Budget week: tax changes collide with deficits and a debt blowout warning Several front pages frame the budget as a high-stakes reset: big reform talk, but no quick return to surplus, with deficits forecast to stack up and gross debt tipped to surge towards $1.5 trillion by decade’s end. The political risk is clear—any “relief” can be quickly swallowed by bracket creep, while mooted changes to capital gains and housing concessions sharpen the fight over who pays and who benefits. Covered by: The Australian, The Australian, Australian Financial Review, Herald Sun, NT News, The Advertiser, Australian Financial Review. Labor braces to break housing-tax promises as the crisis deepens Housing policy is back at the centre of national politics, with the Prime Minister openly preparing voters for broken pledges as the government weighs winding back negative gearing and capital gains concessions. Papers highlight the tension between affordability goals and political trust—especiall

Budget tax overhaul sparks backlash as bracket creep and CGT loom Multiple papers lead with warnings that the government’s coming budget “tax reform” agenda could be quickly swallowed by bracket creep, while bigger structural changes—particularly to capital gains and negative gearing—are back on the table. The significance is twofold: households face immediate cost-of-living pressure, and the politics of selling tax increases is becoming harder as Labor defends broken promises and tests its mandate on housing and investment concessions. Covered by: The Australian, Australian Financial Review, Courier Mail, The West Australian, The Australian. Debt and deficits dominate: $1.5 trillion warning collides with “no surplus” reality Front pages sharpen the fiscal stakes ahead of budget night, with economists warning gross debt could surge towards $1.5 trillion by decade’s end as interest costs bite. The message across outlets is that even w

Proving that Artificial Intelligence is now firmly a mainstream topic, Crikey Associate Editor and tech correspondent Cam Wilson has been hired by the ABC as National AI reporter. Wilson has spent the last five years at Crikey where he has made a name for himself, breaking unique public interest stories and he picked up the Best Consumer Technology Journalist Award at this year's Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards. Starting his role yesterday, Wilson described his new AI beat role as a "completely new position and, as far as I know, the only reporting role in Australia solely dedicated to the topic". "What a beat it is! AI is one of the biggest stories in the world right now," Wilson wrote on LinkedIn. "There's an eye-watering amount of money, influence and hype involved which makes it ripe for critical, nuanced and innovative reporting." While unique to Australia, AI is increasingly becoming a specialist beat. Bloomberg led the way in mid-2023, establishing a specialist A

  In an age of endless scrolling and shrinking attention spans, documentary filmmakers are choosing to move differently.While breaking news disappears within hours and headlines are replaced by the next cycle almost instantly, documentaries often stay with a subject long after public attention fades. They return to landscapes people have stopped looking at, spend time with communities still waiting for justice, and document realities too slow, complex, or uncomfortable for mainstream news cycles. Increasingly, that work is beginning to resemble journalism in its purest form. And the world is paying attention. Indian documentary filmmaking has witnessed a remarkable rise on the global stage over the past few years. In 2021, Writing with Fire, following Dalit women journalists, won at Sundance and later received an Oscar nomination. In 2022, The Elephant Whisperers won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short, while All That Breathes earned recognition at both Sundance and

Deputy Editor of The Hindu, Afshan Yasmeen, has been recognised with the Excellence in Blood Cancer and Blood Disorders Reporting Award at the Lifesaver’s Honours Night 2026. The award celebrates her impactful story, “A Silent Burden: Thalassaemia Patients in Karnataka Battle Disease with Hope and Hardship,” which highlighted the struggles of patients and caregivers while capturing their resilience. With a journalism career spanning over three decades, Yasmeen said the honour holds special meaning. “I covered the civic beat till 2006-07 and later took up the health beat”, she recalled. What began as a shift in responsibilities evolved into a purposeful journey in health journalism. Over the years, Yasmeen has reported extensively on public health, patient struggles, healthcare systems, and medical awareness, producing stories that directly impact readers’ lives. Reflecting on the recognition, she credited her organisation for encouraging in-depth reporting: “The award

As actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay took oath as the 13th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10, several journalists’ bodies welcomed him with hope and anticipation. The organisations stated that while extensive planning is being undertaken to implement public welfare schemes and introduce new initiatives for the betterment of the people of Tamil Nadu, it is equally essential to ensure the welfare and safety of journalists across the state. In a post on X, welcoming the Chief Minister, Chennai Union of Journalists wrote, “Journalists' pensions should be increased. It is also essential to implement safety measures so that, unlike in the past when reporters, photographers, and cameramen were attacked during news gathering, journalists and their family members remain protected.” R. Kathiravan, State General Secretary of the South Indian Journalists Union, said, “We earnestly request Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to ensure that the new government functions as a guardi