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Today's reading time is 7 minutes. - Miko Santos
CANBERRA, Australia — Treasurer Jim Chalmers unveiled a $10 billion budget deficit Monday, marking the Labor government’s first deficit since taking office but significantly below the $28 billion forecast. The government credits responsible economic management, having delivered a $209 billion improvement over three years and banking 70% of revenue upgrades. Opposition Shadow Treasurer Ted O’Brien claims Labor made $22 billion in spending decisions without offsetting savings, arguing the result should have been a $12 billion surplus instead.
• Deficit represents one-fifth of inherited amount; debt now $188 billion lower than projected • Government cites stronger employment and wage growth as key factors in improved position • Opposition criticizes bracket creep, saying Australians pay more tax due to inflation-driven increases • Labor has implemented three rounds of income tax cuts to address bracket creep concerns
SYDNEY — Optus suffered its second triple-zero emergency service outage in 12 days, blocking nine calls Sunday in New South Wales’ Illawarra region while Communications Minister Anika Wells was traveling internationally. The latest incident follows a catastrophic Sept. 18 failure linked to three deaths when a firewall upgrade blocked emergency calls across multiple states. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley demanded an independent inquiry into the entire triple-zero ecosystem, criticizing Wells for traveling to New York during the crisis rather than managing the domestic emergency.
• Optus confirmed welfare checks completed for all affected callers in Sunday’s outage • Parent company Singtel characterized incident as routine network issue, not maintenance-related • Minister Wells scheduled to meet Singtel CEO Tuesday demanding answers and compliance assurances • Government maintains communications regulator ACMA appropriate investigative body
LONDON/ABU DHABI — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faced bipartisan criticism for addressing the UK Labour Party conference during his overseas visit, with Opposition Leader Sussan Ley calling the partisan speech inappropriate and noting public servants declined to attend that portion of the trip. The government defended the address as focused on defending democracy and strengthening bilateral ties, noting Albanese also met with Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch, the King and multiple international leaders. Albanese is now in Abu Dhabi where a comprehensive free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates takes effect Tuesday, eliminating tariffs on 99% of Australian exports.
• UK speech controversy centers on diplomatic protocol versus partisan political engagement • Government cites historical precedent of leaders addressing allied nations’ party conferences • UAE agreement opens Middle Eastern markets, supports trade diversification strategy • Prime Minister expressed cautious optimism on Gaza ceasefire prospects following regional consultations
PERTH — Mineral Resources will terminate contracts for at least 100 truck drivers after completing upgrades to its Onslow Iron private haul road in Western Australia, which connects mining operations to coastal ports. The company upgraded the 150-kilometer road following multiple accidents and a WorkSafe intervention in March that forced temporary operations shutdown. Despite roadwork constraints, the facility shipped a record 3.2 million tonnes in August, though the company’s share price has declined more than 20% over the past year amid operational challenges and broader market pressures.
• Road speed limits increasing from 45 km/h during repairs to 65-80 km/h for normal operations • Permissible loads rising to 300 tonnes, still below trucks’ 330-tonne capacity • Company maintains operations remained profitable during infrastructure improvement period • Contractor layoffs expected to complete throughout October as in-house fleet resumes full operations
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