Review to reveal $14.6bn in savings and $16.3bn for payments and programs, including pensions and childcare subsidies
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The Australian Broadcasting Corporation will receive a two-year $83m funding boost in Labor’s midyear economic update, which will bank $14.6bn of additional savings and rack up $8.8bn of “unavoidable spending”.
The update, to be delivered on Wednesday, will also reveal an increase of $16.3bn in payments and programs, with billions more spent due to pension indexation, extra childcare subsidies and school support for children with disability.
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$2.5bn in new and amended Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme listings;
$871m to extend terminating programs in the health and aged care portfolio;
$719m to address “unavoidable cost pressures” from projects in the infrastructure investment program;
$647m to extend terminating funding for the NDIS; and;
$249m to prepare and protect the nation against avian influenza.
$1.8bn in additional payments to veterans;
$3.6bn for indexation of the aged pension;
$3.1bn in additional childcare subsidy payments to assist families with the cost of childcare and support an extra 200,000 children to receive early education;
$2.6bn in additional funding flowing to schools in response to increased enrolments and additional support to students with a disability;
$2.3bn in additional support through Medicare and the PBS; and
$1.8bn in additional recovery funding for disaster-affected communities.
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