Australia’s multicultural communities are tired of being dehumanised as politicians are accused of using migrants for their own ends.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor on Tuesday unveiled a plan to boot migrants from the country if they do not exhibit enough belief in “Australian values”, shut the door on some asylum seekers and screen the social media of visa applicants.

It is seen as attempt to claw back ground from Pauline Hanson’s conservative One Nation party, which has hoovered up swathes of disillusioned former Liberals and Nationals voters in the aftermath of the coalition’s worst-ever election defeat.

But the plan has been widely panned by human rights groups, Labor and communities the coalition once attempted to court.

The opposition has previously tried to repair relations with the Chinese-Australian community, with Liberal senator Jane Hume issuing an apology after she said “Chinese spies” were volunteering for Labor in a clip that went viral on WeChat.

However, Mr Taylor’s latest speech has only added to the diaspora’s concerns.

“I feel like nothing has changed since the last election,” Chinese Community Council of Australia’s Victorian chapter committee member Eric Yan Ma told AAP.

The policy also emboldens Nazis and white supremacists, and paves the way for hate against diverse communities, Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman warned.

“Whenever migrants are singled out, dehumanised or blamed, it gives permission for racism towards those people,” he told AAP.

“Often the only signal as to whether someone is a migrant is the colour of their skin or their accent or their name, so it taps into a deep undercurrent of racism that is still very much flowing in this country.”

While Labor has condemned Mr Taylor’s speech as “desperate dog-whistling”, the party has played a part in scapegoating immigrants, the commissioner said.

The federal government in March barred thousands of Iranian visa holders from entering the country while their homeland is under attack from the US and Israel, months after passing laws that make it easier to deport immigration detainees.

Migrants also find it hard to feel seen by Labor, with Mr Ma noting SA Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas said “who’s going to feed you and bathe you and wipe your bum when you’re 90?” when asked how he could “win the day on immigration”.

“It is disheartening to see that one side of politics portrays us as a liability and the other side only see the utility of us,” Mr Ma said.

“How about just see us as humans?”

The coalition in September lost favour with Australia’s Indian diaspora when Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price insinuated Labor was bringing in more Indian migrants to bolster its vote.

Though United Indian Associations president John Kennedy backed its proposal for a stricter screening process, he urged the coalition to have compassion and not single out particular communities.

One of the world’s richest men will welcome Anthony Albanese to the gold-studded royal palace of Brunei Darussalam, with the prime minister seeking to leverage Australia’s food exports in a bid to shore up long-term fuel supplies.

Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, currently the world’s longest-serving head of state, is expected to discuss the oil crisis driven by the war in the Middle East with Mr Albanese, during the pair’s official talks on Wednesday.

While Brunei is a smaller fuel producer than other countries in the region such as Singapore and Malaysia, Australia still imports nine per cent of its diesel, 11 per cent of its crude oil and 11 per cent of its fertiliser-grade urea from the tiny sultanate.

Australia is also a large provider of food to Brunei, having supplied around three quarters of its meat imports in 2024.

Mr Albanese’s approach of focusing on what Australia brings to the table echoes his negotiations with other Southeast Asian nations including Singapore, where he has sought priority access to fuel supplies by guaranteeing shipments of critical goods like liquified natural gas.

Alongside Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the prime minister will also tour Brunei Fertilizer Industries, meeting with chief executive Harri Kiiski as part of the government’s push to secure long-term fertiliser stocks which have also been impacted by interruption of trade through the Middle East.

Mr Albanese touched down in Brunei on Tuesday afternoon and laid a wreath at a memorial to Australian soldiers who helped liberate much of the nation, along with then-British Borneo, from Japanese forces during World War II.

For Senator Wong the visit is also sentimental: during her childhood the Malaysian-born politician lived in Borneo and visited the memorial.

The pair’s visit is front-page news in the local newspapers, with the English language daily Borneo Bulletin reporting on a visit to “strengthen energy and supply chain ties”.

Mr Albanese said it was a great honour to visit the country and meet the sultan, who lives in the world’s largest residential palace which includes a private zoo, reportedly containing Bengal tigers, and has ruled the strict Muslim monarchy since 1967.

His majesty’s extraordinary net worth, reported to run into the tens of billions of dollars, is largely derived from Brunei’s petroleum industry.

“I’m very much looking forward to meeting with His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei, and having the opportunity to reinforce what is a very constructive and positive relationship between our two nations,” Mr Albanese told reporters during brief remarks at the Muara Beach Memorial.

The International Monetary Fund has cut its growth outlook due to Iran war-driven energy price spikes and supply disruptions and warned that the global economy would teeter on ‌the brink of recession if the conflict worsens and oil stays above $US100 per barrel through 2027.

With massive uncertainty over the Middle East conflict gripping finance officials gathering for IMF and World Bank northern hemisphere spring meetings in Washington DC, the IMF presented three growth scenarios: weaker, worse and severe – depending on how the ‌war unfolds.

The World Economic Outlook’s most optimistic “reference scenario” assumes a short-lived Iran war and forecasts 3.1 per cent real GDP growth for 2026, down 0.2 percentage point from its previous forecast in January. 

Under this scenario, oil prices average $US82 per barrel for all of 2026, a decline from recent levels of about $US100 for the Brent benchmark futures ‌price.

Absent the Middle East conflict, the IMF said it would have upgraded its growth outlook by 0.1 percentage point to 3.4 per cent, due to a continued technology investment boom, lower interest rates, less-severe US tariffs and fiscal support in some countries.

But the war has created a far bigger risk to the global economy than US President Donald Trump’s initial wave of steep tariffs did a year ago, IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas told Reuters in an interview.

“What’s happening in the Gulf is potentially much, much larger, and that’s what our scenarios are kind of documenting,” he said.

Under an “adverse scenario” of a longer conflict that keeps oil prices at about $US100 per barrel this year and $US75 in 2027, the IMF predicts global GDP growth would fall to 2.5 per cent this year.

The IMF in January had forecast that oil would decline to about $US62 in 2026.

And the IMF’s worst-case “severe scenario” assumes an extended and deepening conflict and much higher oil ‌prices that prompt major financial market dislocations ‌and tighter financial conditions, slashing global growth to ⁠two per cent.

“This would mean a close call for a global recession,” the IMF said, adding that growth has been below that level only four times since 1980 – with the last two severe ​recessions in 2009, following the financial crisis, and in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic raged.

Gourinchas said that a number of countries would be in outright recessions under this scenario, with oil prices averaging $US110 per barrel in 2026 and $125 in 2027.

Prices at this level for an extended time would also increase expectations “that inflation is here to stay,” prompting wider price increases and wage hike demands.

“That change in inflation expectations is going to require central banks to step on the brakes and try to bring inflation back down,” he said, adding that this may require more pain than in 2022.

The IMF said, however, that central banks may be able to “look through” a short-lived energy price surge and hold rates steady amid weaker activity, which would be a de facto monetary easing, but only if inflation expectations remain anchored.

Global inflation for 2026 would top six per cent in the severe scenario, compared to 4.4 per cent in the most-optimistic reference scenario, ⁠which is the assumption for the IMF’s country and regional growth forecasts.

The IMF said that governments will be tempted to implement fiscal measures to ease the pain of higher energy prices including price caps, fuel subsidies or tax cuts but cautioned against these urges amid still-elevated budget deficits and rising public debt.

Gourinchas ​said it was “perfectly legitimate” to want to protect the most vulnerable but subsidies ⁠in one country could lead to fuel shortages in others that cannot afford them.

Exceptionally tight rental markets are pushing prices up ever faster and adding to cost-of-living pressures while taking up a record share of workers’ incomes.

Rents climbed 2.1 per cent over the three months to March, housing data group Cotality revealed in its quarterly rental review on Wednesday.

The pace of rental increases has quickened in recent months.

Rents grew by 1.2 per cent in the last three months of 2025 and 0.9 per cent the quarter before that.

Cotality head of research Gerard Burg said rental affordability had deteriorated sharply, with five years of sustained growth adding $202 to the typical household’s weekly rent.

Households were now committing a record 33.1 per cent of their gross median income to rent, up from 26.2 per cent in September 2020.

“Rent growth had moderated through much of 2024 and into mid-2025, but there’s been a lack of supply to meet the demand, which is placing immense pressure on the rental market,” Mr Burg said.

“Until supply catches up meaningfully with demand, rental growth is likely to stay elevated.”

Vacancy rates have fallen from already-low levels over the past 12 months.

Nationally, there are just 1.6 vacant dwellings per 100 rentals, but some capitals are much tighter.

In Adelaide, which recorded a 2.2 per cent rise in rents in the quarter, vacancy rates are at one per cent.

Perth experienced the fastest growth in rents – three per cent over the quarter – and the second-lowest vacancy rate of 1.2 per cent.

“There is little in the current data to suggest conditions are improving,” Mr Burg said.

“When vacancy rates fall to 1.5 per cent or less it leaves renters with very little negotiating power and fewer options. It means renters have to consider alternate options such as share houses, moving to a new area or back in with family.”

Without a significant increase in rental supply, there is unlikely to be any material easing in affordability, he added.

Rising rental costs heap pressure on households already facing higher inflation driven by the Middle East conflict.

The supply shock from the war is also undermining efforts to tackle the undersupply of housing, pushing up the cost of building a home by as much as 10 per cent, according to Westpac, and threatening project feasibility.

NAB’s head of Australian economics Gareth Spence said insolvencies for construction firms were already elevated heading into the crisis.

“Price levels for things like construction inputs, they’re 30 per cent higher than they were pre-pandemic, and we know that there will be some upward pressure on that going forward,” he told AAP.

Sydney remained the most expensive capital city, with a median rent of $824 per week, compared to the median Melbourne rental at $632 a week.

Australia is projected to have one of the highest inflation rates in the developed world as the Middle East conflict threatens a global recession, according to a dire scenario forecast by the International Monetary Fund.

In the latest update to its World Economic Outlook, released late on Tuesday AEST, the global lender of last resort said the world economy was in for more pain without a speedy resolution to the conflict.

The IMF revised its economic growth projections for Australia slightly down from January.

The national GDP growth rate is expected to come in at two per cent in 2026, down from 2.1 per cent, and 1.7 for 2027, from 2.2 per cent.

But Australia’s inflation outlook was revised significantly higher, with consumer price growth of four per cent in 2026 exceeding most advanced economies, including the US, the UK and New Zealand.

The IMF had been preparing to revise its growth forecasts upwards before the war.

But the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on oil and gas facilities halted the positive momentum and raised the prospect of a major energy crisis should hostilities continue, IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said.

Under a severe scenario, in which an extended conflict results in more damage to energy infrastructure, global growth would fall to two per cent in 2026 and perilously close to a global recession.

“What should we avoid?” Mr Gourinchas said.

First and foremost, governments should refrain from wasteful and untargeted fiscal measures such as energy caps or subsidies, designed to ease cost pressures for households and businesses.

“While such measures are popular, evidence suggests they are often both poorly designed and very costly for the public purse,” he said.

“Moreover, avoiding fiscal stimulus at a time of rising inflation is another critical component so as not to complicate the task of central banks.”

Economists have warned the Albanese government’s cuts to the fuel excise would keep inflation higher for longer and would diminish price signals encouraging Australians to preserve fuel by driving less, catching public transport or riding a bike, for example.

“Preserving price signals is important: high prices signal scarcity, encouraging demand restraint and supply expansion,” Mr Gourinchas said.

He urged central banks to look through the surge in energy prices, as long as inflation expectations remained well anchored and monetary policy settings were already calibrated.

On inflation expectations, RBA deputy governor Andrew Hauser noted in a speaking event in New York on Tuesday that inflation expectations were picking up in the short term, but remained anchored long term.

However, he admitted he was not confident rates were at the right level.

Looking beyond the conflict, the AI revolution promised hope of higher economic growth, productivity and ultimately living standards, but the scars of war would be long-lasting, the IMF said.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will head to Washington, DC, on Wednesday to discuss the economic maelstrom with international counterparts, including UK counterpart Rachel Reeves and Chinese Finance Minister Lan Foan, at the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings.

The report showed it was “a dangerous moment for the global economy”, Dr Chalmers said.

“We’re weighing all of this extreme uncertainty as we prepare a budget focused on resilience and reform.”

Australia is projected to have one of the highest inflation rates in the developed world as the Middle East conflict threatens a global recession, according to a dire scenario forecast by the International Monetary Fund.

In the latest update to its World Economic Outlook, released late on Tuesday AEST, the global lender of last resort said the world economy was in for more pain without a speedy resolution to the conflict.

The IMF revised its economic growth projections for Australia slightly down from January.

The national GDP growth rate is expected to come in at two per cent in 2026, down from 2.1 per cent, and 1.7 for 2027, from 2.2 per cent.

But Australia’s inflation outlook was revised significantly higher, with consumer price growth of four per cent in 2026 exceeding most advanced economies, including the US, the UK and New Zealand.

The IMF had been preparing to revise its growth forecasts upwards before the war.

But the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on oil and gas facilities halted the positive momentum and raised the prospect of a major energy crisis should hostilities continue, IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said.

Under a severe scenario, in which an extended conflict results in more damage to energy infrastructure, global growth would fall to two per cent in 2026 and perilously close to a global recession.

“What should we avoid?” Mr Gourinchas said.

First and foremost, governments should refrain from wasteful and untargeted fiscal measures such as energy caps or subsidies, designed to ease cost pressures for households and businesses.

“While such measures are popular, evidence suggests they are often both poorly designed and very costly for the public purse,” he said.

“Moreover, avoiding fiscal stimulus at a time of rising inflation is another critical component so as not to complicate the task of central banks.”

Economists have warned the Albanese government’s cuts to the fuel excise would keep inflation higher for longer and would diminish price signals encouraging Australians to preserve fuel by driving less, catching public transport or riding a bike, for example.

“Preserving price signals is important: high prices signal scarcity, encouraging demand restraint and supply expansion,” Mr Gourinchas said.

He urged central banks to look through the surge in energy prices, as long as inflation expectations remained well anchored and monetary policy settings were already calibrated.

On inflation expectations, RBA deputy governor Andrew Hauser noted in a speaking event in New York on Tuesday that inflation expectations were picking up in the short term, but remained anchored long term.

However, he admitted he was not confident rates were at the right level.

Looking beyond the conflict, the AI revolution promised hope of higher economic growth, productivity and ultimately living standards, but the scars of war would be long-lasting, the IMF said.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will head to Washington, DC, on Wednesday to discuss the economic maelstrom with international counterparts, including UK counterpart Rachel Reeves and Chinese Finance Minister Lan Foan, at the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings.

The report showed it was “a dangerous moment for the global economy”, Dr Chalmers said.

“We’re weighing all of this extreme uncertainty as we prepare a budget focused on resilience and reform.”

A visit seemingly fit for royalty is set to serve as a commercial experiment for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as their Australian tour enters its second day.

Prince Harry and Meghan have another busy day planned on Wednesday, meeting charity representatives at the headquarters of AFL team the Western Bulldogs in Melbourne before Harry flies to Canberra for events at the Australian War Memorial.

The four-day visit could be mistaken for an official royal tour with its charitable appearances, hospital visits, and fanfare, although the pair are no longer working royals and are visiting in a private capacity.

The visit is not unusual, according to University of Sydney history professor and monarchy expert Cindy McCreery, who told AAP it was likely for marketing purposes.

“The fact they have chosen Australia as the place to do this activity, it does reflect that way that Australia could add to their brand,” Dr McCreery said.

“We also need to be aware that their options are somewhat limited, they could not do this trip in Britain. That absolutely would not be supported.

“Australia’s an experiment and it will be interesting to see whether this leads to future visits to other countries, with the same kind of combination of charitable and commercial activities.”

The visit marks the couple’s first since 2018, when they spent nine days travelling across Australia.

Excited crowds gathered to greet the pair on Tuesday, meeting families and youngsters packed inside the foyer at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital.

After the hospital, the duke and duchess toured a centre delivering support to women and children experiencing family violence and homelessness, before visiting the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum.

Harry will return to Melbourne on Wednesday night before joining Meghan for the Scar Tree Walk, a cultural journey connecting traditional and contemporary Aboriginal cultures. 

Commitments will then move toward a more commercial focus, with Harry due to deliver a keynote speech at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit in Melbourne where tickets range from about $1000 to $2400.

The pair will fly to Sydney on Thursday, where Meghan will headline an exclusive three-day women’s retreat pitched as a “girls weekend like no other” with tickets starting at $2699.

The Duke and Duchess will end their trip in Sydney where they will sail around the harbour and attend a rugby match.

A visit seemingly fit for royalty is set to serve as a commercial experiment for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as their Australian tour enters its second day.

Prince Harry and Meghan have another busy day planned on Wednesday, meeting charity representatives at the headquarters of AFL team the Western Bulldogs in Melbourne before Harry flies to Canberra for events at the Australian War Memorial.

The four-day visit could be mistaken for an official royal tour with its charitable appearances, hospital visits, and fanfare, although the pair are no longer working royals and are visiting in a private capacity.

The visit is not unusual, according to University of Sydney history professor and monarchy expert Cindy McCreery, who told AAP it was likely for marketing purposes.

“The fact they have chosen Australia as the place to do this activity, it does reflect that way that Australia could add to their brand,” Dr McCreery said.

“We also need to be aware that their options are somewhat limited, they could not do this trip in Britain. That absolutely would not be supported.

“Australia’s an experiment and it will be interesting to see whether this leads to future visits to other countries, with the same kind of combination of charitable and commercial activities.”

The visit marks the couple’s first since 2018, when they spent nine days travelling across Australia.

Excited crowds gathered to greet the pair on Tuesday, meeting families and youngsters packed inside the foyer at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital.

After the hospital, the duke and duchess toured a centre delivering support to women and children experiencing family violence and homelessness, before visiting the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum.

Harry will return to Melbourne on Wednesday night before joining Meghan for the Scar Tree Walk, a cultural journey connecting traditional and contemporary Aboriginal cultures. 

Commitments will then move toward a more commercial focus, with Harry due to deliver a keynote speech at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit in Melbourne where tickets range from about $1000 to $2400.

The pair will fly to Sydney on Thursday, where Meghan will headline an exclusive three-day women’s retreat pitched as a “girls weekend like no other” with tickets starting at $2699.

The Duke and Duchess will end their trip in Sydney where they will sail around the harbour and attend a rugby match.

An Irish junior minister has resigned in protest over the government’s response to a wave ‌of public demonstration against surging fuel prices last week and says he will ‌join the opposition in voting no-confidence in the coalition.

The government ‌is still expected to survive the confidence motion the opposition put down after protesters blockaded oil infrastructure and left about a third of Ireland’s petrol stations without fuel.

The disruption ended on Monday.

However, the resignation of ‌Michael Healy-Rae during ‌the debate ⁠came as an unexpected blow to the government.

​Healy-Rae is one of a number of independent MPs whose support the centre-right-led coalition relies on for its majority.

“The leader of the country should have listened and because of the fact that I believe this government ⁠has let the people of Ireland ‌down, ​I will be voting no confidence in the leader of the country ​and I ‌will be tendering my resignation as a Minister of State from ​now,” Healy-Rae told parliament.

He added that his constituents in rural county Kerry did not want to see him “or any Healy-Rae” ​back the government.

That suggested ​his brother and fellow independent MP, ‌Danny, would also withdraw his support, further cutting the government’s majority.

In a bid to ease the discontent, the government announced 500 million euros ($A821 million) worth of spending increases and tax cuts to soften the effect ​on consumers and businesses on Sunday.

That was on top of ​a 250 million ⁠euro package introduced three weeks ago.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the government had acted to end the “destructive blockade” and that tax cuts they offered were the largest in Europe to cope with fuel prices that have soared after the US-Israel war on Iran led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital channel for the world’s oil.

“The basic core claim that we are doing nothing and are falling behind other countries is simply untrue,” Martin said.

Martin led a motion to support his coalition made up of the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael parties along with some independents ahead of a no-confidence vote brought by Sinn Fein, the largest opposition party.

If Martin’s motion passes, it would make the no-confidence motion moot.

But if it fails, it would have the effect of a no-confidence vote and force his government to resign, leading parliament to pick a new prime minister or trigger a general election.

Protests in Ireland began last Tuesday with slow-moving convoys clogging roadways.

They grew as word spread on social media as truckers, farmers and taxi and bus operators blocked key infrastructure and the main thoroughfare in the capital Dublin.

Demonstrators called for price caps or tax cuts to alleviate soaring fuel costs they said will drive people out of business.

Martin said the government can learn from the protests but defended the response by police and military to clear roadblocks at the country’s sole oil refinery at Whitegate in County Cork and at several depots.

with AP

Walt Disney’s new chief executive Josh D’Amaro has announced lay-offs in an ‌email to employees as he looks to streamline the company’s operations.

About 1000 ‌positions will be eliminated, according to a person familiar with the development.

The cuts will fall on the marketing group, which was reorganised in January, and other parts of the company, including its studio and television business, ‌ESPN, products ‌and technology and ⁠certain corporate functions, according to the source.

Disney began ​notifying employees this week.

“Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs,” D’Amaro wrote in an email seen by Reuters.

“As ⁠a result, we will be eliminating roles ‌in ​some parts of the company.”

Like other Hollywood studios, Disney is adjusting ​to new economic ‌realities including a declining television business, shrinking box office and heightened ​competition.

Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Skydance have also undergone lay-offs.

The last significant round of lay-offs at Disney came in 2023 when the ​company ​said it would cut ​7000 jobs as part of an effort ‌to save $US5.5 billion ($A7.7 billion) in costs.

At the time, Disney was under pressure from activist investor Nelson Peltz to improve its financial performance and stem losses at its streaming business.

Disney said it had employed approximately 231,000 people ​as of September, the end of its fiscal year.