A landmark bipartisan Senate inquiry into ADHD has concluded and handed down its report this week, including 15 recommendations to change diagnosis and treatment, and improve the lives of those who live with the condition.

In more than 700 submissions and three public hearings, the inquiry heard of the significant challenges facing the more than one million Australians who are believed to have ADHD.

So what are those challenges, what has the inquiry recommended, and what's actually going to change? Let's take a look.

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How much does ADHD assessment and diagnosis cost in Australia?

One of the main issues identified by the Senate inquiry was the difficulty in getting assessed and diagnosed with ADHD, including the "exorbitant cost" of the process.

It heard of patients paying $500, $700 and $950 for diagnoses or psychiatrist consultations, and the ADHD Foundation said it knew of some health professionals charging up to $5000 for assessments.

That, in turn, is stopping some people from seeking a diagnosis and forcing families to choose which of their children to get assessed.

"We're looking at families that are looking beyond $20,000 … they're having to make decisions on which member of the family will have the treatment," ADHD WA told the inquiry.

"We have stories of parents, when they've been able to access the medication, having to share the medication, which obviously is not best practice, between the family members."

Part of the problem is "almost all" ADHD diagnosis for adults is done through the private rather than public sector.

"As we see in the private system, there are no regulations around costings at the moment," the ADHD Foundation said.

"As a consequence, the private operators are charging whatever they feel they can get away with, which is unacceptable."

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Is ADHD covered under the NDIS?

The Senate committee said there is "widespread confusion" about the eligibility for the NDIS of people who have ADHD.

While the condition is listed under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, it isn't listed on the NDIS List A or B access lists, and several groups submitted that it isn't covered by the scheme.

But a health department submission showed there are people on the scheme for ADHD, although it's a tiny proportion of the total program; of the almost 600,000 NDIS participants, 188 (148 children and 48 adults) have ADHD listed as their primary condition.

The NDIA explained how this happens when ADHD isn't on the access lists.

"The (NDIS) act itself doesn't list disabilities," it told the inquiry.

"We have some lists that help us guide decision-making… but you don't need to be on any of those lists, per se, to (get access to) the scheme.

"There are a whole range of impairments and disabilities that don't appear on any of those lists, but we still assess a person's functional ability and permanency to access the scheme.

"ADHD isn't on any of those lists – that's correct – but that doesn't preclude anyone with ADHD testing access to the scheme."

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What else did the inquiry hear about ADHD?

Plenty. In addition to the cost barriers, the inquiry heard of significant wait times for assessment – and that early diagnosis can be life-changing.

"(It) highlighted the desperate lack of support in our communities for people with ADHD seeking diagnosis and treatment," Dr Alison Poulton, chief investigator of 'A Pilot Study of Integrated Care for ADHD', said.

She added that "the lack of information and qualified professionals who can diagnose and treat it has reached crisis point".

It heard there are other issues contributing to poor patient experiences, including insufficient information, fragmented and expensive care, and inconsistent medicine prescribing.

It was also told of stigma around ADHD diagnosis and medication, and significant challenges facing girls, women, and gender-diverse and First Nations people who want to access support services, as well as a lack of services in rural and regional areas.

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All up, it estimated the economic cost of ADHD at $20.42 billion.

It also heard of the frustration and grief that can come with a late diagnosis, as well as the benefits the diagnosis provides.

"Receiving an ADHD diagnosis has been life-changing," one submitter said.

"However, it has also made me reflect on the missed opportunities and how different my life could have been if I had received a diagnosis as a teenager.

"It is my hope that through this inquiry, more girls won't be misdiagnosed and experience the same struggles I did.

"Since my diagnosis I have been able to recommence study, and finally see a life that I didn't believe was possible."

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So what has the Senate inquiry recommended?

The Senate inquiry has made 15 recommendations, variously directed at the federal government, Commonwealth, state and territories, NDIA and Department of Social Services.

The recommendations are aimed at making ADHD assessment, diagnosis and treatment more accessible and affordable, raising awareness of and addressing stigma, improving care, and better coordinating the nationwide approach to the condition.

You can read the recommendations in full below.

Will anything actually change as a result of the recommendations?

That's the $20 billion question, but at the moment we don't have an answer for it.

The government has three months – so until February 6, 2024 – to table its response to the report, but says it is too early to commit to adopting them or not, but Health Minister Mark Butler said he will consider the report "very closely".

"It is an important landmark Inquiry that we take very seriously," he said.

"We'll be looking through those recommendations over time."

A number of experts have already encouraged the government to implement the recommendations.

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"A landmark moment where the voices of both Australians with a lived experience and professionals involved in care have been heard," professor Mark Bellgrove, director at Australian ADHD group AADPA, said.

"The 15 recommendations are appropriate, practical and formulated with due consideration to both the evidence and the needs of consumers."

Professor Dave Coghill, president of the Australian ADHD Professionals Association, agrees.

"The 15 recommendations made by the committee will, if implemented by the government go a long way towards improving the lives of those with ADHD," he said.

9news.com.au has contacted Health Minister Mark Butler for comment.

You can read the full Senate committee report on Assessment and support services for people with ADHD here.

Free support is available from the ADHD National Helpline at 1300 39 39 19.

Ivanka Trump has testified that she had no role in her father's personal financial statements, echoing her adult brothers about documents central to the civil fraud trial that could reshape Donald Trump's family business.

The former president's elder daughter, who has been in his inner circle in both business and politics, rounds out a major stretch in the trial.

Her father took the stand on Monday, and her brothers Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr testified last week before she gave evidence on Wednesday (early Thursday AEST).

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Unlike her father and brothers, Ivanka Trump is no longer a defendant in New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit.

It alleges that Donald Trump's asset values were fraudulently pumped up for years on annual "statements of financial condition" that helped him get loans and insurance.

"I wasn't involved in his statement of financial condition," Ivanka Trump, a former executive vice president at the family's Trump Organisation, told the court during even-tempered testimony that provided a counterpoint to her father's caustic turn on the stand.

She said she didn't recall ever having provided asset valuation information for the statements or having reviewed them before they were finalised.

Before leaving the company to go with her father to the White House, Ivanka Trump was the point person in establishing a lending relationship with Deutsche Bank's private wealth management arm.

It eventually extended the company hundreds of millions of dollars in loans, with terms that required Donald Trump to submit his financial statements each year.

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Ivanka Trump testified that her husband, Jared Kushner, introduced her to a banker as the Trumps were seeking financing to buy and overhaul the Doral golf resort near Miami.

The non-jury trial will decide allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records — but Judge Arthur Engoron already has resolved the lawsuit's top claim by ruling that Trump engaged in fraud.

That decision came with provisions that could strip the ex-president of oversight of such marquee properties as Trump Tower, though an appeals court is allowing him continued control of his holdings, at least for now.

James, a Democrat, is seeking over $US300 million ($468 million) in penalties and a ban on Trump doing business in New York.

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The ex-president and Republican 2024 front-runner denies any wrongdoing, as do the other defendants.

He insisted in court on Monday that his financial statements greatly underestimated his net worth, that any discrepancies were minor, that a disclaimer absolved him of liability and that "this case is a disgrace".

Ivanka Trump's brothers are still Trump Organisation EVPs, and they became trustees of a trust set up to run the company when their father went to the White House.

The sons also have professed minimal knowledge of their father's annual financial statements. Donald Trump Jr testified that he dealt with the documents only in passing; Eric Trump said he relied completely on accountants and lawyers to ensure the documents' accuracy.

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As a Trump Organisation executive, Ivanka Trump dealt with securing a loan and a lease for a Washington hotel and financing for Doral in Florida and a hotel and condo skyscraper in Chicago, according to court filings.

As her father's inauguration neared, she announced in January 2017 that she was stepping away from her Trump Organisation job. After her time in the administration, she moved to Florida.

An appeals court dismissed her as a defendant in the lawsuit in June, saying the claims against her were too old.

Her attorneys contended that she shouldn't have to testify. They said the state was just trying to harass the family by dragging her into court.

The attorney general's office argued that her testimony would be relevant, saying she was involved in some events discussed in the case and remains financially and professionally entwined with the Trump Organisation and its leaders.

The company has bought insurance for her and her businesses, managed her household staff and credit card bills, rented out her apartment and paid her legal fees, according to the state's court papers.

Engoron and, later, an appeals court ruled that she had to testify.

For a few days in the every spring, the world's biggest and most famous coral reef explodes. This is coral spawning season – a time when the Great Barrier Reef creates the next generation of corals.

In fact, as some scientists explain it, it's when the whole reef has sex.

This year's coral spawning began on November 2. During this period, different species of corals release sperm and eggs, which meet each other on the water's surface and form coral polyps.

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But this isn't just about witnessing an interesting natural experience. Coral spawning, which happens ahead of summer, gives clues about the health of the 345,000-square-kilometre reef.

"The annual coral spawning is not only one of the most extraordinary natural phenomena on the planet," says Anna Marsden, managing director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

"It provides us with an opportunity to fast-track world-leading research to safeguard its future from the impacts of climate change."

UNESCO, which maintains the list of World Heritage sites, has gone back and forth over whether to add the reef to its list of "sites in danger" over the past few years.

While the reef escaped the designation in 2023, UNESCO stated that "sustained action to implement the priority recommendations of the mission is essential in order to improve (the reef's) long-term resilience" and has requested an update on the reef's health by February 2024.

The warming waters caused by climate change have led to large-scale coral bleaching, which is when "stressed" corals turn white, revealing their carbonate skeletons.

A scientific survey released by the federal government in May 2022 reported a sixth "mass bleaching event," with 91 per cent of reefs affected.

The road is expected to be closed for some time, motorists are asked to take other routes.

Optus says it has finally restored internet and phone services to the millions of customers who were hit by today's 13-and-a-half-hour network outage. 

The telco said it had started pushing out a fix at around lunchtime, but it wasn't until after 5.30pm that the issue had fully been resolved.

"Optus sincerely apologises to customers for today's outage," a spokesperson said.

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"We know that customers rely on our services, which is why the whole team at Optus has been working hard to fix this.

"Services have now been restored, and customers should now be able to be back online.

"We again thank customers for their patience."

The outage led to about $2 billion being wiped from the company's value as its share price crashed around 4.5 per cent over the course of the day. 

Earlier, Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said the telco has "no line of sight" into the root cause of the outage that knocked the network out this morning, but that a fix is on the way.

The issues preventing Optus customers from making calls and accessing mobile data began at about 4am.

READ MORE: All the services impacted by the Optus outage

Asked about compensation for users, Bayer Rosmarin said Optus would look into that as soon as services were up and running again.

She said on several occasions that she was "very, very sorry" for the outage.

Optus mobile customers reported their phones showing SOS on the signal indicator, which is a sign that your regular network is down, but that they were still able to access alternate networks in the event of an emergency call.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said Triple Zero had confirmed that fallback, known as "camping", was working this morning, but she said Optus landlines did not have access to the same technology.

Compounding matters, the telco said it had received reports of mobile customers having issues contacting the emergency number.

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READ MORE: When will the Optus outage be fixed? What we know

The outage originated from a "deep fault" within the network, but the specific cause remains a mystery.

Rowland said there was no indication the outage was due to a cyberattack, a position the Department of Home Affairs also took earlier.

The government will continue to work with telcos to ensure access to emergency lines stays open for Australians, she said.

A number of government state and federal agencies were monitored for how the outage affected them, but Rowland didn't specify which ones.

However, it's been revealed that Australians had been unable to contact either the ATO or the Department of Home Affairs due to the outage, according to 2GB's Chris O'Keefe.

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Rowland said it was too soon to consider the issue of potential reparations for affected customers.

But she urged small businesses to "keep receipts" during the time they were affected.

Linked networks such as Dodo and Amaysim were also affected.

Commonwealth Bank also warned customers had been experiencing difficulties in contacting or receiving messages from the bank, including NetCode messages.

"If you need to contact us, you can still message us through the CommBank app, but there may be delays," the bank said earlier today online.

"Our other services including ATMs, NetBank, CommBank app, CommBiz and merchant terminals are also still available. We apologise for the inconvenience."

'Deep and significant problem'

Rowland earlier told 2GB radio Optus faced a "deep and significant problem".

"The understanding I have at this time is it is affecting both broadband and mobile services," she said.

She said it had been a "very frustrating morning" for many around the country, and urged Optus to keep the public updated.

Today tech expert Trevor Long, who also contributed to this story, said the "knock-on" effect of the outage could make this morning's outage the biggest in recent memory.

"Businesses that rely on Optus for payments and communication, they will be crippled this morning," he told Today.

"And this is without question the biggest telco outage we have ever seen because it spans both home Wi-Fi and broadband."

In the hours after the outage, Optus messaged concerned customers.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused while we have the issue resolved," it said.

OPTUS OUTAGE: What we know so far

• The network outage was first reported at 4.05am, and was reportedly caused by a "deep fault" in Optus' network.
• Up to 10 million people were affected, alongside businesses, hospitals and banks.
• Landline customers are unable to call triple zero (000), but mobile users can reach the emergency line.
• As of 5.35pm, Optus said services have been restored for its customers.

The Optus phone outage has cost a Sydney woman precious moments to say goodbye after the communication outage left her unaware that her mother had died in hospital.

Rachel told 2GB drive host Chris O'Keefe that her mother Joy was admitted to a hospital in Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Rachel lives 10 minutes away from the hospital in Mona Vale and was told by staff if there were any issues, they would call her so she and her family headed home.

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But a few hours after leaving, Rachel's daughter FaceTimed her to let her know there was an Optus phone outage.

Rachel checked her phone to see no calls from the hospital and the worry kicked in.

She tried to call the hospital but her phone didn't work so she rushed to her mum's side.

But by the time she arrived, it was too late.

"Mum had passed away," she told the Nine radio station.

"You can't get those final moments back.

"We thought everything was fine (then) to come back and find her passed away."

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READ MORE: All the services impacted by mass Optus network outage

Rachel called it "disgraceful" that her family couldn't be contacted due to the Optus outage.

"Once we got there and found mum has passed away they (hospital staff) were saying we tried to call you," she said.

"Your phone is your life, when your mum is on her last legs or whatever, your mum needs you, I need them to be able to have faith that I can get a phone call about something this precious to me.

"You put so much faith in your phone these days."

She said there is no compensation Optus can provide that will make up for losing those final moments with her mother.

"We can never, ever get that time back with our mum," she said.

A lawyer for the driver involved in a horror crash that killed five people including two children in Victoria says his client is an insulin-dependent diabetic who required immediate treatment at the scene.

Detectives interviewed the 66-year-old driver from Mount Macedon overnight, after a car ploughed into patrons sitting in a beer garden at the Royal Daylesford Hotel over the weekend.

9News can reveal the driver was returning home from a clay target shooting event about 38km away in Clunes.

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Solicitor Martin Amad, who is representing the driver, said his client returned a negative alcohol breath test after the crash, and had no previous criminal history.

"It was a terrible tragedy," Amad said.

"My client has been interviewed by Victoria Police. He has not been charged with any offence. It's anticipated the investigation will take some time.

"He is deeply distressed and feels great empathy for the families and friends of the victims and wider Daylesford community."

The driver is still in hospital and receiving ongoing treatment. 

Police officially suspended his licence today.

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Police seized the 66-year-old's phone after the crash, and will now examine it.

Pratibha Sharma, her husband Jatin Chugh and her daughter Anvi were sitting with friends when the white BMW SUV crashed into outdoor tables about 6pm on Sunday.

Sharma and Chugh died at the scene.

Anvi, aged 9, was flown to hospital but did not survive her injuries.

They were enjoying a holiday with friends, Vivek Bhatia and his 11-year-old son Vihaan, who both died at the scene.

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Bhatia's wife Ruchi, 36, and six-year-old son Abeer were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Abeer was in a critical condition with broken legs and internal injuries but has since stabilised.

A separate group including a 43-year-old Kyneton woman and a 38-year-old Cockatoo man were also injured and flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

An 11-month-old boy was also rushed to hospital, but has since been discharged.

The baby's mother, a 34-year-old woman from Cockatoo, was not injured.

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The community rallied around the Royal Daylesford Hotel today, which opened its doors for the first time since the crash.

"On behalf of all of us at the Royal Daylesford Hotel we wish to express our deepest sympathy for those who have passed away, those injured, their families and everyone affected by this terrible tragedy," the hotel said in a Facebook post.

"As community members we know how deeply we have all been impacted. All the staff at the hotel are extremely distressed and we have counselling on site to assist the team to manage the impact of the events.

"We would like to thank the police, the SES, the ambulance services and members of the Daylesford community for their support and assistance."

READ MORE: When will the Optus outage be fixed? What we know

The hotel will be closed until further notice.

A memorial service was also held at The Anglican Parish of Daylesford today.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, has CCTV, dashcam footage or any other information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The Greens, the late manifesto and poor morale also made the list of things to ‘chuck’.

Three of Australia's big four banks have hiked their variable home loan rate following the Reserve Bank's interest rates increase yesterday.

The RBA pushed the official cash rate up by 25 basis points to 4.35 per cent – the 13th increase in 18 months but first since June.

It took little time for banks to pass on that increase to their mortgage holders, with NAB announcing today its variable home loan rate would rise by 0.25 per cent, effective from November 17.

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ANZ followed suit just hours later, also increasing its variable mortgage rates by a quarter of a per cent on November 17, and Westpac announced its own 0.45 per cent hike would begin on November 21.

All three have also boosted rates for some savings customers.

NAB will increase the bonus interest rate on its reward saver accounts by the same amount, up to an even 5 per cent. That change will also come into effect on November 17. 

"While most of our customers are in good shape, there may be some people who are more concerned about the first rate rise since mid-year which is why it's crucial to reach out to your bank as soon as you can. We're here to help," group executive for personal banking Rachel Slade said.

"Customers continue to build and flex their 'budgeting muscle' and they're responding to cost of living pressures by reducing their spending on dining out, fuel and leisure travel.

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"We're seeing more customers using budgeting tools than ever before – an important sign that more Australians are closely engaged with their finances."

The move comes ahead of NAB's reporting of its annual results tomorrow.

ANZ also increased interest for some of its savings customers.

"ANZ will also increase the rate available to savings customers on the ANZ plus save account by 0.25 per cent (per annum), with balances less than $250,000 to increase to 4.90 per cent pa, and balances $250,000 or more to increase to 3.75 per cent (per annum) effective 16 November 2023," it said.

"ANZ continues to review other deposit rates."

Westpac followed suit, with its life variable bonus interest rate and eSaver variable rate both jumping to 5 per cent from November 17 – although it only applies for the first five months for new customers applying online.

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"In making interest rate decisions, we consider a range of factors and work to balance the needs of both borrowers and depositors. With this latest move, we've also lifted interest rates on our deposit accounts which will benefit savers," Westpac consumer chief executive Jason Yetton said.

"We know people are feeling the impact of the higher cost of living and adjusting their spending to manage their household budget."

The remaining big four bank, CBA, is yet to pass on the hike but is expected to do so in the coming days.

For the average Australian borrower with a $500,000 mortgage, the cash rate rise means an additional $76 per month in repayments, and an extra $1210 since rates began rising in May of last year.

Nicholas Crosby threw the first punch. He ended up in ICU for three days.