☕️ Govt's plan to cut NDIS costs

This morning we have published our interview with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, which you can listen to or watch on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

You’ll hear the PM’s perspective on his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, if the prices of essential groceries are about to go up, and his considerations for the upcoming budget. Let us know what you think.

P.S. It’s been less than 48 hours since finding out we were interviewing the PM and hitting publish – talk about flexible! (No one was talking about that. But you get what I mean.)

The quote: “The safety of the children was not placed at the centre of decision-making.”
The conclusion of a review into a case in NSW where two at-risk children in the care system were sent to live with a convicted murderer. The review was initiated after a woman called in to Sydney radio station 2GB about the children.

The stat: 7,904. The number of migrants who disappeared or died last year, according to the UN International Organisation for Migration. The organisation said thousands of migrants had been “stranded in border areas” without housing or medical care.

The big question:

Yesterday’s results: 46% of you feel neutral when you see a brand describe itself as “purpose-driven” or “values-led”, while 31% of you have a negative reaction. Only 23% of you have a positive reaction. [2,002 votes].

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Florida authorities have launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI after the gunman allegedly behind a university shooting used ChatGPT for advice.

In April 2025, a Florida State University (FSU) student allegedly opened fire on campus, killing two people and wounding six others.

This week, Florida’s Attorney-General James Uthmeier said: “If ChatGPT were a person, it would be facing charges for murder.”

An OpenAI spokesperson said: “ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime.”

In April 2025, then-20-year-old FSU student Phoenix Ikner allegedly opened fire near the university’s student union building.

Ikner is alleged to have killed two people and injured another six.

Police shot and injured Ikner, before finding two guns, including one belonging to Ikner’s stepmother, a Sheriff’s deputy.

Ikner’s trial has been delayed, with the case expected to be heard in October.

This week, Florida authorities determined that “a criminal investigation” into OpenAI “is necessary” as its platform, ChatGPT “offered significant advice to the shooter”.

Uthmeier said the chatbot guided the alleged shooter on when and where to commit the offence “to encounter a higher population.”

ChatGPT also “advised the shooter on what type of gun to use,” Uthmeier said.

In a statement to NBC News, OpenAI spokesperson Kate Waters called the shooting a “tragedy”, but said “ChatGPT is not responsible”.

“ChatGPT provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found broadly across... the internet.

“It did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity.”

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, the Prime Minister answers your questions.

🎥 Why is Rebel Wilson in court? Sign up to TDA Culture here to make sure the explainer is in your inbox at 5pm.

💊 Commonwealth concession card holders can access over 900 subsidised medicines on the PBS for no more than $7.70 per prescription – and that price is frozen until 2030. If you budget carefully for health care costs, that's certainty worth knowing about. Find out what's covered at Cheaper medicines.

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Health Minister Mark Butler has announced major changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The Government has repeatedly flagged concerns about the rising cost of the scheme, which was projected to cost $46.2 billion in the 2025/26 financial year.

Butler told the National Press Club on Wednesday the plans of every person on the NDIS will be re-assessed from 2028, with a view to moving 160,000 people with “lower needs” to other supports by 2030.

The NDIS provides support and services for Australians with disability.

This includes access to community services, such as doctors, and assistance for necessary support, such as vehicle modifications.

It was launched in 2013, with the intention of supporting 410,000 people. There are now more than 760,000 Australians who receive support from the NDIS.

Under 25-year-olds represent more than 60% of active NDIS participants. Around 22% of recipients are zero to eight-years-old.

The most common primary disability of NDIS recipients is autism (43%). The other most common primary disabilities are intellectual disability (13%), and developmental delay (9%).

In his speech to the National Press Club, Butler noted the widespread fraud of the NDIS by what he called “shonks and rorters”.

He said fraud-prevention efforts have failed because of “the design of the scheme itself”.

Butler reiterated the Government’s concerns about the growing cost of the NDIS, and said: “We have to make sure it’s sustainable now and for future generations.”

100%
The proportion of recipients whose plans will be re-assessed, with Butler aiming to start this process by January 2028.

Removal from the scheme will be determined based on a person’s symptoms. Those with lower needs will be moved to “other supports”.

600,000
The number of people the Government wants on the NDIS by 2030, meaning at least 160,000 people currently on the scheme will lose access.

2%
How much the Government will increase its spending on the NDIS every year until 2030. Currently, the annual rate of inflation is 3.7%.

$26,000
The average amount the Government wants to allow recipients to spend on accessing social and community participation activities each year. This figure is in line with spending in 2023.

Shadow NDIS Minister Melissa McIntosh said the Opposition wanted to help the Government reduce fraud, but raised concerns about Butler’s other proposals, including the re-assessments.

McIntosh said a woman had told her she had needed to prove to the NDIS that “she did not have legs”.

“Does this mean she has to re-prove that she no longer has legs so she can get the funding that she desperately needs?” McIntosh asked.

Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John, who uses a wheelchair, called the speech “frankly terrifying”.

Steele-John called out the cuts to social and community participation budgets.

“[These are] supports that enable disabled people to spend some time outside, in the community, sometimes an hour a week. And now those supports are on the chopping block.”

The Government will need the support of either the Coalition, the Greens, or minor parties and independents to pass some of the proposed changes.

Butler also said the Government would allocate $3 billion in funding to aged care in the upcoming Budget.

This funding is intended to cover:

5,000 extra beds in aged care facilities each year

20 new dementia care facilities

Making home supports free, such as in-home carers to help people shower and dress.

The funding will partly come from reducing the tax rebate the Government pays on private health insurance for Australians over 65, which is currently higher than the rate for younger people.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

Stagflation is back in the conversation. Here’s what it means:

“Stagflation” is one of those terms that pops up when the economy gets uncertain but it’s not always clear what it actually means.

Put simply, it’s when inflation stays high while economic growth slows and unemployment rises. 

It’s a tricky mix that’s hard to manage.

Why is it being talked about again right now, and what could it mean for the economy from here?

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University of Kent and University College London scientists analysed Madecassic acid, a natural chemical commonly found in Korean beauty products, known for its skin-soothing properties. A series of experiments and screening tests showed the ingredient (which is derived from an Asian herb) is an effective antibacterial drug. The study’s lead author Dr Mark Shepherd, said: “Plants have been a source of natural medicines for millennia, and now contemporary research approaches can reveal the mechanisms of action. This is an exciting time, and we hope to further our understanding of natural antimicrobials from plants, nature’s great chemical factories.”

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Mormon influencer, model, and mother of four Nara Smith is releasing a cookbook.

Smith rose to fame with her carefully posed cooking TikToks, where she showed the process of making toothpaste, cereal, and Coca-Cola from scratch.

A blurb for the book says it will include recipes for “everything from homemade mozzarella to… chocolate hazelnut spread".

We asked Smith what the chocolate hazelnut spread is like, but she would Nutella us.