Budget 2026

Deputy Liberal leader says Coalition should listen ‘very carefully’ to results of Farrer byelection. Follow the latest updatesFederal budget 2026: what we know so farSee all our Australia budget 2026 coverageGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAsked last night about a possible Liberal/National alliance with One Nation, Jane Hume refused to reject the idea outright.Pressed on the possible scenario, she said “only One Nation are in favour of that” and wouldn’t talk about “what is going to happen after the next election”.The most important is to get the primary vote up for the Liberal and National party … There are so many hypotheticals … I will say that the Coalition are determined and dedicated to present to the Australian public a platform that they can vote for …There is no-one in the Coalition party room today that is telling us we need to expand the Coalition to include One Nation.The message we sent in Farrer was that the teals vote with Greens, 70% of the time and for the people of Farrer that wasn’t going to represent their interests … We will always put our preferences where we think the national interests lies, where we think the interests of the electorate lies and that is what we did in Farrer.They wanted change. Standing on a booth with teals in orange on one side and One Nation in orange on the other, both of them were saying ‘vote for change’.This is … a byelection that nobody wanted. It occurred only a year after the election, after a local member had retired, after a quarter of a century which is a long time to have a seat … There was no love lost for the Labor party either. It is just that the Labor party didn’t have the balls to turn up … The Liberal party lost its way. The Coalition lost its way. We split twice in the last 12 months. There is frustration out there. We will take the result with humility. Continue reading...

Labor’s 2026-27 budget shows state has recorded $700m surplus this financial year, first of its kind since before the Covid-19 pandemicGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictoria is back in black for the first time since the start of the pandemic, with Tuesday’s state budget to deliver an operating surplus and forecasting another next financial year.The 2026-27 budget, to be handed down on Tuesday afternoon, will show the state recorded a $700m surplus in 2025-26, largely in line with December’s pre-budget update of $710m and an improvement on the $611m forecast last May. Continue reading...

• On March 31, 2026, the New York Legislature passed and Governor Hochul signed the first budget extender bill, funding government operations through April 8 amid stalled budget talks. • The extender ensures state workers remain paid as negotiations continue over policy differences, pushing past the April 1 deadline for the SFY 2026-27 budget. • This signals ongoing delays in finalizing New York's $239 billion state budget, with key disputes on spending priorities and reforms.

• Virginia's 2026 General Assembly session ended Saturday without passing a state budget, prompting lawmakers to schedule a special session on April 23 amid ongoing affordability debates. • Key bipartisan achievements included raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2028, protecting contraception access, extending back rent payment periods before eviction, closing the firearm 'boyfriend loophole,' and prohibiting federal immigration enforcement at courthouses. • Governor Abigail Spanberger faces complex bills on marijuana legalization, skill games, and casino regulations, potentially requiring stakeholder engagement through June; disagreements persist on data center tax exemptions and collective bargaining for public employees.

• FY2026 federal budget passed by Congress includes critical funding for autism research, early identification, health care training, and essential support programs. • Provisions secure resources for autism initiatives amid broader federal spending priorities for health and disability services. • Funding wins represent advocacy successes for autism community in annual appropriations process.