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Cuts to the NDIS are expected to save the budget $35 billion over four years. But in public hearings this week, we learned more about the impact these changes will have on individual Australians with disability.
Yesterday, the hearings zoomed in on the gendered impacts of restricting access to the scheme. Women and girls make up just 38% of the scheme, as disability experts Molly Saunders from UNSW and Sophie Yates from ANU explain, and the inequity they experience is likely to get worse if the legislation passes in its current form.
They argue cuts to NDIS budgets for social participation and community inclusion could increase women's isolation and risk of domestic violence. In the future, some women will find it harder to access the scheme because of the nature of their disabilities.
Women are also more likely than men to care for children with disabilities, and many carers also have a disability themselves. According to Saunders and Yates, cutting NDIS support may force carers to reduce paid employment, deepening their financial difficulties.
And just a quick reminder – two of our key funders are doubling all donations this week. If you rely on our independent, evidence-based journalism, there has never been a better time to support us.
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Fron Jackson-Webb
Deputy Editor and Senior Health Editor
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Molly Saunders, UNSW Sydney; Sophie Yates, Australian National University
Women are already less likely to access the NDIS for their disabilities than men and more likely to be carers.
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Denis Muller, The University of Melbourne
The big question now is how this new media-politics-money combination will form an effective force on the right of Australian politics.
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Cameron Holley, UNSW Sydney; Carley Bartlett, UNSW Sydney
It’s the largest lawsuit ever brought by the Australian government. But what is the $2 billion forever chemicals case meant to achieve?
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Neil Mabbott, University of Edinburgh
A vaccine designed entirely by AI has been tested in people for the first time.
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Judith Brett, La Trobe University
In parliament, Tim Wilson’s performative outrage overwhelms his thinking. But on the page, he is thoughtful. Why is Jim Chalmers praising his opponent’s book?
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Francisco Trujillo, UNSW Sydney
‘Ultrasonic espresso’ made with cold water and high-frequency sound waves uses less energy than the traditional version – and taste tests show it’s just as good.
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Vaughan Cruickshank, University of Tasmania; Brendon Hyndman, Charles Sturt University
The soccer was superb but the 1994 World Cup in the US is also remembered for multiple controversies.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The pollster also warns any move to replace Victorian premier Jacinta Allan before the November state election would be a ‘disaster’ for Labor.
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Michael Cain, Deakin University
NSW police will make body-worn cameras mandatory after recent controversies. But it may not solve the issues they face.
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Bruce M Smyth, Australian National University; La Trobe University
One million children are meant to receive child support each year. Proposed changes will help them in some ways, but fall short of addressing big problems.
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Health + Medicine
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Nick Fuller, University of Sydney
If you follow child nutrition content on social media, you’re bound to be confused when it comes to giving your kids milk. Here’s what the evidence actually says.
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Business + Economy
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Timothy Graham, Queensland University of Technology; Ella Chorazy, Queensland University of Technology; Stephen Harrington, Queensland University of Technology
Hundreds of millions of dollars are being made on well-timed oil bets occurring just before Trump posts. But can we call it insider trading?
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Environment + Energy
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Cate Macinnis-Ng, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Warmer winters mean insect pests like wasps will likely spread further, while weedy plants and rats invade alpine zones, shrinking the refuge for endangered birds.
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Berto Pandolfo, University of Technology Sydney; Angelique Milojevic, University of Technology Sydney; Dan Etheridge, Southern Cross University
Although recovering and reusing house materials takes more time, there can be big social and environmental benefits.
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Science + Technology
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Aaron J. Cavosie, Curtin University; Raiza R. Quintero, University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez
Here’s what happens when a rock from space smashes into a goldfield.
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Ashkan Hashemi, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
A full-scale earthquake test suggests a new generation of low-carbon timber-based buildings could remain usable after major shaking.
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Rebecca Davies, Swinburne University of Technology; Deanne Fisher, Swinburne University of Technology
All things die, even galaxies.
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Arts + Culture
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Angela Conquet, The University of Melbourne
From Belfast’s streets to the end of the world, Oona Doherty and Florentina Holzinger delivered some of the most arresting dance works in this year’s program.
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Books + Ideas
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Hannah Frances Roux, University of Sydney
For Tolkien, any place can become 'Mordor' when the desire to benefit others turns into the will to dominate them.
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Are student streams like sports?
“In his Your Say this week, Peter Tuft uses the wrong sporting analogy to describe 'streaming' in education. Learning a sporting skill occurs during training. The question from an educational perspective is: does it benefit everyone for beginners to work out in a gym with proficient gym users so they can be immersed in an expert learning experience? The streamers believe we should leave the bumblers to struggle on their own and put all our efforts on the elite sportspeople so they can maximise their potential.”
Dr Peter Kandlbinder, Adjunct Fellow, University of Technology Sydney
Independent booksellers need our support
“I was so disappointed to read Gavin Oakes’ Your Say this week stating that local bookstores don’t carry a wide enough range of books. They may be limited by physical space, but their range of books available is outstanding. I can’t speak highly enough of my friends at Gleebooks in Sydney, as well as my local Berkelouw store (Balgowlah), Roaring Stories in Balmain and Bookoccino in Avalon. Authors (and illustrators) suffer when books are purchased at discounted prices. If a book is offered for sale via an independent bookstore, the author usually receives a royalty of 10% (halved when it has to be shared with an illustrator). This is already an insufficient reward
for the time and talent invested, but if books are purchased from a discount retailer, the royalty is based on the discounted price rather than the full retail price and is often less than half.”
Jennie Orchard
We'd love to hear from you. You can email us with your thoughts on our stories and each day we'll publish an edited selection.
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