A Liberal and Nationals Government will deliver a $100 registration rebate for NSW drivers as part of a broader plan to ease the cost of living and reduce the cost of driving.
Under our plan, individuals will be able to claim a $100 rebate on the registration of a private-use vehicle, with drivers eligible to a rebate on up to two private vehicles. The rebate will be available for 2027 vehicle registrations.
Leader of the Opposition Kellie Sloane said families across New South Wales were being squeezed from every direction and deserved practical support.
“Families are working harder than ever but too many are going backwards,” Ms Sloane said.
“Every bill is going up, every trip to the supermarket costs more, and getting behind the wheel is becoming more expensive under Labor.”
“This $100 registration rebate will put money back into the pockets of families and help ease the pressure on household budgets.”
“The NSW Liberals and Nationals have a plan to support drivers. We have already announced our Fuel Price Guarantee, which will require fuel retailers to publicly report and lock in their maximum daily fuel prices, giving drivers greater transparency and confidence before they fill up.”
“Whether it is the cost of fuel or the cost of registration, we are focused on practical measures that make life easier for families.”
Shadow Minister for Roads Mark Coure said drivers had been hit with a stealth tax under the Minns Labor Government.
“Since Labor came to office, annual registration charges for the most common private vehicle weight bracket have increased from $400 to $462, an increase of more than 15 per cent,” Mr Coure said.
“Motor vehicle tax revenue is forecast to grow from $3 billion to more than $4 billion by 2028-29, an increase of almost 36 per cent.”
“On Treasury’s own forecasts, drivers could be paying almost $100 more each year in registration charges by 2028 compared to when Labor came to office.”
“Drivers are being treated as a revenue source for this Government. We believe that money should stay in the pockets of the people who earned it.”
Ms Sloane said a stronger NSW starts with helping families get ahead and stay ahead.
“Families don’t expect government to solve every problem, but they do expect it not to make life harder.”
“Our registration rebate is practical cost of living relief. Combined with our Fuel Price Guarantee and the restoration of the Regional Seniors Travel Card, it shows the NSW Liberals and Nationals have a clear plan to support families and ease pressure on household budgets.”
Month: July 2026
Minns Labor Government falls short on police funding
The NSW Liberals and Nationals welcome the Minns Labor Government’s endorsement of key elements of our plan to crack down on organised crime, but today’s announcement falls well short of what is needed to make communities safer.
Just two days ago, the NSW Opposition unveiled a comprehensive package that included tough new offences targeting violence brokers who recruit young people into organised crime, additional funding for the NSW Crime Commission and expanded powers to strip these criminals of their wealth.
There are also questions about how much of today’s announcement is genuinely new funding and how much has already been allocated for technology upgrades announced in previous budgets.
Shadow Minister for Police Anthony Roberts said the Minns Labor Government had delivered only part of the solution.
“The Minns Labor Government has taken elements of our crackdown on gangland violence but delivered less than half the investment,” Mr Roberts said.
“NSW families deserve a government that will stand up to organised crime and back that with the investment required to keep communities safe.”
Mr Roberts said organised crime could not be defeated with IT upgrades alone.
“Organised crime exists to make money, which is why we will properly resource the NSW Crime Commission to strip criminal syndicates of their wealth and dismantle their operations,” Mr Roberts said.
“The Minns Labor Government has also failed to address the decline in police numbers per capita at a time when communities desperately need more officers on the beat, not fewer.”
Ending the gangland wars
A NSW Liberals and Nationals Government will create new offences targeting ‘violence brokers’ and go after the wealth of gangs to address the surge in gangland crime across Sydney.
Our Plan will:
- Create new offences of using a violence broker or acting as a violence broker with a maximum penalty of 16 years or 20 years if a child is involved;
- Double the funding to the NSW Crime Commission to allow it to identify more participants in organised crime and confiscate their unexplained wealth;
- Extend unexplained wealth orders so they apply to anyone reasonably suspected of acting as or using a violence broker.
- The Minns Labor Government has failed to curb escalating gangland violence across Sydney. When questioned by the Opposition, the Police Minister was unable to provide key details about the surge in criminal activity, offering only that “too many” incidents had occurred.
The Government’s legislation also failed to strengthen non-parole periods for serious gangland offences, undermining its claims of tougher penalties. The Opposition sought to amend the legislation to close this loophole, but Labor voted with the Greens against the changes, leaving its so-called crackdown without meaningful consequences for the worst offenders.
Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said more must be done to combat the people recruiting young criminals to act on behalf of gangs.
“Sydney families are sick of their suburbs being turned into battlegrounds and the Minns Labor Government has not done enough to stay ahead of these criminals and their methods,” Ms Sloane said.
“In order to address the surge in gangland violence we need to both target the recruiters and go after what really matters to them, and in many cases that’s their money.”
Shadow Attorney-General Damien Tudehope said the additional funding for the NSW Crime Commission would build on the new powers it was given by the former Liberal and Nationals Government.
“Under our changes the NSW Crime Commission will be able to expand its expert team and seize the assets and unexplained wealth of more organised criminals,” Mr Tudehope said.
“Stripping organised crime groups of their illicit wealth is one of the most effective ways to dismantle their operations.”
Shadow Minister for Police Anthony Roberts said senior police have repeatedly warned the Minns Labor Government that young, inexperienced men were being recruited to carry out gangland crimes.
“Organised criminals have laughed at the Minns Labor Government’s new ineffective penalties which they could have toughened up if they had accepted our amendments,” Mr Roberts said.
“The public expects governments to stay one step ahead of organised crime, because these gangs are becoming increasingly sophisticated and ruthless and that’s what the Liberals and Nationals are committed to doing.”
$10 million to upgrade maternity services in Darwin
The Albanese Government will invest $10 million to support upgrades to the Birthing, Maternity and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Darwin Hospital, ensuring Territory families can continue to access high-quality maternity care close to home.
This investment will increase the hospital’s capacity to meet growing demand while improving the experience of women, babies and families. Following Healthscope’s closure of private maternity services in 2025, an additional 250 babies are expected to be born at Royal Darwin Hospital each year.
Families in the Northern Territory will benefit from upgrades to birthing suites and maternity wards will increase capacity and co-locate maternity outpatient services at the hospital.
This funding will also provide more single rooms, so mothers do not have to share facilities, deliver more spaces for patients’ families, and provide more space for clinical staff to work and store equipment.
This investment will ensure pregnant women in the Northern Territory can continue to access the care they need close to home.
It is expected the upgrades at Royal Darwin Hospital will be completed in late 2027.
This investment follows the Albanese Government’s record hospital funding in the Northern Territory. NT hospitals will receive close to $1 billion in additional funding.
the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:
“Having a baby should be a joyful time, and families deserve high-quality care, no matter where they live.
“This investment is about making sure Territory women and their families can continue to access the care and services they need.
“It’s on top of the record funding we are providing to NT hospitals because every Australian deserves access to quality healthcare.
“It’s another example of my Government investing in better health outcomes and stronger maternity services for the Northern Territory.”
Minister for Health Mark Butler:
“This funding is about delivering practical improvements that will make a real difference for Territory women and families.
“By investing in Royal Darwin Hospital, we’re delivering better facilities, greater capacity and stronger support for women at one of the most important moments in their lives.”
Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy:
“All mothers and mothers-to-be deserve safe, affordable and accessible maternity care.
“Our $10 million investment means Territory mums, babies and families can access high quality maternity close to home.”
Member for Solomon Luke Gosling:
“I made a commitment to secure this $10 million for improved maternity facilities and services at Royal Darwin Hospital, and today I’m delivering on it.
“This investment strengthens public maternity care, but it does not replace the private maternity service Darwin lost. The NT Government now needs to work with private providers to restore that service and give Territory women genuine choice about where they give birth.”
Laos methanol developments
The Australian Government is deeply frustrated and bitterly disappointed that authorities in Laos are not pursuing the most serious charges in relation to the methanol poisoning deaths of Australian citizens Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones.
This devastating news will only add to the immense pain and grief suffered by the families and friends of Holly and Bianca.
We have consistently made clear our expectations that charges should reflect the gravity of the tragedy that claimed the lives of Holly and Bianca in November 2024. This includes the Prime Minister and I expressing these expectations directly to our respective counterparts.
What happened to Holly, Bianca and four other foreign nationals should never have happened.
Since their deaths, Australia has advocated for a thorough and transparent investigation that takes into account all available evidence and for those responsible to be held to account. We have engaged repeatedly and at the highest levels of the Lao Government to support that objective.
The Prime Minister and I appointed Mr Pablo Kang as Special Envoy to continue Australia’s efforts and explore all avenues to achieve progress in the investigation. Mr Kang has engaged extensively with Lao authorities on behalf of the Australian Government and the families, with whom he has maintained regular contact.
The Prime Minister and I have asked Mr Kang to travel to Laos today to convey the Australian Government’s objections and reinforce our expectations for an investigation that delivers justice for Holly, Bianca, and the other victims of the methanol poisoning. The Acting Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has also called in Laos’ Ambassador this morning in Canberra.
Next week I will again put Australia’s views directly to my Lao counterpart when I travel to Manila for the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings.
These discussions in the coming days in Canberra, Vientiane and Manila will help inform next steps.
The Albanese Government will continue to advocate for Holly and Bianca’s families with the Lao Government at every level, and will continue to provide consular assistance for as long as required.
As ever, our thoughts are with the family and friends of Holly and Bianca.
Labor using disabled kids and families to balance the budget
Reporting today confirms that Labor’s NDIS cuts will be disastrous for disabled kids and autistic people, with almost 145,000 autistic people to lose their supports.
The internal documents reported by the Guardian also show that two-thirds of the 241,000 people who will no longer be eligible for the NDIS in 5 years will be children.
These supports are often used for speech therapy, to build social skills, strengthen independence and help kids attend school. Alternatives do not currently exist for kids, and the government has failed to explain what programs are planned for teenagers with autism.
Ahead of the public hearings for the inquiry into the NDIS cuts recommencing on 30th July, the Greens say Labor should withdraw a bill already doing so much harm.
Acting Australian Greens Leader Mehreen Faruqi said:
“Autistic people and children with disabilities will be hurt the most by Labor’s cruel NDIS cuts, the biggest cut to a government program this century.
“The parents of 154,000 children will today be wondering what comes next for their child – when Labor takes away the support that lets them go to school, build social skills, and to play.
“These kids are being deprived of essential supports because Labor is too cowardly to tax gas exports, to stop sending billions to the USA for AUKUS submarines that we’ll never get, or to stop the $30 billion a year in tax handouts to wealthy property investors.
“We’re already hearing from disabled people and their loved ones who are being cut from the services they relied on. The threat of these cuts is already drying up funding and doing harm to thousands of people.
“Labor’s cuts to the NDIS are one of the cruelest acts perpetrated on a community by an Australian government. The Greens will continue to fight to see this cruel attack on disabled people scrapped.”
Australian Greens Disability spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said:
“This is an appalling and dangerously irresponsible Bill that sees Labor forcing 145,000 autistic people off the NDIS because they are too cowardly to tax the superprofits of corporations.
“The government has no explanation for what will happen to autistic people, and kids with other disabilities who lose their supports, because there is no plan. They are booting hundreds of thousands of people off the NDIS when there is no alternative.
“Labor decided to balance the budget by removing disabled people’s critical supports because they were too cowardly to tax gas exports, or scrap the tax perks for property investors instead of grandfathering them in the last budget.
“Thankfully, the momentum behind these cuts is crumbling, and public opposition is growing as people realise they will leave hundreds of thousands of disabled people and their families without carers, equipment and supports they rely on every day.
“The Greens will fight alongside the disability community to stop these cuts. Labor and Liberals should listen to the powerful testimony of disabled people and shelve this bill.”
Greens call for decent pay deal and stand in solidarity with striking teachers
The Victorian Greens stand in solidarity with teachers and education support staff taking industrial action, saying the Allan Government must deliver a fair pay and conditions deal that values the people educating our children.
Victorian teachers are the lowest paid in Australia despite facing some of the highest workloads, with the average school employee working around 12 hours of unpaid overtime every week.
By October, experienced Victorian teachers are set to earn more than $15,000 less than their counterparts in New South Wales.
The Greens say that unless the Allan Labor Government addresses pay and workload, Victoria will continue to struggle to attract and retain the teachers and education support staff schools desperately need.
Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:
“Teachers and support staff shouldn’t have to be fighting this hard just to be paid what they’re worth.
“Victoria is meant to be the Education State. We have it on our number plates, for crying out loud. We should be leading the country, not paying our teachers the least in the country, having them work the most overtime, and underfunding our schools.
“Labor can find billions of dollars to fund their political pet projects but then doesn’t have enough money to pay our teachers and support staff a fair wage. It is shameful.”
Greens call for Moratorium on Data Centre building until High Quality Standards are in place with Mandatory Obligations on Proponents
Greens respond to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s AI speech.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens spokesperson for communications, arts and environment and chair of the inquiry into AI data centres:
“AI is the new extractive industry, if we don’t have the right rules in place big tech companies will take our resources and leave Australians with little to show for it.
“We need a moratorium on the building of data centres until there are laws in place to properly regulate their impact in Australia including energy, water use, environment and communities.
“It is essential that we get the rules right. To do that we need a pause on the approval and construction of new hyperscale data centres while we do this important policy work.
“Just because big tech companies want to move at hyperspeed, doesn’t mean that we need to fast track and roll out the red carpet for them. We need to take the time to get this right, if we don’t there will be serious consequences for our energy grid, water, environment and climate.
“The Albanese Government needs to show the Australian people that they are more than just talk when it comes to putting the interests of Australians ahead of the interests of big AI companies.
“Today’s announcement that there will be rules for the building of data centres is welcome, but with more than 90 data centres already in the pipeline we cannot allow a free for all in the meantime.
“A key part of getting the rules right is protecting Australian artists, creators, journalists and copyright holders who all need their work protected from the extractive AI industry.
“AI companies want to build data mining factories that strip mine our knowledge, culture and intellectual property. This is theft. We do not allow other industries to pick and choose what laws apply to them, big tech should be no exception to this.
“The test for the Albanese Government will be how strongly they protect Australia’s knowledge, culture and environment.
Senator David Shoebridge, Greens spokesperson for digital rights:
“If this government was serious about accountability it would be building an independent regulator and giving it strong statutory powers, not just building another door inside the PMs office for tech lobbyists to knock on.
“This is another power grab from one of the most centralising PM on record, keen to ensure he doesn’t face another rogue Minister with a vision for serious regulation of this technology.
“Providing government data for US AI companies raises real questions about consent, privacy and surveillance risk for all Australians and it’s hard to see how it’s in the public interest.
“A coordination office in Canberra doesn’t stop a single kid getting harmed tonight, and no amount of branding changes the fact that this government still hasn’t legislated a single enforceable protection.
“Not only does this announcement not provide any meaningful steps for building sovereign capability, the PM is also leaving Palantir embedded in the agencies holding Australians’ most sensitive information including Defence.
“The Prime Minister points to Five Eyes as if that settles the sovereignty question, but our closest security partner is also home to the AI companies that are the biggest security risks across the public and private sectors.
“He’s calling this an AI for Australia plan but the future he mapped out is controlled by American billionaires, not Australian communities.
“Australians need an independent AI regulator with real powers, mandatory guardrails, and legislated protections for kids, workers and creators.
“What we got today was a red carpet for Meta, Palantir and Amazon that leads straight to the PM’s office.”
Podcast pulls mask off Hanson’s billionaire-funded hatred
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Acting Leader of the Australian Greens:
“Pauline Hanson’s on a holiday with a billionaire, spouting racism and Islamophobia in a hotel room paid for by a different billionaire’s media empire – trying to turn Australians against one another.
“This latest insight into Pauline Hanson’s mind is scary stuff, but unsurprising. Her sit down interview with convicted criminal and professional hate monger Tommy Robinson is the latest in a decades-long career of her spreading the same, hate-filled message.
“Harking back to a white Australia and piling hate on Muslims and migrants is disgusting, blatant racism. This hate doesn’t exist in headlines or in a vacuum, it has a material impact on targeted communities and One Nation knows that.
“They don’t want people fighting the system making their lives harder, they want people fighting each other.
“The Australia of One Nation’s fantasies is a mean and selfish place where pointing the finger at your neighbour and punching down on Muslims becomes the norm, where women’s rights are wound back, and where we fight each other for scraps dropped from above by the billionaires pulling the strings.
“Labor and the Liberals have created the conditions for One Nation’s hate to rise, by constantly putting their corporate donors’ interests ahead of people’s and dogwhistling on migrants.
“The One Nation scam of pretending to be anti-establishment while being bankrolled by billionaires and right-wing media is clear for everyone to see. Hanson goes on holiday with a billionaire in a luxury hotel in Italy and still has the gall to tell you it’s migrants making it hard for you to pay your rent.
“I have taken on Hanson and the far-right in parliament, on the streets and in the courtroom. Now is the time to fight back and show people that something different is on offer. We want to see a country where everyone feels safe, welcome, and has everything they need to thrive and live a good life.”
AI in Australia’s interests
The Albanese Labor Government will introduce a world-leading artificial intelligence framework to ensure Australia can capture the opportunity, share the benefits and keep Australians safe.
We will do that the Australian way – without undercutting conditions, dividing communities or damaging our environment.
The Government will introduce a set of Australian Standards for AI, building on the Data Centre Expectations, with our values as the benchmark to ensure AI works in Australia’s interests.
The new standards will set out clear rules for large data centres— including a legal obligation to underwrite their own new power supply, pay their full share of connection costs so energy bills are not impacted, reduce power when needed to strengthen the grid, and be as water efficient as possible.
The Federal Government will also work with State and Territories to ensure large data centres are built in the most appropriate locations, and with input from local communities.
Effective today, the Office of AI will be established within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to accelerate implementation of the Australian Standards on a national level.
The Government’s approach will be considered by National Cabinet in August, with standards expected to be legislated early next year.
The implementation of these standards will deliver a simple, consistent regulatory framework for large data centres and AI training and be the first to be legislated by a government worldwide.
The Government’s approach will help further grow Australia’s economy, strengthen our sovereignty, secure benefits consistent with our national interests, and lift our standard of living.
The AI Standards will deliver greater clarity, speed up approvals and streamline the process for verifying compliance with energy, water, safety and other requirements.
The Government will also ensure the strongest possible protection for Australian artists and media.
Our approach will ensure Australian writers, artists and journalists retain ownership over their work, meaning no company should use Australian creative works to train AI without the artist’s control.
The Government will also outline its whole-of-government AI consumer safety priorities in coming weeks, building on the recent establishment of the AI Safety Institute.
The Government has every confidence that Australia can seize this moment of technological advancement and make it our own, while ensuring AI stands for Australia’s interests.
the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese
“This world leading framework is about Australia choosing to shape the future rather than letting the future of AI shape us.
“This framework is about protecting our national interests and ensuring certainty for growth, jobs and investment.
“If we set our national standards high, then we can make AI stand for Australia’s interests.
Senator Tim Ayres, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science
“A Future Made in Australia is all about shaping Australia’s industrial and technological future in the national interest and in the interest of every Australian.
“That means securing critical AI investments here so Australians shape the future.
“Australian Standards for AI strengthen Australia’s framework to make sure AI investments are on Australia’s terms and strengthen our resilience, security and economy.”
Andrew Charlton, Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy
“Australia has an opportunity to ensure that new technology delivers inclusive, safe and sustainable growth, with shared benefits for our workers, and the community.
“Establishing a clear and enforceable social licence for AI is fundamental towards achieving this objective.”