, the evidence is that tackling fraud doesn’t deliver fiscal savings. As I’ve said a number of times, the savings go to the participants, not the government, which is why you don’t see those numbers in the budget. I have indicated the scale of investments to make sure the NDIA and comission have the resources to tackle fraud. We’ve been clear with the community … the reforms do work to tackle sustainability and cost growth. After almost an hour on this, we are moving on. The Fraud Fusion Taskforce, which actually has the numbers and more information, will be up later. Share Updated at 01.34 BST 2h ago 01.08 BST Ahmed al-Ahmed denies allegations of assaulting his father and says situation ‘shocking’ Ahmed al-Ahmed, the man who disarmed one of the Bondi terror attackers, said he is shocked and disappointed after being charged with assaulting his father.

Ahmed, 44, is accused of allegedly putting his father in a headlock in March at a house in Bankstown in Sydney’s west. He was charged on Wednesday with common assault and “stalk or intimidate”, New South Wales police confirmed. Bondi attack hero Ahmed al-Ahmed charged with assaulting his father Read more Speaking to 2GB’s Ben Fordham this morning, Ahmed said the situation had caused him deep anxiety: double quotation mark Honestly, I’m disappointed. And my anxiety and this situation cause for me stress and put me in the anxiety, deep, deep. Ahmed said he was “shocked” by the situation, calling it “untrue”. He said his situation with his family had been complicated by the $2.6m donated via GoFundMe after the Bondi shootings. He is due to appear in court on 29 July. View image in fullscreen Ahmed al-Ahmed. Photograph: Sarah Wilson/AAP Share Updated at 01.32 BST 2h ago 01.02 BST Cait Kelly Senate committee discussing NDIS today Today will be a big day in the Senate community affairs legislation committee – they are discussing the NDIS. The minister for NDIS, Jenny McAllister, has kicked off with a long statement about the changes. It was a reasonably lengthy statement for the start of estimates, so just in part, she said: double quotation mark At the outset, I want to establish that the Albanese government remains committed to the long-term sustainability of the NDIS and ensuring that it continues to provide life-changing supports for people with permanent and significant disability. I want to acknowledge that periods of reform and change can be stressful for community and the prevalence of misinformation has exacerbated some of those concerns. On fraud: double quotation mark Our position is that those who defraud the NDIS are stealing from the hundreds and thousands of Australians who rely on life-changing supports that the NDIS delivers. Our government is tackling fraud because it is the right thing to do. On new NDIS assessments: double quotation mark Many of these reforms are grounded in the observations and the recommendations of the NDIS review, which engaged in extensive consultation with people with disability, their families, carers, advocates and disability representative organisations, providers and support workers. View image in fullscreen The minister for the NDIS, Jenny McAllister. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP Share Updated at 01.07 BST 2h ago 00.44 BST Assistant treasurer disputes Coalition suggestion tax reforms being rushed through The assistant treasurer has denied ta reform measures are being rushed through parliament despite just two days being set aside for an inquiry into the “once-in-a-generation” changes, AAP report. Changes limiting negative gearing to new houses from July 2027 and scrapping the 50% capital gains tax discount to a rate based on inflation passed the House of Representatives on Thursday. A two-day Senate inquiry will scrutinise the laws later in June before they go to the upper house, with the opposition and crossbenchers saying the measures are being rushed. The assistant treasurer, Daniel Mulino, said the laws were not being raced through as issues surrounding tax and housing had been on the agenda for a long period, alongside 17 hours of debate in parliament so far. “It is one of the most exhaustive discussions I’ve seen in the parliament,” he told ABC Radio on Friday. double quotation mark It was in that broader context that the budget was framed and so there has been a long-running discussion around these kind of issues, and in fact, a lot of the issues dealt with in the budget have been looked at in previous tax inquiries. Read more here: Labor’s NDIS overhaul faces delay as Coalition and Greens consider teaming up to slow bill’s passage Read more Share Updated at 00.48 BST 2h ago 00.28 BST Barnaby Joyce calls Sky News after interview to clarify One Nation’s housing policy One Nation senator Barnaby Joyce retreated from suggestions the party would force permanent residents to sell their homes under tough new housing policies should they be elevated to leadership. Joyce spoke to Sky News on Thursday night about the party’s housing policies after the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, said foreign ownership of housing would be stopped “indefinitely”. Joyce initially told Sky that permanent residents ensnared in those policies would need to commit themselves “totally” to Australia and become citizens or risk losing their homes. But he later called back into Sky to clarify that “on further investigation and discussion no, we are not going to be kicking permanent residents out of their house”. Hanson herself took to social media on Friday to clarify One Nation’s stance, saying while Australians should be prioritised for housing and the party made no apologies for that, permanent residents would be excluded from the tough plans. She wrote: double quotation mark Permanent residents have been accepted to settle in Australia permanently. They live here, work here, pay taxes here and build their lives here. Many are on the path to citizenship. One Nation’s policy does not require them to sell their homes. Hanson maintained that foreign owners, meaning temporary visa holders and foreign citizens living in other countries, would be given two years to sell their Australian properties under One Nation policies.

View image in fullscreen Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP Share Updated at 00.35 BST 3h ago 00.15 BST Andrew Messenger Queensland parliament passes watered down e-mobility legislation Queensland parliament has passed a watered-down version of legislation cracking down on ebike and e-scooter users. The transport minister, Brent Mickelberg, had intended to ban ebike use for all under-16-year-old riders, much of the disability community, require riders to have a driving licence and set a 10km/h speed limit. He amended it this week after a backlash and thousands of submissions to its parliamentary inquiry. ‘Car brain’: Queensland government criticised for proposed age, speed and licence limits on ebikes Read more “This bill gives police the powers they need to take dangerous, high-powered and illegal devices off the streets while backing in Queenslanders who choose to do the right thing,” he said, in parliament on Thursday night as the law was passed. “Police will be empowered to seize and destroy dangerous, illegal devices, and path speed limits will be introduced alongside penalties for careless riding around pedestrians”. The new law also gives police the power to crush illegal e-vehicles and makes parents legally responsible for the behaviour of their children, if they ride an illegal device in public. Bicycle Queensland CEO Prof Matt Burke said the legislation would do little to get illegal e-motorbikes off Queensland footpaths, but would unreasonably restrict the safe use of legal ebikes. He said the law would mean “thousands and thousands and thousands” of children who ride from school would be banned from doing so, forcing their parents to “change their entire daily life to now go back to driving those kids to school”. It would increase the road toll, because cars are more dangerous than ebikes, he said. View image in fullscreen Photograph: Darren England/AAP The RACQ head of public policy told the ABC on Friday morning the legislation was a distraction from dealing with genuine threats on the roads. He said targeting legal ebikes was a “waste of everyone’s time and effort”. Queensland recorded a 16-year high road toll last year, and the rate is 21.2% higher this year, according to the latest update from the Department for Transport and Main Roads. Almost all of the 306 road deaths last year, including the only fatality involving an ebike, were caused by cars, trucks and motorbikes. She was a pensioner riding in an unprotected bike lane on Bribie Island. All non-government MPs voted against the laws. They will take effect on 1 July. Share Updated at 00.30 BST 3h ago 00.03 BST Benita Kolovos Victorian opposition says donation laws ‘shameful’ Following the passage of the bill, Victoria’s shadow attorney general, James Newbury, claimed it was a “shameful attempt by Labor to rig the system in their own favour”. He said: double quotation mark These dodgy new laws shut off money from Labor’s political opponents whilst continuing the rivers of gold from the CFMEU and the unions to the Labor party. The Allan Labor government is end of days and have done a deal with the crossbench to benefit themselves as they desperately try to cling to power. The Liberals and Nationals do not support these rigged laws and are considering our legal position. View image in fullscreen James Newbury. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP Share Updated at 00.09 BST 3h ago 23.54 BST Benita Kolovos Victoria’s replacement political donation laws pass parliament Victoria has donation laws once more, following the passing of a bill during a marathon 20-hour sitting of parliament that only wrapped up at 5.30am this morning. Since the high court struck down the state’s donation laws in April, removing the previous cap of $4,970 over a four-year term, there have been no limits or disclosure requirements for political donations. The premier, Jacinta Allan, fast-tracked legislation through parliament this week to stop “big money” from dictating the November state election. Under the electoral further amendment bill 2026 – which passed parliament with the support of the Greens and other crossbenchers – political donations will be capped at $7,500 per donor over four years. New candidates and parties can receive $15,000. All foreign donations will be banned, and donations above $1,250 must be disclosed in real time. The major parties (Labor, the Liberals and the Nationals) will no longer have access to their “nominated entity” – legacy investment funds they could previously draw from outside the donation caps. The bill has instead increased administrative funding for MPs. However, the Labor party will still receive union affiliation fees – which cannot be used for campaigning – angering the Coalition. View image in fullscreen Jacinta Allan. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP Share Updated at 00.06 BST

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