Australia news LIVE: Brittany Higgins says former bosses were ‘concerned’ over her going to police over alleged rape; banks to get Optus customers’ identification data after cyberattack

Key posts

  • Treasurer flags ‘difficult decisions’ in budget as tax hike looms
  • Higgins secretly recorded Michaelia Cash over allegation
  • This morning’s headlines at a glance
  • 1 of 1

Treasurer flags ‘difficult decisions’ in budget as tax hike looms

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is warning a global slowdown caused by central banks’ battle with inflation will wipe $US2 trillion ($3.11 trillion) from the world economy while increasing the risk of a hard landing for Australia.

As an intense internal debate over the future of the stage three tax cuts engulfs the Labor government, Chalmers will today use a speech to warn important public services are under threat from spiralling cost increases including health, aged care services and defence.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will warn global economic headwinds are making the budget situation much tougher.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

In the speech, to be delivered in Brisbane, Chalmers will reveal Treasury has sliced its forecasts for global growth by 0.75 percentage points this year, by a full percentage point in 2023 and by half a percentage point in 2024.

And while the global economy slows, key costs within the budget are climbing.

More on Australia’s economic outlook here.

Higgins secretly recorded Michaelia Cash over allegation

Warning: This story contains graphic content

Brittany Higgins has told a court she made secret recordings of conversations with former Coalition minister Michaelia Cash and her chief-of-staff Daniel Try about her sexual assault allegations and distributed them “to as many people as possible” for safe-keeping, including a journalist.

Higgins worked for Cash after the 2019 election, having previously worked for Linda Reynolds, and alleges another staffer Bruce Lehrmann raped her in Reynold’s office early on March 23, 2019, after a drunken night out. Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual assault and denies having sex with Higgins.

Brittany Higgins arriving at the ACT Supreme Court in Canberra on Thursday for the third day of the criminal trial.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Under questioning from Lehrmann’s barrister Steven Whybrow on the third day of the trial in the ACT Supreme Court, Higgins said she had made the recordings of Cash and Try in the lead-up to her story going public, sending one copy to journalist Samantha Maiden and another to Emma Webster, of the First People’s Assembly of Victoria.

“It was for safekeeping … I was trying to give them to as many people as possible,” Higgins said. “It’s my word against a cabinet minister and the disparity between those two powers is ridiculous.”

Read the full story here.

This morning’s headlines at a glance

Good morning and thanks for your company.

It’s Friday, October 7. I’m Broede Carmody and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day.

Here’s what you need to know before we get started.

  • Treasurer Jim Chalmers will today use a speech to warn that public services – such as health, aged care and defence – are under threat from spiralling costs. The Albanese government is due to hand down its first budget later this month.
  • Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins has told a court she made secret recordings of conversations with Coalition senator Michaelia Cash about her sexual assault allegations. The criminal trial of Bruce Lehrmann continues.
  • Australia’s $14.5 billion Inland Rail project will face fresh scrutiny over budget blowouts and a dispute over the 1700-kilometre route.
  • In case you missed it yesterday, the federal government confirmed it is making changes to the Telecommunications Act. This will allow companies like Optus to more easily share customer data with banks and government agencies following data breaches.
  • In state news, Victoria’s workplace safety watchdog is investigating complaints made against the local Liberal Party’s head office. And Sydney yesterday recorded its wettest day on record.
  • In international news, Prince Harry and Elton John are among a group of celebrities to launch legal action against the publisher of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper over alleged phone-tapping. The publisher denies the claims.
  • A Russian missile has demolished an apartment block in a Ukrainian region that Moscow claims to have annexed. At least three people were killed.
  • And Thailand’s prime minister has paid tribute to the more than 35 people who were murdered after a former policeman opened fire at a childcare centre. It’s the deadliest shooting in the country’s history.
  • 1 of 1

Most Viewed in National

Source: Read Full Article