Australia news live: ATO finds one-quarter of big firms pay zero tax; one in two homebuyers using 5% deposit scheme | Australia news
Key events
Andrew Messenger
Disability groups send open letter to Qld government urging progress on Thriving Kids
Three disability advocacy groups have released an open letter to the Queensland government urging it to update them on progress on rolling out Thriving Kids.
The state-delivered program will ultimately replace the NDIS for children with mild to moderate autism or developmental delays, in January 2028.
But three groups, People with Disability Australia, Children and Young People with Disability Australia, and a coalition of local groups called “Qld Independent Disability Advocacy Network” say the state government has left them in the dark.
“Queensland’s decision not to sign the bilateral agreement has consequences,” the letter reads.
While other jurisdictions move into implementation, Queensland families are being asked to live with continued uncertainty about what supports will be available here and when.
If the government is not satisfied that the current arrangements protect Queensland children and families, it now needs to set out a credible pathway to arrangements that will.
People with disability, families and the organisations that represent and advocate alongside them must be part of that work.
The letter asks the state government to publicly set out the issues that remain unresolved with the Commonwealth, the pathway and timeframe for resolving them and the work under way to prepare Queensland services and systems, among other demands.
Premier David Crisafulli yesterday said he was concerned the plan not become “a cost shifting exercise” and complained of a lack of detail from the Commonwealth.
“I say to those families, we’re on your side, and we’re trying to get some common sense out of Canberra to make sure that you don’t fall through the cracks,” he said.
Sydney Trains encouraging extra travel time amid incident at Central station
Just a quick note for Sydney commuters: Sydney Trains is urging anyone travelling this morning to allow extra time to get into work due to an incident at Central station.
Trains are expected to stop on platforms or between stations for longer than normal, or stops may change at short notice.
You can check for updates on trip planner apps.
Queensland misses deadline to sign up for thriving kids NDIS deal
Andrew Messenger
Queensland’s state government has missed a deadline to sign up to the federal government’s Thriving Kids program before its rollout begins today.
Under the program, state governments will provide supports to children up to 8 years old with mild to moderate autism or developmental delays. They will be made ineligible for federal aid through the NDIS in 2028.
Thriving Kids will be rolled out in every state but Queensland from today. The sunshine state signed up to the deal in principle in January in return for billions for the state’s health system, but hasn’t yet agreed to implement it.
The LNP premier, David Crisafulli, said on Wednesday he didn’t want the change to be a “cost-shifting exercise”.
The state government has repeatedly said it won’t sign up without additional information from the commonwealth, including about its costs.
But disability services say the state has been unclear about its own position and has not given specifics about what information it is looking for.
A group of major disability advocacy organisations are expected to write an open letter to the Queensland child safety minister, Amanda Camm, today asking for more consultation and warning her lack of agreement could leave Queensland kids in the lurch. She is currently on sick leave.
More than 100,000 first home buyers have used 5% deposit scheme over the last year
New figures show 102,594 first home buyers have used the government’s 5% deposit scheme over the last year after the Labor government expanded the initiative.
One in two first home buyers nationally are now using the scheme to get into the market. Government figures estimate the policy has saved Australians more than $2.5bn in lenders mortgage insurance in total, with about $1.4bn of that saved in the last 12 months.
99% of buyers are ahead or on track with repayments.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said in a statement:
This scheme is helping Australians, particularly young Australians, get their foot in the door and achieve the dream of home ownership. When it comes to housing challenges, we’re tackling it from every angle – making it easier for first home buyers, boosting supply and helping renters get a better deal.
Henry Belot
Link between technology and young people’s mental health ‘more complex’ than portrayed, study finds
A new report by the National Mental Health Commission has found the link between digital technology and the mental health of young Australians is “more complex than often portrayed”.
The study focused on Australians aged 5 to 25 found mental health symptoms may be prompting people to use social media in harmful ways, rather than technology causing mental health symptoms.
It calls for a greater focus on creating safe digital environments for children, rather than simply limiting screen time.
The commission’s chief executive, David McGrath, said policy needs to be “guided by evidence and not assumptions”:
This landmark Australian study helps move the conversation beyond screen time and towards understanding the real experiences children and young people are having online. The evidence shows those experiences are complex, it is important that policy responses reflect that complexity.
The report shows digital technology is neither simply good nor bad. What matters is how children and young people are using it, what they’re experiencing online, and whether digital environments are designed with their wellbeing in mind.
Shoebridge says people are sick of ‘messaging without substance’
David Shoebridge, the new Greens leader, says Australians are “sick of the messaging without substance”.
Shoebridge spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying the Greens are in a “terrific position” with robust support while the other major parties have seen their support “getting decimated and ripped apart”. He said the Greens would continue to work to “not just deliver some message and some pathetic, half-baked pretend reform”.
He told RN:
People are sick of the messaging without substance. What they’re asking for is they’re asking for a political party that’s going to go and fight for them and take on the 1% and take on the corporations. They want to see us fighting for that.
Shoebridge added the rise of One Nation was a challenge to politics across the board, saying he wants the Greens to grow the party and bring members in amid a shift in the political landscape.
We have an incredibly united membership base. We have an incredibly united party across the country. And I expect that to be how we operate as a party room, how we operate as a leadership team and how we operate as a growing movement.
Debit and credit surcharges end today
Catie McLeod
Debit and credit card surcharges will be eliminated from today as part of Reserve Bank reforms that will do away with extra checkout fees on Visa, Mastercard, and Eftpos payments.
The RBA made the changes after reviewing Australia’s card payments system, which the bank’s governor, Michele Bullock, said was no longer fit for purpose.
Businesses have already made swift rule changes as they decide how to handle fees they are no longer permitted to pass on to customers.
The ATO has joined them, saying that as a government agency, it had decided it would not be appropriate for the “cost of credit card merchant fees to be transferred to the community”.
Guardian Australia has asked the ATO what it means by saying the fees would be transferred to the community.
While most Australians do not pay tax with a credit card, the ATO says it understands the changes may require some adjustments from the small group of individuals and businesses who do make their payments this way.
Taxpayers with a direct debit arrangement linked to a credit card must update their payment method before their next instalment due after 30 November to ensure compliance with their payment plan, the ATO says.
The agency said:
The ATO is committed to helping taxpayers transition to alternative payment methods and will continue to support those experiencing financial hardship or other circumstances that make it difficult to meet their obligations.
You can read more about how businesses are responding to the end of surcharging, here:
Telcos ready temporary disaster roaming before summer
Josh Taylor
Telstra, Optus and Vodafone will from today be able to move users over to one of their rivals’ networks in areas where coverage has dropped out due to natural disasters such as cyclones, bushfires or floods.
The capability will mean users in those areas will still be able to call, message, and get basic access to the internet if the other network is up at no additional cost.
This is beyond the existing capability for networks to hand over emergency triple zero calls to other networks when the call can’t get through.
The industry has flagged there will be some scenarios – such as power outages – when switching will not be possible.
The switch-on for temporary roaming will be managed by the three carriers, and will happen automatically for customers when activated.
The temporary disaster roaming can be activated in up to three affected areas at the same time, with up to 15 mobile sites included per area, and activated for 24 hours at a time. The disaster areas must be at least 400km apart.
Metropolitan areas are excluded from the roaming arrangement.
Good morning, Nick Visser here to pick up the blog. Let’s get into Thursday.
Henry Belot
From today, children under nine years old with mild developmental delays and autism can access early intervention services through a program called Thriving Kids, which is administered by state and territory governments.
The change was announced by the Albanese government in August 2025 and will slowly move children off the National Disability Insurance Scheme. It will fully replace the NDIS for these children by 2028.
Unlike the NDIS, participation in Thriving Kids won’t require a formal diagnosis, potentially speeding up services and saving families money.
The health minister, Mark Butler, recently told parents there would be no gap in government support for their children.
Queensland is the sole Australian state refusing to sign on to the Thriving Kids program, leaving families in limbo as the first phase of the NDIS replacement scheme launches.
You can read more details about the change here:
ATO finds one-quarter of big firms pay zero tax
Jonathan Barrett
More than one-quarter of big companies operating in Australia paid no income tax in 2024-25, according to the Australian Taxation Office’s latest corporate transparency report.
The report says companies mostly cited an accounting loss – when expenses outstrip revenue.
Guardian Australia has previously reported how some multinationals, including the Singtel-owned Optus and coal miner Adani, regularly pay no tax, citing infrastructure investments and operating expenses .
About 27% of entities in the report reported zero tax, which was a similar figure to the year before.
In total, 4,299 entities earning at least $100m in total income paid a combined $87.5bn in tax in 2024–25, led by Australia’s large mining sector.
The ATO acting deputy commissioner, Michelle Sams, says the agency is “increasingly focused” on making sure digital businesses and supply chains, including data centres, paid their share of tax.
We look very closely if there’s no tax being paid in significant industries, including things like data centres, to make sure that the level of tax being paid reflects the economic activity that’s happening in Australia.
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action.
Let’s begin.
