Treasurer pitches his budget to families
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Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will present another round of personal income tax cuts and the first surplus in more than a decade when he hands down the federal budget on Tuesday night.
Low and middle-income workers earning up to $90,000 a year will be given an annual boost of around $1000, on top of tax breaks they received last year.
"Average families can expect out of this budget that their cost-of-living pressures will be eased, that there will be more money in their pocket," Mr Frydenberg told reporters in Canberra.
"The coalition believes that every Australian should earn more, and that every Australian should keep more of what they earn, and that will be reflected in this budget tonight."
The government wants its tax cuts legislated this week, before parliament is dissolved ahead of the federal election next month.
The budget comes just days out from Prime Minister Scott Morrison calling a federal election for May 11 or 18.
Magpies to challenge Cox's AFL suspension
Collingwood's bid to clear Mason Cox at the AFL tribunal might not be as clear- cut as pundits think.
As expected, the Magpies have challenged Cox's one-game ban for rough conduct against Richmond defender Dylan Grimes.
The report from Thursday night's game prompted fierce commentary across the weekend, with a widespread belief that Grimes ran into Cox.
Arsenal beat Newcastle to go third in EPL
Aaron Ramsey's parting gift to Arsenal might just be helping them back into the Champions League.
Ramsey scored in the 30th minute, setting Arsenal on their way to a 2-0 home win over Newcastle United that lifted them above Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United and into third place in the Premier League.
Alexandre Lacazette added the second goal in the 83rd minute in a dominant performance as the Gunners won for the 10th-straight league game at Emirates Stadium.
Ramsey is leaving Arsenal after 11 years to join Juventus on a free transfer in July.
LeBron takes time off from Team USA
LeBron James has confirmed he will not join Team USA for the World Cup in China, in effect ruling himself out of the two-game series against the Boomers in Melbourne.
Australia and Team USA are scheduled to clash at Marvel Stadium on August 22 and 24 as they finalise preparations for the World Cup, which commences on August 31.
James, however, has not ruled out competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Education union takes fight to parliament
Education union officials are taking their fight for more public school funding to Parliament House, flanked by some high profile supporters.
Labor leader Bill Shorten, his deputy Tanya Plibersek, and Greens leader Richard Di Natale are due to join Australian Education Union campaigners in Canberra on Tuesday morning.
The union has been highly critical of the federal government's public school funding arrangements, saying the coalition's plans will leave 99 per cent of institutions below the national resource standard.
The demonstration comes just hours before Treasurer Josh Frydenberg hands down the federal budget.
Labor is promising a $14 billion boost to public schools if it wins the federal election next month, with the Greens also throwing their support behind the union's national campaign.
Sri Lanka captain apologises for arrest
Sri Lanka's test captain Dimuth Karunaratne has apologised for his actions in a drink-driving accident that injured one person in Colombo and led to the cricketer's arrest on Sunday.
The injured driver was later discharged and Karunaratne was released on bail, with Sri Lanka Cricket stating they would conduct their own inquiry into the incident.
"I firstly need to apologise to the owner of the other vehicle who had a few very minor injuries and was absolutely decent in his manner to very amicably sort out the matter directly with me," Karunaratne said in a statement on Monday.
Today's news focus
On today's agenda, reporters will be doing a weekend on Flagstaff Hill, the V/Line ceo is going to be in Warrnambool for a chat and we'll cover the launch of the Bethany Film Festival at the Lighthouse Theatre.
Everton probe alleged Pickford incident
Everton say they are investigating after video footage allegedly showing England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford involved in a street fight was widely shared online.
The English Premier League club said in a brief statement on Monday that they are "looking into the matter" after being made aware of the alleged incident "involving one of our players."
According to reports, the incident took place Sunday in Pickford's home city of Sunderland, where the goalkeeper, 25, spent the day after playing in Everton's 2-0 win over West Ham on Saturday.
One video allegedly shows Pickford drinking in a bar. Another is said to show a man, believed to be Pickford, being dragged away as fighting breaks out.
Pickford was England's first-choice goalkeeper during the World Cup in July.
Council votes against rehab centre
Picken pulls the pin
No 'revenue spikes' for budget: minister
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has dismissed the suggestion that his government has cash to splash on Australians in the federal budget because of a lucky windfall.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's first budget on Tuesday is expected to include fresh tax relief and a range of other sweeteners as well as a significant reduction in debt, with a federal election only weeks away.
Liberal senator wants to increase Newstart
Liberal senator Arthur Sinodinos has broken government ranks to call for an increase to the Newstart allowance.
Senator Sinodinos said the jobless allowance, which has been going backwards in real terms for 25 years, should be higher.
"That's probably a slightly radical thing for me to say here," he told the ABC's Q&A program on Monday night.
"I'm putting a personal view, I'm not necessarily talking on behalf of the government here. But my observation is that this does raise an issue that should be considered at some stage."
Harry Potter books burned at Polish parish
Priests at a Catholic parish in northern Poland have drawn criticism after they burned books, including from the Harry Potter series, and other items that their owners said had evil forces.
Images from the burning at Gdansk's Mother of Church parish on Sunday were posted on Facebook by Catholic foundation SMS z Nieba (SMS from Heaven,) which uses unconventional means to carry out its religious work.
In the pictures, flames are seen consuming an African wooden mask, a small Buddhist figure, figurines of elephants and books on personality and magic, as well as those by JK Rowling.
They were all brought in by parishioners, who were encouraged by the priests to clear their homes of objects that had evil forces. Influential in Poland, the Catholic Church objects to Harry Potter books, which are international bestsellers, saying they promote sorcery.
Jury selection in Justine Damond trial
Jury selection has begun in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed Australian woman after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home.
Mohamed Noor, 33, is charged in the July 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond in a case that drew international attention, cost the police chief her job and forced major revisions to the Police Department's policy on body cameras.
Prosecutors charged Noor with second-degree intentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, saying there is no evidence Noor faced a threat that justified deadly force.
They must prove he acted unreasonably when he shot Ms Damond, a 40-year-old life coach with both US and Australian citizenship who was engaged to be married.
Noor's lawyers plan to argue that he used reasonable force and acted in self- defence.
Sunny across the south-west
Today across the south-west will be mostly sunny, with light winds and no chance of rain.
At 7am it was 7.9 degrees in Warrnambool and felt like a cool 4.3, but I'm tipping it was warmer than Canada.
Warrnambool is expecting a top of 23 degrees today, Hamilton 24, Colac 23, Ararat 24, Casterton 26, Mortlake 25, Heywood 24, Portland 23, Port Fairy 22, Terang 24 and Camperdown 23.
A high pressure system will move over the Tasman Sea on Tuesday as a weak cold front crosses waters south of the Bight.
The tail end of the front will clip southern Victoria Wednesday afternoon, then another high will rapidly cross the Southern Ocean and be located just west of Tasmania by Wednesday night.
This high will move over the southern Tasman Sea on Thursday.
An intense low pressure system is expected to cross the Southern Ocean on Friday with an associated cold front forecast to enter western Victoria late in the day.
On Wednesday Warrnambool is expecting 20 degrees, Thursday 24, Friday 28, Saturday just 18 for the big Nirranda versus Old Collegians clash, Sunday 21 and Monday 19.
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