This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka, your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans in Australia and beyond. Western Australia has unveiled a new budget focused on easing cost-of-living pressures, including a $100 fuel credit for every driver’s licence holder. The state recorded a strong $3.5 billion surplus, boosted by rising GST revenue. Leaders say the plan aims to keep the economy strong while supporting families. Key highlights: • $100 fuel credit for drivers from July 1 • Over $1 billion in cost-of-living support • Up to $2,000 in total assistance for families with two children • Student payments of $150–$250 per child • Free public transport for students, seniors (off-peak), and Sundays Housing remains a major focus: • $4.7 billion investment to boost housing supply • 34,000 new homes planned with federal support • Stamp duty relief expanded for first home buyers • More funding for social and affordable housing Health and infrastructure also see major funding, including $9 billion for health services and new hospital capacity. However, critics argue the measures fall short, saying many families still face rising living costs and housing stress. The government says it has struck a balance but debate continues over whether it’s enough. Source : News.com Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. A major cybersecurity breach affecting more than 200 million people worldwide has impacted students and teachers across Queensland. The breach involves Instructure, the third-party provider behind the Queensland education system’s Qlearn online platform since 2020. John-Paul Langbroek said the global incident has affected over 9,000 educational institutions, including schools and universities in Australia and overseas. Early investigations suggest the exposed information may include names, email addresses, and school locations linked to Queensland students and staff who used the system since 2020. Authorities say there is currently no evidence that passwords, financial details, or dates of birth were accessed. Schools have started contacting affected families and teachers as the investigation continues. Source : 9 News Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka, your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans in Australia and beyond. Australia has announced a new AUD 2 million partnership with the FAO and Sri Lanka’s Agriculture Ministry to support recovery efforts after Cyclone Ditwah. The 12-month program, launched in Colombo, will focus on rebuilding vegetable farming in the hard-hit districts of Nuwara Eliya and Badulla two key areas for the country’s food production. The initiative will support more than 2,400 small-scale farmers through improved seed and nursery systems, climate-smart farming methods, and better access to resources. The project also aims to strengthen food security, improve rural livelihoods, and help farming communities become more resilient to future climate challenges. Australia says it will continue working closely with Sri Lanka to support long-term agricultural recovery and sustainable food systems following the cyclone. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. The Australian Government has unveiled a massive $10.7 billion fuel security package ahead of next week’s federal budget, aiming to strengthen the country’s fuel reserves after recent supply disruptions linked to conflict in the Middle East. The plan includes $7.5 billion for a new Fuel and Fertiliser Security Facility, designed to boost local fuel storage and supply through loans, guarantees and industry support. Another $3.2 billion will go towards creating an Australian Fuel Security Reserve. The reserve is expected to store around one billion litres of diesel and aviation fuel to improve long-term energy security. The government also plans to increase minimum fuel stockholding requirements by about 10 days. Australia currently holds around 43 days of petrol supply and 33 days of diesel supply still well below the 90-day target required for members of the International Energy Agency. Australia remains heavily dependent on imported fuel and now operates only two oil refineries, located in Brisbane and Geelong. Concerns intensified after disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz triggered fuel shortages and panic buying earlier this year. The package also includes funding for new fuel storage projects, refinery feasibility studies, and ongoing industry coordination to prepare for future supply shocks. Additional emergency measures already introduced by the government include temporary fuel excise cuts, relaxed fuel quality standards, support for fuel imports, and the removal of some heavy vehicle charges. The opposition has criticised the government’s response, arguing Australia needs even larger fuel reserves and more domestic energy production to avoid future shortages. Source : carexpert.com Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Meta Platforms is rolling out new AI tools to identify and remove underage users from its platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, as part of efforts to comply with Australia’s upcoming social media rules for users under 16. The system will scan public profiles for signs of age. This includes analysing posts, captions, comments, and bios for clues such as birthday references or school-related information. It will also review photos and videos for visual indicators like appearance and physical development. According to Meta, the AI can combine these signals to assess whether an account likely belongs to a minor. The company says testing will begin in the United States, with wider global use planned for users under 13 first, followed by expansion to under-16 users in Australia in the coming months. Meta’s safety chief Antigone Davis said the company has heavily invested in AI to detect and remove underage accounts and improve online safety for young users. She added that while the tools are important, the most effective long-term solution would be age checks at app store level, allowing parents to manage access across all apps in one place rather than relying on each platform separately. Source : News.com.au Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka, your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans in Australia and beyond. Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has approved a new ground handling contract for SriLankan Airlines at Sydney Airport, ensuring services continue without disruption. The previous agreement ended on April 30, 2026, prompting a limited international tender. Three bids were reviewed, with Menzies Aviation (Australia) Pty Ltd selected as the best-qualified and most cost-effective option. The contract, approved on the recommendation of the procurement committee, runs for three years from May 1, 2026, and is valued at approximately AUD 8.32 million. Source : Daily Mirror More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. A burst of polar weather is set to bring rare snowfall to parts of south-eastern Australia this week including areas outside the usual alpine zones. According to Weatherzone, the cold front will move in from tonight, delivering snow across the mountains of Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. What makes this event unusual is how low the snow could fall. Forecast levels include: Around 500m in Tasmania 600m in Victoria 700m in the NSW Snowy Mountains 800m in the ACT and NSW Central Tablelands Alpine regions could see up to 20cm of snow, while lighter flurries may reach lower-lying towns. Places like Orange and areas outside Canberra have a chance of seeing snow. Best spots to catch a glimpse: NSW: Blackheath is a good option, especially with road access issues near Oberon. Victoria: Mount Macedon often sees light snowfall and is close to Melbourne. ACT: Corin Forest Mountain Resort offers one of the best viewing chances. Tasmania: Snow is expected widely, including on Mount Wellington. While snowfall at lower elevations will be light, the event is rare for late autumn and could create scenic and potentially disruptive conditions across several regions. Source : 9 News Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. A nationwide free school lunch program is being proposed in Australia, aiming to ease pressure on families and improve student wellbeing. Australia is one of the few wealthy countries where students are not guaranteed a daily meal at school. But a growing push could change that. In Tasmania, the School Food Matters initiative already provides around 21,500 freshly cooked lunches each week across 60 public schools. The program, launched in 2020, is largely funded by the state government. Founder Julie Dunbabin wants to expand the model nationwide. Early feedback suggests better student behaviour, improved attendance, and stronger social connections. Each meal costs about $10 to prepare. While currently free, a national rollout may include a small parent contribution around $5 per meal to help cover costs. This is still cheaper than the average lunch box, which can cost $7 to $11. Experts say the issue is urgent. Rising living costs are making it harder for families to provide healthy food. Katherine Kent from the University of Wollongong notes many parents are struggling to pack nutritious lunches, which can affect children’s focus and learning. Miriam Williams adds that missing a proper meal can impact students’ health, concentration, and overall wellbeing. Countries like Japan, Sweden and Estonia already run universal school meal programs, highlighting what could be possible in Australia. Source : ABC News Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka, your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans in Australia and beyond. ප්‍රවාහන, මහාමාර්ග සහ නාගරික සංවර්ධන අමාත්‍ය බිමල් රත්නායක මහතා, දුර ගමන් බස් මගීන් සඳහා කලින් ආසන වෙන් කරවා ගැනීමට හැකි වන පරිදි මාර්ගගත ආසන වෙන්කරවා ගැනීමේ ක්‍රමයක් හඳුන්වා දෙන බව නිවේදනය කළේය. බත්තරමුල්ලේ “මගනේගුම මහමැදුර” හිදී අද (05) පැවති මාධ්‍ය හමුවකදී අමාත්‍යවරයා ප්‍රකාශ කළේ, දෛනික ප්‍රවාහන පහසුව වැඩිදියුණු කිරීම රජයේ ප්‍රධාන ප්‍රමුඛතාවයක් බවයි. පෞද්ගලික බස් රථ සඳහා නියමු ව්‍යාපෘතියක් ලෙස දියත් කරන ලද නව ක්‍රමය මඟින් මගීන්ට කාලසටහන් පරීක්ෂා කිරීමට සහ නිවසේ සිට ආසන වෙන්කරවා ගැනීමට ඉඩ සලසයි. ප්‍රමාදයන්, වෙන් කර ඇති ආසන අහිමි වීම, හදිසි ගමන් අවලංගු කිරීම් සහ අධික සේවා ගාස්තු වැනි පොදු ගැටළු අඩු කිරීමට අපේක්ෂා කෙරේ. නව ක්‍රමය යටතේ, වෙන්කරවා ගැනීමේ ගාස්තුව පෙර පැවති රුපියල් 200–300 ගාස්තුවට සාපේක්ෂව ආසනයකට රුපියල් 30 ක් පමණ දක්වා සැලකිය යුතු ලෙස අඩු කර ඇත. SLT-MOBITEL හි තාක්ෂණික සහාය ඇතිව වේදිකාව සංවර්ධනය කර ඇත. එහි සභාපති ආචාර්ය මෝතිලාල් ද සිල්වා මහතා සඳහන් කළේ සාම්ප්‍රදායික විදුලි සංදේශ සේවාවලින් ඔබ්බට මහජන අවශ්‍යතා සඳහා ඩිජිටල් විසඳුම් ලබා දීමට සමාගම කැපවී සිටින බවයි. ඩිජිටල් ආර්ථික අමාත්‍යාංශයේ උපදේශක සුමුදු රත්නායක මහතා ප්‍රකාශ කළේ, අනාගතයේදී සියලුම වෙන් කිරීම් මධ්‍යගත පද්ධතියකට ඒකාබද්ධ කිරීමට සැලසුම් සකස් කරමින් පවතින බවයි. මෙම සේවාව දැනට මාකුඹුර, ගාල්ල සහ මහනුවර ඇතුළු තෝරාගත් ප්‍රවාහන මධ්‍යස්ථානවල ලබා ගත හැකි අතර, සාර්ථක ලෙස ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමෙන් පසු දිවයින පුරා ව්‍යාප්ත කිරීමට සැලසුම් කර ඇත. www.busticket.gov.lk වෙබ් අඩවිය හරහා හෝ 0112001266 අංකයට ඇමතීමෙන් මගීන්ට ආසන වෙන්කරවා ගත හැකිය. මාකුඹුර බහුමාධ්‍ය ප්‍රවාහන මධ්‍යස්ථානයේ ද පහසුකම් තිබේ. QR සහ ජංගම මුදල් පසුම්බිය ගෙවීමේ විකල්ප ඉක්මනින් හඳුන්වා දීමට අපේක්ෂා කරන VISA සහ Master කාඩ්පත් භාවිතයෙන් ගෙවීම් කළ හැකිය. Source : News.lk More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australians could receive up to $300 in tax relief under a possible measure in the upcoming federal budget, though the government has not confirmed it. Jim Chalmers says the May 12 budget will deliver a broad reform package focused on tax changes, spending cuts, and boosting productivity. The plan aims to ease cost-of-living pressures and address growing inequality, especially for younger Australians. Reports suggest a one-off tax offset may reduce annual tax bills by $200–$300. However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has cautioned that budget details remain uncertain. The government has already flagged savings measures. Electric vehicle tax incentives will be scaled back from 2027, with full benefits limited to cars under $75,000. This change is expected to save $1.7 billion over five years. Spending cuts are also a key focus. The government plans to reduce costs across departments, including major savings from the National Disability Insurance Scheme, where tighter rules aim to control rapid growth. At the same time, defence funding will rise significantly, with an extra $53 billion committed over the next decade to strengthen military capability. Housing-related tax reforms such as changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing are still under consideration. While not confirmed, these measures are being explored as part of efforts to make the system fairer. Overall, the budget is expected to prioritise careful spending, targeted relief, and long-term economic stability as global uncertainty and inflation continue to impact Australia. Source ; 9 News Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Residents in Cranbourne East say they are still waiting for a promised train station nearly 20 years after first contributing funds toward it. Council records show about $4.9 million has been collected through rail levies as of June 2025. Every new home in the area includes a contribution starting from $700, aimed at funding the Cranbourne East station and electrification of the Clyde rail line. These costs are usually passed on to homebuyers. Around $2.8 million remains held by council, while $2.1 million has already been used to secure land for the station on Godfrey Avenue, transferred to the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. Long-time resident Selda Nunuvero says the delay has been frustrating. Living in the area since 2007, she still relies on buses to reach Cranbourne Station, adding extra time to daily travel. Community leaders are also raising concerns. Anthony Tassone from the Casey Residents and Ratepayers Association says the delay is unfair, noting residents have already paid specifically for this infrastructure. The project includes extending and electrifying the Cranbourne line to Clyde, along with building four new stations. Infrastructure Victoria estimates the full plan could cost between $2 billion and $3 billion. With the state election approaching, residents and advocates continue to push for action, saying the community deserves the transport upgrades it has already funded. Source : Star News Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka, your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans in Australia and beyond. සමාජ ආරක්ෂණ දායකතා බද්ද (Social Security Contribution Levy - SSCL) 2.5% කින් වැඩි කිරීම සහ ඇමෙරිකානු ඩොලරයේ අගය තවදුරටත් ශක්තිමත් වීම හේතුවෙන්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ආනයනය කරන වාහනවල මිල මැයි 1 දිනෙන් පසු ඉහළ යාමට අපේක්ෂා කෙරේ. ලංකා වාහන ආනයනකරුවන්ගේ සංගමයේ (Lanka Vehicle Importers Association) සභාපති ප්‍රසාද් මැනේජ් මහතා පෙන්වා දෙන්නේ, වැඩි කළ බදු සහ විනිමය අනුපාතයේ වෙනස්වීම් එකට එක්වීම ජනප්‍රිය වාහන මාදිලිවල සිල්ලර මිලවලට සැලකිය යුතු බලපෑමක් ඇති කරන බවයි. ඔහුට අනුව, Honda Vezel වාහනයක මිල රුපියල් 300,000 කට ආසන්න ප්‍රමාණයකින් ඉහළ යා හැකි අතර, Toyota Raize වාහනයක මිල රුපියල් 250,000 කට ආසන්නව ඉහළ යා හැකි බව සඳහන් වේ. එසේම, Suzuki Wagon R වාහනයක මිල රුපියල් 150,000 කට ආසන්න ප්‍රමාණයකින් වැඩි වීමට ද අපේක්ෂා කෙරේ. වාහන ආනයනකරුවන් අනතුරු ඇඟවීමක් කරමින් කියා සිටින්නේ, මෙම මිල ඉහළ යාම දැනටමත් ජීවන වියදම් ඉහළ යාමෙන් පීඩාවට පත්ව ඇති පාරිභෝගිකයින්ට අමතර බරක් විය හැකි බවත්, ඒ සමඟම වාහන වෙළඳපොළේ ඉල්ලුම ද පහත වැටීමට හේතු විය හැකි බවත්ය. Source : Daily Mirror Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Sri Lankans.