The election budget: What's in it for you?

Paul Bongiorno has covered 35 federal budgets. In this special edition of 7am, he breaks down what’s in last night’s budget for you – and how key measures like tax cuts, a record spend on Medicare, investment in women’s health and energy bill relief will shape the upcoming election.

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The end of the Gaza ceasefire

The ceasefire in Gaza collapsed a week ago as Israel launched a series of airstrikes. Since then, more than 600 people have been killed, including children, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel says the attacks were aimed at Hamas’ surviving leadership – and just a few days ago, Hamas confirmed its top political leader is dead.

As the war reignites, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing his own political survival.

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‘The gangsters have gone f*cking nowhere’: The failed clean up of the CFMEU

When footage of a CFMEU “health inspector” assaulting a woman was made public last week, it shocked a lot of people. But many union members weren’t surprised. It’s been six months since the CFMEU, one of Australia’s most powerful unions, was put under federal administration.

Now, the lawyer tasked with investigating corruption within the union is openly saying not only has it not improved – it’s worse than he could have imagined.

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‘If I was on the Labor side of politics, I'd be worried’

Pollster Kos Samaras spends hundreds of hours gathering the opinions of everyday Australians to paint a picture of the national mood.

But he says this picture gets warped by politicians who live and die by the two-party preferred poll numbers and the 24-hour news cycle.

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China, Australia and the warships off our coast

Over the past month, a flotilla of Chinese military ships came close to Australian shores unannounced. They conducted live-fire drills and disrupted dozens of flights out of Sydney airport.

The ships have arrived at a time when Australia’s ability to rely on the United States for defence is questionable, and their presence raises concerns that we’re unable to handle our own security in the event of an attack.

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The Catholic Church’s legal loophole for abuse

Are Catholic priests employed by the Church, or by the hand of God? This question was at the heart of a five-year legal battle between a survivor of child sexual abuse and Bishop Paul Bird of the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat. The High Court’s decision – that the Catholic Church does not employ priests and therefore is not liable – came as a surprise to lawyers and survivors alike.

Today, lawyer and advocate, Judy Courtin, on the far-reaching consequences of this ruling – and how the courts continue to fail victim-survivors.

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‘Frankly terrifying’: Albanese’s secret climate report

In December last year, a group of crossbenchers dialled into a secret call with the Albanese government for a briefing on a “frankly terrifying” Climate Risk Assessment report that has remained unpublished since early 2023. The report details national security threats posed by climate change and, with a federal election looming, crossbenchers warn it’s “recklessly negligent” to keep its findings hidden.

Today, Karen Barlow on why the government is keeping national security threats a secret.

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Peter Dutton and the caravan of explosives

The discovery of an abandoned caravan full of explosives on the outskirts of Sydney earlier this year triggered widespread panic and fear. There were reports of a list of Jewish targets – and right away, NSW Premier Chris Minns called it terrorism, while Peter Dutton blamed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

But all the while, police were warning the whole thing could be a hoax. Today, what happens when a criminal con job becomes a political football.

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