TRANSCRIPT
- The officer who saved 18 people from the Lindt cafe terrorist breaks his silence ten years on
- Treasurer Jim Chalmers warns of downward pressures ahead of Wednesday's mid-year budget update
- Melbourne City hoping to end Auckland's unbeaten run in the A-League Men
The police officer who shot dead a terrorist that held 18 hostages in a central Sydney cafe for over 17 hours has broken his silence.
A suppression order placed on the courts to protect the identity and the safety of officer Ben Besant has now been lifted after more than decade.
He says the incident placed a heavy mental strain on him personally, despite the fact that he remained in the force for another six years.
Speaking to Channel Seven, he says he hopes to aid others suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
"That's why it was so import to get my name and my face back. Because now I intend on getting myself out there and speaking with as many PTSD sufferers, PTSD groups and just spreading my message, sharing my journey, in the hopes to help as many people who do suffer from PTSD and their families is also a by-product of sufferers. So, to get my identity back now, I can do that."
—-
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says a need for investments in several key areas, combined with a slowdown in economic growth, have applied pressure to the federal budget.
The Treasurer is set to release the mid-year update on the budget, with economists forecasting a minor surplus, if any.
Inflation, population and wage growth and higher commodity prices have all increased the Treasury's projected tax take by more than $365 billion since the October budget.
Dr Chalmers says the mid-year budget will reflect that the government has been able to improve the financial situation in the country but there is still a difficult road ahead.
"What we'll be able to do on Wednesday is to show the very substantial progress that has been made since we came to office about two-and-a-half years ago. But there are also substantial pressures on the budget, which need to be accounted for in the mid-year budget update. Slowing growth, a right-down in mining exports, as well as a right-down in company taxes, that will be accounted for in the mid-year budget update."
—-
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government was not able to deliver on a key pre-election pledge due to outward factors.
The Labor Party had committed to lowering electricity prices by $275 for all households by 2025.
Mr Albanese says issues such as the war in Ukraine played an integral part in holding back his government's plans on this matter.
He says despite global pressures, his government has still been able to improve the financial condition of the country.
"What we had was a global energy price spike that occurred after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The spikes overseas were far more than they were here. Inflation hit double digits overseas in many economies. They hit a recession, or at least one quarter of economic contraction, across advanced economies, across the world. We have managed to continue to have economic growth."
It comes following the Opposition's announcement's of their nuclear energy plans, which the government says will only lead to an increase in power bills for all Australians.
—-
Opposition Treasurer Angus Taylor has described any upcoming changes to the Reserve Bank's board members as an attempt to influence interest rate decisions.
Following a review on the R-B-A's decision making processes, the government has accepted a recommendation to install two new boards, one for the decision-making process and another to monitor daily operations.
The Opposition, while initially supportive of the idea, has since withdrawn its approval.
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has said he is almost prepared to announce the names of those who will be on each board, which he has shared with the crossbench.
But Opposition Treasurer Angus Taylor has told Sky News the decision-making board members should remain as they are.
"Well I think anything other than taking the existing board and transitioning it to the new board is, I would say, political. It's a sack-and-stack strategy as I've said all the way along. That's been the politics of this issue all the way along. We've said we'll work with the Labor party but we don't support sack-and-stack. They decided they wanted to stand at a drafting gate and decide who went to which board. We don't agree with that. We've been clear about that all along."
—-
Melbourne City will be looking to put an end to Auckland F-C's unbeaten run in this season's A-League Men tournament.
The two teams are set to clash at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Sunday afternoon in the game that closes up round eight of the competition.
In yesterday's matches, Western United held off the resistance of Sydney F-C at Hyde Park, winning 3-4, while Macarthur claimed a crucial 1-2 win at Eden Park against the Phoenix.
Auckland remain top of the table with 18 points as Adelaide United trail by one following their nil-4 win over the Mariners at Gosford.
