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.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Police in Melbourne have launched a major taskforce after a series of suspicious fires targeted hospitality venues across the city. Since April 14, at least 15 incidents including arson attacks and attempted fires have hit restaurants, bars and nightclubs in the CBD, South Melbourne, South Yarra and Prahran. Victoria Police confirmed a specialist operation, known as Operation Eclipse, is now underway. Detectives from organised crime, arson, cybercrime and gang units are working together to investigate possible links to criminal networks. Authorities believe the attacks may be connected to other serious crimes, including two kidnappings, a drive-by shooting, a car theft and a factory fire in Melbourne’s south-east. Police say those behind the attacks may be hiring young people to carry them out. Many suspects appear to have little knowledge of who is directing them. Detective Superintendent Jason Kelly said the incidents pose a serious risk to public safety. He added that investigators are still working to identify the motive and any groups involved. So far, 12 people have been arrested. Investigators say the attacks share similarities with past organised crime activity, including conflicts linked to illegal tobacco trade. However, business owners affected have told police they were not threatened or extorted, making the motive unclear. Police are urging the public to report any suspicious activity, including unusual behaviour around venues or people handling fuel containers. Authorities say protecting the hospitality sector remains a top priority as investigations continue. Source : theguardian More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

This exclusive report is brought to you by AUS NEWS LANKA. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia's Population by Country of Birth, June 2025 (released 29 April 2026) Australia is one of the world's most diverse countries — and it's getting more diverse every year. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), released on 29 April 2026, show just how much the country's migrant communities have changed. For Sri Lankans in Australia, the picture is one of real growth, but also of being outpaced by some fast-rising neighbours. Australia's Population: Now at 27.7 Million By September 2025, Australia's population had reached 27,724,744 people — up by 423,600 in just one year. Most of that growth came from overseas migration, which added 311,000 people, with the rest from natural increase (births minus deaths). The ABS country-of-birth snapshot, taken at 30 June 2025, puts the total at 27.6 million, of which 8.8 million — or 32 per cent — were born overseas. That's the highest share since 1893, and it reflects just how central migration has become to Australia's growth story. India Overtakes England — A Historic First For the first time ever, India has become the number one overseas birthplace in Australia's population, nudging past England by just 70 people. At 30 June 2025, there were 971,020 India-born residents in Australia, compared to 970,950 born in England. It's an incredibly tight margin, but a significant milestone. India's community has more than doubled since 2015, adding 522,000 people in a decade. England, on the other hand, has been slowly shrinking since a peak of over one million in 2013 — largely because that post-World War II British migrant generation is now in its 60s and ageing. The top ten countries of birth in Australia at June 2025 were: India (971,020), England (970,950), China (732,000), New Zealand (638,000), Philippines (413,000), Vietnam (327,000), South Africa (230,000), Nepal (214,000), Sri Lanka (184,800), and Malaysia (184,000). Nepal's Remarkable Rise — and What It Means for Sri Lanka While India's story grabbed the headlines, Nepal's growth has been equally astonishing. In 2015, there were only 50,150 Nepali-born people in Australia. By 2025, that number had soared to 213,580 — a four-fold increase in just ten years. It was last year (2024) that Nepal's population overtook Sri Lanka's for the first time, pushing Sri Lanka down from eighth to ninth place. The Nepali community is very young — average age of just 30 — and made up mostly of international students and skilled workers. Sri Lanka: Steady Growth, Ninth Place At 30 June 2025, there were 184,800 Sri Lanka-born residents in Australia, making it the ninth-largest overseas-born community in the country. That's up from 119,700 in 2015 and 142,700 in 2020 — a 54 per cent increase over the decade. Solid growth, even if it doesn't match the pace of India or Nepal. The Sri Lankan community has a distinct character. The average age is 40.5 years, which reflects a well-established, settled community, many of whom arrived from the 1980s onwards, including those who fled the civil war. The number of men and women is fairly balanced (107 males per 100 females), which is a sign that many Sri Lankans migrate as families rather than solo. Victoria is home to most Sri Lankan-Australians. According to 2021 Census data — the most recent state-level figures available — 72,100 Sri Lanka-born residents live there more than any other state. Sri Lankans also appear in the top ten communities in the Northern Territory and the ACT. One stat worth watching: Sri Lanka (184,800) and Malaysia (184,320) are now separated by just 480 people nationally. The two communities could swap places in next year's figures. The Bigger Picture The data tells a clear story about Australia's changing identity. The old post-war migration story — built on England, Italy, and Greece — is fading as those communities age. Italy dropped out of Australia's top ten birthplaces in 2024 for the first time since 1901. In their place, South and South-East Asian communities are driving growth. India leads, but China, the Philippines, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are all part of a new wave reshaping the country. For Sri Lankan-Australians, the 2025 numbers confirm a community that is established, growing, and deeply woven into Australian life — nearly 185,000 people strong, with families, careers, and roots across the country. All population figures are ABS Estimated Resident Population as at 30 June 2025 (preliminary), released 29 April 2026. The total Australian population of 27,724,744 is as at 30 September 2025, from ABS National, State and Territory Population.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australia’s housing market is showing signs of a shift, with prices dipping slightly after months of resilience. The latest data from PropTrack shows national home values fell 0.1% in April the first decline this year. March had surprised with growth, but momentum is now easing. Economists say the market has reached a turning point. Higher interest rates, global uncertainty and possible tax changes are weighing on buyer confidence. A gradual slowdown is expected, rather than a sharp crash. The picture varies across the country. About half of all regions recorded price drops, with declines strongest in premium areas. Parts of Sydney and Melbourne saw notable falls, especially in higher-end suburbs. At the same time, more affordable areas are still seeing modest growth. Cities like Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth posted small gains, though growth is slowing there too. Rising inflation and the likelihood of further rate hikes from the Reserve Bank of Australia are adding pressure. Higher fuel and living costs are also impacting sentiment. Uncertainty is now a key factor. Some buyers are delaying purchases or lowering budgets, while some sellers are holding off listing their homes. Overall, the market is cooling. Prices remain higher than a year ago, but the pace of growth is clearly slowing across most regions. Source : News.com More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Changes to Australia’s home battery rebate kick in today, as the government moves to keep the popular program running long-term. The scheme, part of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, saw a surge in demand. In under a year, residential battery capacity doubled, with more than 250,000 systems installed in just nine months. To manage costs and spread benefits more evenly, the rebate structure has been updated. Discounts will now be tiered based on battery size: Full rebate for systems up to 14kWh Reduced support (60%) for 14–28kWh Minimal support (15%) for 28–50kWh The changes are designed to discourage oversized systems and stretch funding through to 2030. The Clean Energy Regulator says the update also aligns with falling battery prices and keeps incentives fair across different system sizes. Household batteries operate like small energy units. Owners receive credits known as certificates that help lower upfront costs when purchasing a system. With installations booming, the government says these adjustments are needed to keep the program sustainable while continuing to support Australia’s clean energy shift. Source : ABC 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. Australia’s construction sector is under pressure as soaring fuel costs force companies to cut staff and delay projects. Builders say rising diesel prices and higher costs for materials are squeezing margins, pushing some businesses close to shutting down. Without government support, the impact could flow through to home buyers and household bills. New data from the Civil Contractors Federation shows the strain is widespread. Nearly one in three firms are considering scaling back or closing within six months. About 45% plan to reduce staff, while more than a quarter may pause projects until costs stabilise. The crisis has been driven in part by global supply disruptions, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which cut a significant share of the world’s oil flow. Costs have surged across the board. Diesel prices have jumped sharply in recent months, while materials like concrete and plastic piping are also rising due to fuel-linked surcharges. Industry leaders are calling on the federal government to step in with targeted support in the upcoming budget. Key requests include temporary fuel tax relief, faster payments on government contracts, and financial support for projects hit hardest by rising costs. Some businesses are already feeling the impact. Contractors report cost increases of up to 20% on ongoing projects, forcing difficult negotiations with clients to share the burden. There are also human costs. Some operators say ongoing economic shocks from the pandemic to global conflicts have made it too risky to continue. The government says it is monitoring the situation and working with industry to improve fuel supply and reduce costs. However, builders warn urgent action is needed to keep projects moving and protect jobs. Source : ABC News More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka, your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans in Australia and beyond. හිටපු සමගි ජන බලවේග පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී එරන් වික්‍රමරත්න මහතා නව ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක්‍රිකට් (Sri Lanka Cricket - SLC) පරිවර්තන කමිටුවේ සභාපතිවරයා ලෙස පත් කර තිබේ. නවකමිටුවේ අනෙකුත් සාමාජිකයන් ලෙස රොෂාන් මහනාම, කුමාර් සංගක්කාර, තුෂිර රදෙල්ල, සිදත් වෙත්තමුනි, අවන්ති කොළඹගේ, ප්‍රකාශ් ෂාෆ්ටර්, උපුල් කුමාරප්පෙරුම සහ දිනාල් ෆිලිප්ස් යන අය නම් කර ඇත. මෙය සාමාජිකයින් 09 දෙනෙකුගෙන් සමන්විත කමිටුවකි. මෙම පත්කිරීම සිදු වන්නේ ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක්‍රිකට් ආයතනයේ සභාපති ශම්මි සිල්වා මහතා සහ විධායක කමිටු සාමාජිකයන් සියලු දෙනා ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍යවරයා වෙත තම ඉල්ලා අස්වීම් ලිපි ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමෙන් අනතුරුවය. ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් නිල නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කරමින් ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍යාංශය සඳහන් කළේ ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍ය සුනිල් කුමාර ගමගේ මහතා විසින් එම ඉල්ලා අස්වීම් භාරගත් බවයි. 1973 අංක 25 දරන ක්‍රීඩා නීතියේ 31 සහ 34 වගන්ති මගින් අමාත්‍යවරයාට පැවරී ඇති බලතල යටතේ, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක්‍රිකට් පරිපාලනය වහාම ක්‍රියාත්මක වන පරිදි තාවකාලිකව යෞවන කටයුතු හා ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍යාංශය යටතට පත් කරන බව අමාත්‍යාංශය තවදුරටත් පැවසීය. ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩාවේ වත්මන් ගැටළු සඳහා විසඳුම් හඳුනා ගැනීම සහ පාලක මණ්ඩලය තුළ ව්‍යුහාත්මක ප්‍රතිසංස්කරණ ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීම සඳහා කමිටුවක් ඉක්මනින් පත් කරන බව එම නිවේදනයේ වැඩිදුරටත් සඳහන් වේ. Source : Newswire More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australia is seeing a sharp rise in illicit drug use, with new data placing the country among the world’s highest consumers of methamphetamine. A latest report from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission shows Australia ranks second out of 34 countries for meth use per person, behind the United States. Wastewater analysis reveals meth consumption has nearly doubled over the past decade. It has grown from 8.4 tonnes in 2016 to a record 15.7 tonnes in 2025. The drug now makes up about 59% of the total use of major illicit substances, including cocaine, MDMA and heroin. Despite high prices, demand remains strong. The estimated street value of meth consumed in a year has reached over $11 billion, forming the bulk of Australia’s $14.3 billion illegal drug market. Use is consistently higher in regional areas than in major cities. Regional Western Australia recorded the highest levels overall. Among capital cities, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth ranked the highest. Authorities say organised crime networks continue to drive supply, keeping large volumes flowing into the country. New South Wales remains the biggest overall market, while Queensland has recorded a notable recent surge. Other drugs, including cocaine, MDMA and heroin, have also hit record levels. The ACIC warns the trend is likely to continue, with drug use expected to rise further through to 2027. 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. Australia is facing a growing shortage of GPs, especially in regional and remote areas, where demand for healthcare continues to rise. Groups like the Australian Medical Students' Association say one major barrier starts early the cost of getting into medical school. The GAMSAT, required for postgraduate entry, costs $568 per attempt. Many students sit the exam multiple times, with average costs reaching around $1,700 just in fees. Extra spending on study materials and tutoring can push this even higher. Student leaders warn these costs hit hardest for those from rural and low-income backgrounds. Yet these are the very candidates most likely to return and work in underserved communities. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler says Australia has long relied on overseas-trained doctors to fill gaps, particularly outside major cities. Efforts are underway to train more local doctors, but challenges remain. Critics argue the system lacks accessibility. Some also question whether the GAMSAT effectively identifies the best future doctors. Students say the financial burden adds pressure to an already difficult process. Meanwhile, the Australian Council for Educational Research, which runs the exam, says the fees reflect the cost of delivering a secure and high-standard test. Health authorities acknowledge workforce shortages remain a long-term issue. Programs like scholarships aim to support students from regional areas, but demand for doctors continues to outpace supply. 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. රටේ සංචාරක යටිතල පහසුකම් වැඩිදියුණු කිරීමේ උත්සාහයන්හි කොටසක් ලෙස ශ්‍රී පාද (ආදම්ගේ කඳු මුදුන) ඇතුළු ප්‍රධාන සංචාරක ගමනාන්ත කිහිපයක කේබල් කාර් පද්ධති හඳුන්වාදීම සඳහා වන යෝජනා කෙරෙහි අවධානය යොමු වී තිබේ. විදේශ කටයුතු, විදේශ රැකියා සහ සංචාරක අමාත්‍ය විජිත හේරත් මහතාගේ ප්‍රධානත්වයෙන් ජනාධිපති ලේකම් කාර්යාලයේ ඊයේ (28) පැවති සංචාරක කාර්ය සාධක බලකා රැස්වීමකදී මෙම කරුණ සාකච්ඡා කෙරිණි. ජනාධිපති මාධ්‍ය අංශයට (PMD) අනුව, ශ්‍රී පාදස්ථානය අසල කේබල් කාර් ව්‍යාපෘතියක් ස්ථාපිත කිරීම සඳහා විවිධ පාර්ශ්වකරුවන්ගෙන් දීර්ඝ කාලීන ඉල්ලීම් රැස්වීමේදී සමාලෝචනය කරන ලදී. ඊට අමතරව, කිකිලියාමන සහ ඇල්ල ද සමාන සංවර්ධනයන් සඳහා සුදුසු විභව ස්ථාන ලෙස හඳුනාගෙන ඇත. යෝජිත ස්ථාන සඳහා ශක්‍යතා අධ්‍යයනයන් සිදු කිරීම, මූලික අනුමැතිය ලබා ගැනීම සහ ව්‍යාපෘති ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීම සඳහා අවශ්‍ය තාක්ෂණික හා පාරිසරික වාර්තා පරීක්ෂා කිරීමේ අවශ්‍යතාවය පිළිබඳව නිලධාරීන් අවධානය යොමු කළහ. වෙනම සංවර්ධන-නැඹුරු සාකච්ඡාවකදී, මැයි 25 සිට රටවල් 40 ක පුරවැසියන් සඳහා වීසා රහිත පහසුකමක් හඳුන්වාදීම ඇතුළුව පුළුල් සංචාරක පහසුකම් සැපයීමේ පියවරයන් කෙරෙහි ද අවධානය යොමු විය. මෙම පියවර සංචාරක පැමිණීම් සැලකිය යුතු ලෙස ඉහළ නංවනු ඇතැයි බලධාරීන් අපේක්ෂා කරයි. යාල ඇතුළු ජාතික වනෝද්‍යාන 19 ක සනීපාරක්ෂක පහසුකම් වැඩිදියුණු කිරීමේ ප්‍රගතිය ද රැස්වීමේදී සමාලෝචනය කරන ලදී. පවතින වැසිකිළි පහසුකම් නඩත්තු කිරීම පෞද්ගලික ආයතනයකට පැවරීමේ වැඩසටහනක් දැනටමත් ආරම්භ කර ඇති බව ජනාධිපති මාධ්‍ය අංශය පැවසීය. නව සනීපාරක්ෂක පද්ධති ස්ථාපනය කිරීමේ සැලසුම් ද සාකච්ඡා කරන ලදී. මේ අතර, කොල්ලුපිටියේ සිට වෙරළබඩ ප්‍රදේශය දිගේ කැපවූ සංචාරක කලාපයක් ස්ථාපිත කිරීමේ සංකල්පය නිලධාරීන් විසින් ගවේෂණය කරන ලදී. යෝජිත සංවර්ධනය මගින් සංචාරකයින්ගේ ආරක්ෂාව ශක්තිමත් කිරීම සහ ප්‍රදේශයේ ආකර්ෂණීය ස්ථාන වැඩිදියුණු කිරීම අරමුණු කර ඇති අතර, සංචාරකයින් 2,000 ත් 3,000 ත් අතර සංඛ්‍යාවක් ආකර්ෂණය කර ගැනීමේ අපේක්ෂාව ඇත. Source : Daily Mirror More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.