Always weird in fire season seeing the Vic CFA Chief - he was a couple of years ahead of me at school in Wagga and his nickname was Doofus

3yo had her first taste of El Jannah and spontaneously started singing ‘I like to move it, move it’. A song we’ve never played.

Happy new year. My resolution is get this bod

From Sept 2024 to Sept 2025, average daily child care fees grew 4.6% for all service types and 4.7% for centre based day care. Services receiving the worker retention payment grant were meant to keep fee growth from Aug 2024 to Aug 2025 under 4.4% www.education.gov.au/early-childh...

About to hit out-of-office on 2025. Another big year at the Parl Library welcoming in the 7th new Parliament since I started working here. I wrote/contributed to 3 research publications plus 4* Bills Digests (but authors no longer named on most publications) plus a huuuge range of client requests.

From Sept 2024 to Sept 2025, average daily child care fees grew 4.6% for all service types and 4.7% for centre based day care. Services receiving the worker retention payment grant were meant to keep fee growth from Aug 2024 to Aug 2025 under 4.4% www.education.gov.au/early-childh...

Origin Energy to face court over 77,000 alleged law breaches after taking millions from welfare recipients

JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance (Other) recipients as at November 2025: 999,280. Almost half the increase of 7,740 people since October has been people under the age of 25. data.gov.au/data/dataset...

The man who stabbed two Australian National University students in 2023 is given a nominated sentence of life to be carried out in a secure mental health facility.

referred to the 'back end team'

have been escalated up the optus technical expert levels twice now (3 experts), ready to face the boss expert

Income Apportionment Resolution Scheme Determination 2025 - sets out details of eligibilty and exclusion criteria, payment rates, application requirements, and review processes www.legislation.gov.au/F2025L01590/...

Income Apportionment Resolution Scheme Determination 2025 - sets out details of eligibilty and exclusion criteria, payment rates, application requirements, and review processes www.legislation.gov.au/F2025L01590/...

Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher will release the mid-year budget update, 12:15PM Parliament House

Financial and domestic abuse survivors say the way Centrelink assesses benefit payments for people in a relationship makes it harder for women to leave dangerous relationships.

The Commons Library is recruiting a housing policy researcher! As ever: highly recommended workplace, great people, interesting work, etc etc. Apply! housesofparliament.tal.net/vx/mobile-0/...

#BREAKING: The Commonwealth Ombudsman has published their investigation into the Targeted Compliance Framework & Mutual Obligations system Their findings on the Department's administration of many parts of the system are incredibly damning 👇

DSS up at Senate Estimates now discussing Outcome 1 - Social security www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ0j...

The Mutual Obligations complaints line data, in table form, for those playing along at home

The WelGain project has got a website on which you can follow our updates! www.ntnu.edu/isa/welgain

📢 Services Australia told SBS News they've refunded $2.9 million to just 338 of the 44,000 people potentially owed money.

Letters between Deloitte and DEWR regarding the errors and AI use in the Targeted Compliance Framework report tabled at Senate Estimates: www.aph.gov.au/-/media/Esti...

The government’s laws cancelling social security payments for some accused of crimes turn a safety net into a weapon for punishing people. 👉 Read the full story: theconversation.com/with-a-...

As at 10 October 2025, there were 32,556 on income management (IM): - 9,598 on old IM (BasicsCard) and 22,958 on enhanced IM (SmartCard) - 6.7% (2,221) were voluntary, the rest under compulsory measures. - 82% (26,599) on IM identify as Indigenous. www.aph.gov.au/api/qon/down...

As at 10 October 2025, there were 32,556 on income management (IM): - 9,598 on old IM (BasicsCard) and 22,958 on enhanced IM (SmartCard) - 6.7% (2,221) were voluntary, the rest under compulsory measures. - 82% (26,599) on IM identify as Indigenous. www.aph.gov.au/api/qon/down...

The Leader of the House @tonyburkemp.bsky.social moved to suspend standing orders 31 and 33 to allow the House to sit late tonight. The House agreed to the motion.

The baby — estimated to be less than 24 hours old — was found this morning outside a fire station.

2026 Australian Parliamentary Sitting Calendar www.pmc.gov.au/sites/defaul...

At least 36 people are dead and others remain trapped after a massive fire that engulfed multiple high-rise towers at a residential complex in Hong Kong. Follow live.

The Chancellor has scrapped the two-child limit, benefitting more than half a million families. In April 2025, out of families impacted by the limit: - 6 in 10 had 3 children. - 6 in 10 had at least one person in work. - And 6 in 10 are receiving a health or disability benefit.

Today the OBR finally published employment impacts of Govt’s (remaining) disability benefit cuts, which weren’t ready in the spring. Confirms @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis at the time that these huge cuts to disabled people’s incomes come with relatively few expected to move into work. 🧵1/3

2026 Australian Parliamentary Sitting Calendar www.pmc.gov.au/sites/defaul...

Senate passed the Social Security Tech. Changes No. 2 Bill. Provides: - income apportionment validation + resolution scheme - debt waiver changes - HA Minister can cancel payments for subjects of outstanding arrest warrants for serious violent or sexual offences parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/sea...

'Letter from the Minister for Social Services (Ms Plibersek) to the Commonwealth Ombudsman (Mr Iain Anderson), regarding schedule 5 to the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025, dated 21 November 2025' www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar...

'Letter from the Minister for Social Services (Ms Plibersek) to the Commonwealth Ombudsman (Mr Iain Anderson), regarding schedule 5 to the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025, dated 21 November 2025' www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar...

Draft Senate program has this big Social Security Bill listed first for debate on Monday - www.pmc.gov.au/resources/dr...

Excellent summary of the bill, the amendments, and the history of the debate available from the APH library here: www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar...

Draft Senate program has this big Social Security Bill listed first for debate on Monday - www.pmc.gov.au/resources/dr...

"Matildas star Mary Fowler has revealed the inner torment she endured during her time at French club Montpellier, saying she and another black teammate were given bananas instead of flowers during a farewell presentation from the club, an incident she says was not 'a simple error."

The move will affect Australia and New Zealand's multiple police and defence personnel working in Vanuatu, and could set back the signing of the Nakamal Agreement.

JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance (Other) recipients as at October 2025: 991,540 (up from 988,745 in September). Average duration on JobSeeker is about 173 weeks. JobSeeker recipients' average duration on any payment is 255 weeks (Sept '25 data) data.gov.au/data/dataset...

Almost a decade after one was recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Department of Social Services annual report has been tabled (must later than the normal before October Estimates hearings/before 31 October timeframe): www.dss.gov.au/annual-repor...

Government using machine learning to help create draft plans for NDIS participants, documents reveal

TIL Australia used to have 'drop crocs', crocodilic ancestors that would (probably) climb trees then jump down on unsuspecting victims. Shame they died out really. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

For those interested in the history of the far right in Australia, @drjpersian.bsky.social, Vashti Jane Fox and I provide an overview in the introduction to our book 'Histories of Fascism and Anti-Fascism in Australia'. www.academia.edu/121035689/Hi... www.researchgate.net/publication/...

On a more minor note, Treasury’s Annual Report refers a few times to the ‘Federation Financial Relations Act’ when it should be the ‘Federal Financial Relations Act’

The Albanese government’s $2.3 billion energy bill subsidies to households and business potentially breached the Constitution because Treasury did not attain appropriate written approval for the payments from Treasurer Jim Chalmers, the department has admitted www.afr.com/politics/fed...

This decision last week flew under the radar - case could have significant ramifications for Centrelink debt decisions