The Ministry of Health apologises for confusion over office’s future.

Former Treasury Secretary Ken Henry has backed an urgent overhaul of the HECS system, saying it is worsening the inequality gap between younger Australians and older generations.

In an interview with 9News, Dr Henry has urged young Australians to demand change, saying soaring HECS debt was one of many "unfair" aspects of the economy and the tax system.

He said young Australians were being priced out of the housing market while also being expected to pay more in tax and student debt, on top of picking up the tab for the costs of climate change.

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"There's unfairness affecting young people almost wherever you look," Dr Henry said.

"And so the fact young people are burdened with HECS debt on top of all the other things that I've already mentioned – that is demonstrably unfair."

HECS debts were indexed by 7.1 per cent in June last year, meaning many Australians paid more than their mandated repayments due to interest.

According to the Australian Tax Office, three million Australians owe $74.4 billion in HECS, with an average debt of $24,700.

HECS debt grew by a whopping $5.3 billion on June 1, 2023.

When asked if he believed indexation of HECS should be adjusted, Dr Henry told 9News: "We have to do something, right. I think the whole system needs changing."

"When the HECS system was introduced (in 1989), it didn't appear too bad because other things were working properly," he said.

"When it was introduced, young people could look forward to a standard of living higher than that enjoyed by their parents, much higher than grandparents. They can't any longer."

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Expectant mother Isabella Clark has been struggling to get on top of her payments since she finished her university degree in 2014.

"It went up to $90,000 last year which is a massive jump from the $61,000 I originally started with," she said.

The 31-year-old from Wombarra in New South Wales is concerned that figure will continue rising, when she's on maternity leave.

"I put off having kids for a while because I was worried about this massive debt – it really affected my borrowing power," Clark said.

"Having something that goes up every single year that you can't do anything about even though you're constantly paying it off is just so stressful."

Financial Advisor Vince Scully says a big HECS debt diminishes purchasing power and said people should adjust their expectations when buying a home.

"On a $90,000 income a single person could borrow about $466,000 with no HECS and that would drop to $415,00 with HECS."

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Independent MP Monique Ryan is leading calls to change the way indexation is measured.

Her petition – which launched last month – has already garnered more than 236,000 signatures.

"It's a significant issue," Ryan said.

"It's an urgent issue and it's something the government really needs to take action on in the May budget."

When asked by 9News the treasurer confirmed the Federal Government is currently considering all of the recommendations made by the Universities Accord.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers acknowledged the HECS system is "not perfect".

"If we can afford to do more to help more students into university and TAFE, obviously that's something we're prepared to consider," Chalmers said.

Dr Henry, who in 2009 oversaw a review of the tax system for the Rudd Government, said intergenerational inequities meant the need for tax reform was ever urgent.

"A smaller proportion of the population – that's young workers – are having to shoulder an increase in government spending that is occurring quite rapidly," Dr Henry said.

He said young Australians were shouldering that tax burden through "bracket creep", where real income does not increase because more of their income is swallowed up by personal income tax.

"These are the same people who have had no increase in real wages on average in the past decade," Dr Henry said.

"They've been priced out of the housing market and this is the same generation who is going to have to pick up the urgent costs of dealing with climate change. These tasks are inescapable."

Dr Henry said incremental tax reform was not enough.

"100,000 years of incremental reform would not get us to where we need to be in five years – that's how much time we've got, five years. So we're going to get some very big things."

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The search for a 79-year-old Auckland woman in the Pureora Forest near Taupo is suspended.

Motorists are advised to expect delays and use an alternative route where possible.

The victim was flown to Palmerston North Regional Hospital.

A man's body has been found in waters near Penrith this morning, after major flooding hit Sydney overnight.

Police were called to King Street at about 7.45am this morning, after a member of the public located a man's body in water near a reserve.

A crime scene has been established, with police yet to formally identify the man.

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Police are investigating the circumstances of his death.

A report will be prepared for the coroner's office.

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It’s the second serious motorcycle crash in the region in 24 hours.

A Queensland family's cat narrowly escaped becoming a meal for a carpet python.

The entire terrifying ordeal was captured on CCTV in the backyard of a Sunshine Coast home.

Dan Rumsey from the Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers said the cat received no significant injuries, but was "very shaken up".

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The dramatic footage shows a cat sitting in a back yard, with the snake wrapped around it.

A woman approaches, attempting to free the pet cat.

Suddenly, the cat attempts to run inside, with the snake still attached and trailing as it ran inside the house.

Screams erupt from the family as the cat is eventually freed from the python.

"We just want the best for the family. And of course, their beloved cat", Dan Rumsey said on TODAY after the dramatic incident.

"The snake wasn't harmed in any way", he said.

The snake was later released by the snake catchers.

Rumsey said " large pythons feed on small mammals".

"Anything up to the size of, a brushtail possum. So small dogs and cats obviously can fit into that category.

"And, obviously it can go both ways with domestic animals obviously killing wildlife as well".

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He warned that during warm and humid weather conditions, the number of snakes around can increase.

"It will start to slow down, particularly in the more southern states and territories as the weather starts to change and it becomes cooler".