Good afternoon. Inflation has eased at 7%, but that’s going to be little comfort to those with a Hecs debt facing a steep increase on their student debt.
The average Hecs debt sits at $22,636, which will jump by $1,584 when next indexed on 1 June in line with the consumer price index. Independent MP Zoe Daniel joined a growing Coalition call for the federal government to ease the student debt burden. The government has so far ruled out freezing the Hecs indexation.
In other news, Norway and Sweden are in a rare spat over a rocket mishap.
Top news
Yes campaign ads | The yes campaign for an Indigenous voice to parliament has launched an ad blitz that will seek to reset the debate and persuade Australians that the referendum is a simple choice about constitutional recognition.
Labor backbenchers call for jobseeker boost | Four Labor MPs added their names to an open letter calling on Anthony Albanese to stop leaving “people with the least behind”. The prime minister has rejected calls to raise the jobseeker rate in the upcoming budget.
Gas price cap extended | The Albanese government will extend the price cap on wholesale gas prices until at least mid-2025 in an attempt to limit soaring energy costs.
Dead Sea World pilot’s identity misused | Stephanie Louise Bennett, 33, pleaded guilty to using Ash Jenkinson’s identity to dodge a traffic ticket. Bennett was trying to avoid the mandatory $1,078 fine when she went online to claim she was not at fault. Bennett used information from the death notice of Jenkinson, who died on 2 January in a helicopter collision, to claim he committed the offence instead.
Victoria’s youth suicides on the rise | In the first three months of 2023 13 young Victorians have killed themselves, with the state’s coroner saying the community needs to do more to intervene. “Family and parents are coming along and saying ‘I didn’t see the signs. I didn’t know what was going on,’” the coroner said. “Part of that has to be they didn’t know what they were looking for.”
Singapore executes man over cannabis | Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was hanged for conspiracy to smuggle 1kg of cannabis. Singapore ignored international protests against the execution amid concerns over the handling of his case.
Taliban kill mastermind of Kabul attacks | The Islamic State leader behind the 2021 Kabul airport suicide bombing that killed about 180 people including 13 US service members was killed in early April during Taliban operations against the group, according to US officials.
Swedish rocket lands in Norway | The Norwegian foreign ministry has expressed irritation with Sweden for not immediately informing it of a research rocket that crashed in Norway. The rocket, which was launched from the Esrange Space Centre in Sweden, plunged into a mountainside in the Målselv municipality in Norway’s far north. No one was injured.
Jacinda Ardern goes to Harvard | The former New Zealand prime minister has taken up three new roles at the prestigious university, where she will study and speak on leadership, governance and online extremism.
Full Story
Australia’s plan to confront the changing face of warfare
What will the changes mean for the Australian defence force? Listen to this 18-minute episode.
What they said …
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“Defence spending will rise over the trajectory we inherited from the former government over the next 10 years … it will definitely be beyond 2%.” – Richard Marles
No for jobseeker, yes for military. Does Labor have its priorities right? A good time to listen to our Full Story podcast episode from last week where our editors addressed this very question.
In numbers
Portugal’s president says the country should apologise and take responsibility for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, the first time a leader of the southern European nation has suggested such a national apology.
Before bed read
Bob Brown, now 78, thought his frontline activism days were behind him. Then came Tasmania’s anti-protest laws, which have thrust the former Greens leader back into the spotlight.
“It is on the record that this legislation is to take out the Bob Brown Foundation,” he says about the legislation in this sit-down interview with our climate and environment editor, Adam Morton.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: FACE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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