KEY POINTS:
- Labor has handed down its second budget.
- People are deciding to retire later.
- The budget also provides insights into Australia's birth rate.
The headlines are in: a budget surplus, a slight boost to JobSeeker, and easier trips to the doctor.
But budget papers will always contain the quirky, the serious, and the things the government's not keen to broadcast.
This year there's insights into Australia's birth rate, implications for school trips to Questacon, and footing the bill for a WorldPride event.
Here are the things you missed on Tuesday night.
Australia's population to take a serious dent
People are returning faster than expected after COVID-19, but Australia's population is still set to be 750,000 lower in 2031 than predicted before the pandemic.
The budget papers say that's because Australians are having fewer babies than initially estimated before the pandemic.
People are retiring later
We've got an ageing population, but the cost of supporting seniors is set to decline.
The decrease is nearly $700 million in the next 12 months, and $1.6 billion over the four years after that.
The budget papers say that's largely due to "some Australians approaching retirement age choosing to delay their retirement".
Mr Chalmers insisted variations are to be expected, but asked whether difficult economic conditions are forcing people to work longer, he told SBS News: "[The budget] doesn't go into that kind of detail".
Dodgy migration agents in the firing line
There's a crackdown on corrupt migration agents, years after the Department of Home Affairs warned they posed a "high risk" threat to the migration system.
Agents have reportedly targeted prospective migrants with fake application bonds, created fake jobs, or simply taken money without performing their work.
The fit and proper person test for accreditation will be strengthened, costing the budget $164.8 million over four years.
Will Australia return to Afghanistan?
Australia looks set to stay away from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan for the foreseeable future.
The country's embassy slammed shut in May 2021, ahead of the hardline Islamist group sweeping to power in August that year.
Representatives of the Taliban in Russia in July 2021. Source: SIPA USA / Sipa USA Kommersant
And there's no sign of a return. More than $2 million in annual funding is still allocated for its interim site in Doha.
"We're dealing with the circumstances which are there right now. And quite clearly, the assessment that we've made is that it isn't possible to [return] right now. But we'll continue to monitor those issues as as we always do," Mr Albanese told SBS News.
Politicians to get more staff?
Every parliamentarian will get "additional frontline electorate staff resources".
The money equates to nearly $40 million per year, or roughly $175,000 for each MP and senator's office.
That could fund another staffer for crossbenchers, who have been complaining about being spread too thin.
Questacon school trips continue!
A key primary school trip for thousands of students - Canberra's Questacon - is set for a major boost.
The science museum will rake in nearly $60 million over four years, and $15.2 million annually after that.
WorldPride gets federal funding
A WorldPride march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, attended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in March, received a $900,000 Commonwealth boost.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese marches across the Sydney Harbour Bridge for equality as part of the 2023 WorldPride festival in Sydney in March. Source: AAP / Steven Saphore
Fake news fight
There's nearly $8 million over four years to combat misinformation and fake news on major social media platforms, via the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
That money starts rolling out in time for the Voice to Parliament referendum campaign later this year.
A new slavery tsar
Setting up a new anti-slavery commissioner will be funded to the tune of $2 million each year.
The commissioner will work across departments and industry to crack down on modern-day slavery - including human trafficking, forced labour and forced marriage.
