Toxic micro-algae is confirmed as the cause of recent mass sea life deaths and flu-like symptoms found in beachgoers in South Australia, researchers have revealed.

Masses of yellow foam and dead fish, seahorses, and other creatures washed up last week between Waitpinga and Parsons beaches within the Newland Head Conservation Park, attracting online attention.

The foam also resulted in over 100 surfers and beachgoers coming down with mystery cold and allergy-like symptoms over the weekend, including itchy eyes, blurred vision, coughing, and breathing difficulties.

READ MORE: Landlords in NSW must allow renters to keep pets in new laws

A type of planktonic algae called Karenia mikimotoi is to blame for the suffering, researchers from the University of Technology Shauna Murray and Greta Gaiani have found, which produces a toxin with adverse effects on both humans and sea life.

The research was conducted using water samples provided by the SA government from Waitpinga Beach, Petrel Cove Beach, Encounter Bay Boat Ramp, and Parsons Headland on Tuesday.

While K. mikimotoi is commonly found in Australia's coastal waters, it is typically sporadic and mixed with other species of algae.

READ MORE: Flood warnings for outback towns as Queensland drenching rolls on

However, under certain conditions, it's not uncommon for one species of algae to dominate all others in a certain area of water, forming what scientists call an 'algal bloom'.

The toxins producted by K. mikimotoi is currently not well understood by the scientific community, said the researchers, however microalgae typically wrecks havoc on fish and shellfish gills, making it impossible for them to breath.

"The human health effects are not very well known but probably relate to the reactive oxygen species being an irritant," said the researchers in findings published in The Conversation.

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"Fortunately, the toxin does not persist in the environment after the K. mikimotoi cells are dead. So once the bloom is over, the marine environment can recover relatively quickly."

It's still unknown whether warmer sea temperatures contributed to this harmful algal bloom off the coast of South Australia, or more frequent blooms of K. mikimotoi generally.

The species has previously caused massive damage to ecosystems around the world, including Asia, Europe, South Africa and South America.

Top national security officials for President Donald Trump, including his defence secretary, texted war plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a group chat in a secure messaging app that included the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic, the magazine reported in a story posted online. The National Security Council said the text chain "appears to be authentic."

Trump told reporters he was not aware that the sensitive information had been shared, 2 1/2 hours after it was reported.

The material in the text chain "contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Iran-backed Houthi-rebels in Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing," editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg reported.

READ MORE: Trump demands 'highly distorted' portrait to be taken down

It was not immediately clear if the specifics of the military operation were classified, but they often are and at the least are kept secure to protect service members and operational security. The US has conducted airstrikes against the Houthis since the militant group began targeting commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea in November 2023.

Just two hours after Goldberg received the details of the attack on March 15, the U.S. began launching a series of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

The National Security Council is looking into the matter

The National Security Council said in a statement that it was looking into how a journalist's number was added to the chain in the Signal group chat, which included Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's director of national intelligence, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Goldberg said he received the Signal invitation from Mike Waltz, Trump's national security adviser, who was also in the group chat.

In a statement late Monday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the president still has the "utmost confidence" in Waltz and the national security team.

Trump told reporters, "I don't know anything about it. You're telling me about it for the first time." He added that The Atlantic was "not much of a magazine."

Government officials have used Signal for organisational correspondence, but it is not classified and can be hacked. Privacy and tech experts say the popular end-to-end encrypted messaging and voice call app is more secure than conventional texting.

The sharing of sensitive information comes as Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's office has just announced a crackdown on leaks of sensitive information, including the potential use of polygraphs on defence personnel to determine how reporters have received information.

Sean Parnell, a spokesman for Hegseth, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on why the defence secretary posted war operational plans on an unclassified app.

Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was incredulous in her response.

"You have got to be kidding me," she wrote on X.

https://x.com/HillaryClinton/status/1904263639605084512

Clinton's presidential campaign was brought undone by reports she had used a personal email address to receive and send work emails as Secretary of State.

News coverage of her private email server was relentless during the 2016 campaign, and used by Republicans as evidence she could not be trusted with classified emails.

The breach in protocol was swiftly condemned by Democratic lawmakers. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called for a full investigation.

"This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time," Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a floor speech Monday afternoon.

READ MORE: Trump responds after US slammed for 'highly aggressive' Greenland visit

"If true, this story represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen," said Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a statement.

He said American lives are "on the line. The carelessness shown by Trump's Cabinet is stunning and dangerous. I will be seeking answers from the Administration immediately."

Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that he was "horrified" by the reports.

Himes said if a lower-ranking official "did what is described here, they would likely lose their clearance and be subject to a criminal investigation. The American people deserve answers," which he said he planned to get at Wednesday's previously scheduled committee hearing.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he wants to learn more about what happened.

READ MORE: 'Trump-proofing' and billions in cost-of-living relief to figure in federal budget

"Obviously, we got to to run it to the ground, figure out what went on there," said Thune, a South Dakota Republican.

There are strict laws around handling defence information

The handling of national defence information is strictly governed by law under the century-old Espionage Act, including provisions that make it a crime to remove such information from its "proper place of custody" even through an act of gross negligence.

The Justice Department in 2015 and 2016 investigated whether former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton broke the law by communicating about classified information with her aides on a private email server she set up, though the FBI ultimately recommended against charges and none were brought.

In the Biden administration, some officials were given permission to download Signal on their White House-issued phones, but were instructed to use the app sparingly, according to a former national security official who served in the Democratic administration.

The official, who requested anonymity to speak about methods used to share sensitive information, said Signal was most commonly used to communicate what they internally referred to as "tippers" to notify someone when they were away from the office or travelling overseas that they should check their "high side" inbox for a classified message.

The app was sometimes also used by officials during the Biden administration to communicate about scheduling of sensitive meetings or classified phone calls when they were outside the office, the official said.

The use of Signal became more prevalent during the last year of the Biden administration after federal law enforcement officials warned that China and Iran were hacking the White House as well as officials in the first Trump administration, according to the official.

The official was unaware of top Biden administration officials — such as Vice President Kamala Harris, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and national security adviser Jake Sullivan — using Signal to discuss sensitive plans as the Trump administration officials did.

Some of the toughest criticism targeted Hegseth, a former Fox News Channel weekend host. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, said on social media that Hegseth, "the most unqualified Secretary of Defence in history, is demonstrating his incompetence by literally leaking classified war plans in the group chat."

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Apprentices are being offered 10,000 reasons to join the construction industry as the government looks to boost the workforce for its big push on housing.

Eligible apprentices will be handed an incentive payment of $10,000 if they train in the housing construction sector.

That's double the previous maximum incentive payment.

WINNERS AND LOSERS: Who benefited, and who missed out in this year's budget

EXPLAINED: The surprise tax cut coming for every single Aussie taxpayer

TWO-MINUTE GUIDE: Everything you need to know with the budget back in deficit

The increase will take place from July 1 this year.

"To build more, we need to train more builders," Treasurer Jim Chalmers said.

"That's why we're attracting more apprentices into the housing industry."

It's part of a $722.8 million funding package to support apprentices that will roll out in the coming four years.

READ MORE: Multi-billion dollar pay rise for 60,000 workers

WHAT'S IN IT FOR WOMEN: Critical $793 million health boost

The government has already introduced legislation to provide a permanent 100,000 free TAFE places a year from 2027.

The budget forecast that nine out of 10 new jobs in the next decade will require tertiary-level qualifications, with almost half from the vocational training sector.

Of the nearly 600,000 free TAFE enrolments between January 2023 and September 2024, almost 40,000 were for construction courses.

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A $24 billion hole will be blown in the federal budget in the coming years, and a decent chunk of that is linked to the ongoing tobacco wars in Victoria.

The ongoing production and importation of black market tobacco into Australia has taken a huge bite out of the excise collected by the government.

Tonight's budget revealed tobacco excise receipts have been downgraded by $6.9 billion in the five years from 2024-25 to 2028-29.

WINNERS AND LOSERS: Who benefited, and who missed out in this year's budget

EXPLAINED: The surprise tax cut coming for every single Aussie taxpayer

TWO-MINUTE GUIDE: Everything you need to know with the budget back in deficit

The tax receipt estimates for 2024-2025 compared to the last major economic outlook (MYEFO) shows a drop by about $1.3 billion – a staggering change in just three months.

It's a 15.4 per cent drop – compared to a $30 million (1.1 per cent) increase for beer – and a huge chunk of that $1.3 billion is linked to the booming black market for tobacco.

As a result, the government has also allocated in tonight's budget $156.7 million across two years from 2025-26 to crack down on the illicit tobacco trade.

READ MORE: Here's what the budget predicts our lives will look like in 2028

The budget also forecast a $1.9 billion decrease in company tax from 2024-25 to 2028-29, due to weaker expected profits for non-mining entities.

The new personal income tax cuts as well as other measures unveiled in tonight's budget will see a $259.1 million decrease in receipts this year, and $15.1 billion from 2024-25 to 2028-29.

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Every taxpayer in the country will get an unlooked-for cut under a $17 billion promise at the centre of this year's federal budget, although will have to wait more than a year for it as the government attempts to balance the demand for cost-of-living relief with the need to manage a budget that is now firmly in deficit.

Today's budget handed down by Treasurer Jim Chalmers shows the national accounts have, for the first time since 2022, fallen into the red.

The $27.6 billion deficit is worse by some $700 million than what was forecast just three months ago in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), but an improvement on the last budget's prediction of $28.3 billion.

WINNERS AND LOSERS: Taxpayers and students win as renters, JobSeeker recipients miss out

EXPLAINED: The surprise tax cut coming for every single Aussie taxpayer

READ MORE: Multi-billion dollar pay rise for 60,000 workers

There's no prospect of returning to surplus anytime soon, either, with deficits forecast throughout the entire forward estimates: $42.1 billion in 2025-26; $35.7 billion in 2026-27; $37.2 billion in 2027-28; and $36.9 billion in 2028-29.

That figure for the next financial year is actually slightly better than what was forecasted in 2024, although the subsequent years are worse as the government's main cost-of-living relief contained in this budget – $17 billion in surprise tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer – comes into effect.

Under the policy, the tax rate for the $18,201-$45,000 income bracket (the first bracket beyond the tax-free threshold) will be reduced from 16 to 15 per cent in 2026-27, and then again to 14 per cent in 2027-28.

That's a $268 tax cut for 2026-27, and $536 the year after.

READ MORE: Every single Aussie taxpayer to get tax cuts under $17b budget plan

"This will take the first tax rate down to its lowest level in more than half a century," Chalmers said.

"These additional tax cuts are modest but will make a difference."

There's also a further $648 million in tax relief through the raising of the low-income thresholds for the Medicare levy.

While Australians have been batting through the cost-of-living crisis, and no doubt would have preferred these new cuts to start in July rather than in 16 months, Treasury is painting a slightly rosier picture for everyone's hip pockets in the coming years.

READ MORE: Budget reform could send three million workers into a better job

Real wages are forecast to have grown by 0.5 per cent by the end of the current financial year – an improvement on what was set out in MYEFO – and GDP growth is set to hit 2.25 per cent in 2025-26, up from this year by a quarter of a percentage point.

At the same time, Treasury expects inflation to remain in the Reserve Bank's target range for the next three years, bouncing between 2.5 and 3 per cent, while wages rise by up to 3.25 per cent and unemployment caps out at 4.25 per cent – only a small rise from current levels and well below the ten-year average of just over 5 per cent.

On top of that, the government is promising in the budget to ban non-compete clauses for low- and middle-income workers, a measure it says could boost wages by 4 per cent for those affected, as well as improving productivity – a perennial thorn in the side of the national economy.

"Our economy is turning the corner," Chalmers said.

"Inflation is down, incomes are rising, unemployment is low, interest rates are coming down, debt is down, and growth is picking up momentum."

READ MORE: How tobacco is blowing a hole into the Federal Budget

At the same time, the budget acknowledges the current international uncertainty, due in no small part to Donald Trump's trade war, and the potential for more tariffs on April 2 – a date the US president has labelled "liberation day".

While Treasury expects the direct impact from tariffs on Australia to be "modest" – the 25 per cent duties on steel and aluminium, for example, are predicted to only knock 0.1 per cent off GDP by 2030 – the indirect blowback could be far more severe.

"A slowdown in global growth stemming from these pressures would also adversely affect demand for key Australian exports, domestic business confidence, and investment," budget papers state.

"These risks compound the uncertainty in the global economy from conflict in the Middle East and Europe and challenges in the Chinese economy.

READ MORE: Women win critical $793 million health boost

"Against this backdrop of greater uncertainty, the global economy is expected (to have)… the longest stretch of below-average growth since the early 1990s."

There are measures in the budget to combat this – a $20 million boost to encourage shoppers to buy local, and a $3 billion injection for Australian-made green aluminium and iron.

Beyond that, there's the slew of policies, many of them already unveiled with the federal election looming.

Pay rises for aged care nurses and childcare workers

Both aged care nurses and childcare workers will get boosts to their pay under the budget.

The government will invest $2.6 billion to increase aged care nurse pay, effective from March 1, on the back of a Fair Work Commission decision, while there's $3.6 billion to increase childcare award rates by 10 per cent from December last year, plus an extra 5 per cent this year.

READ MORE: Cheap medicine, free GP visits under $124.8b healthcare budget

Energy bill relief

An extension of the last budget's headline cost-of-living relief, every Australian household will get $150 in energy bill rebates in the second half of this year, at a cost of $1.8 billion to taxpayers.

Cheaper PBS medicines

Another measure announced in the lead-up to the budget, four out of every five medicines listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will have their cost slashed from $31.60 to $25, saving Australians $200 million a year.

Medicare bulk-billing boost

While there's a new $1.8 billion in public hospital funding in the budget, there's also the government's February announcement of a $8.5 billion boost for Medicare that will significantly expand bulk billing, making nine out of every 10 GP visits free by 2030.

READ MORE: Here's what the budget predicts our lives will look like in 2028

Three days of childcare for everyone

As announced in late 2024, all Australian families with a combined income of less than $530,000 a year will get access to three days a week of subsidised childcare, at a cost to the budget of $426.6 million.

Student debt discount

Also unveiled late last year was a one-off cash boost for anyone with outstanding student debt – roughly three million Australians – in the form of a 20 per cent discount, to be applied on June 1.

This will wipe a collective $16 billion of debt from former and current students' accounts.

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers has handed down his fourth federal budget – the last before his government heads to the polls for this year's election.

While once again the treasurer is promoting the policies as helping out all Australians, as always some groups will look at the budget with far more fondness than others.

Here are all the winners and losers.

EXPLAINED: The surprise tax cut coming for every single Aussie taxpayer

TWO-MINUTE GUIDE: Everything you need to know with the budget back in deficit

READ MORE: Multi-billion dollar pay rise for 60,000 workers

Winners

Taxpayers

Every single person who pays tax on their income will be a winner in this year's budget.

Combined with the stage 3 tax cuts implemented last year, the federal government will deliver more tax relief in 2026-27 and 2027-28: up to a $256 cut in the first year, which will be doubled the year after.

People who buy medicine

The federal government has invested $784.6 million to reduce the cost of medicines listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) down to no more than $25 per prescription.

This could save a familiy filling four prescriptions per month around $316 per year, the budget states.

There's also $1.8 billion to list new medicines on the PBS.

READ MORE: Cheap medicine, free GP visits under $124.8b healthcare budget 

Bill-payers

Households and small businesses will receive $150 off their energy bill as the government allocates $1.8 billion to extend last budget's rebates to the end of this year.

Australians will receive the discount as two $75 rebates through to December 31, as last year's $300 rebate had been set to expire by July 1.

HOUSING CRISIS: Budget doubles bonus for tradie apprentices in one industry

Women's healthcare

Hundreds of thousands of people are set to benefit from a $792.9 million boost to women's healthcare, which will target endometriosis and pelvic pain, contraception and menopause.

New items were listed under both the Medicare Benefit Scheme and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, making it cheaper and easier to access medicines and healthcare services.

Anyone with student debt

Three million Australians will have a combined $16 billion cut from their student loan debt from June 1 as the government slashes the total amount owed by 20 per cent.

READ MORE: Budget reform could send three million workers into a better job

Stuck workers looking to change jobs

Three million workers are in jobs governed by non-compete clauses, meaning they can't go work for their employee's competitors, or set up shop in the same field themselves.

The government has announced that from 2027, these clauses will be banned for anybody earning less than $175,000 a year.

Treasury claims the measure will add $5 billion to GDP and lift wages by an average of $2500, as well as boosting economic productivity – a measure governments have struggled to address.

Aged care nurses

A total of $2.6 billion will go towards pay increases for aged care nurses.

This will roll out across the next five years, starting this month.

READ MORE: Here's what the budget predicts our lives will look like in 2028

Childcare workers

Similarly, there's a big provision in the budget – some $3.6 billion – for childcare worker pay increases.

Apprentices

An apprentice tradie who trains up in the housing construction industry can expect a $10,000 incentive bonus – double the current amount.

The government is trying to increase its workforce for a big housing push.

Beer drinkers

Anyone who enjoys a pint will be quick to complain about how much the cost of a beer at the pub has risen by, which is in part due to how much the alcohol excise has risen by in recent years.

However, the government has hit pause on the indexation for that excise on draught beer for the next two years, a measure that will cost the budget $165 million over five years

WHAT'S IN IT FOR WOMEN: Critical $793 million health boost

Green metal manufacturers

With plenty of uncertainty around Australian steel and aluminium manufacturing thanks to US President Donald Trump's trade war, the government is looking to boost the sector with a combined $3 billion to support locally made "green" aluminium and iron.

Losers

Renters

While the government has thrown an extra $800 million into its Help To Buy shared equity housing scheme, there's little by way of new immediate help for renters still struggling – certainly nothing comparable to last year's Commonwealth Rent Assistance boost.

READ MORE: How tobacco is blowing a hole into the Federal Budget

The budget bottom line

After delivering back-to-back budget surpluses – Australia's first since the GFC – on the back of some very welcome revenue upgrades, the national accounts have fallen back into the red to the tune of a $27.6 billion deficit, and there are even larger ones forecast to come in the next few years.

That's in part due to far fewer revenue upgrades – budget papers state they are only one-sixth of what was averaged in the past five budgets – as well as the black hole that is tobacco excise; Treasury has downgraded the amount of tobacco excise it expects to collect until 2028-29 by almost $7 billion.

Farmers

Many of the government's grocery-related measures were generally focused on consumers, and there was little directed specifically at farmers in this year's budget papers.

That's despite Chalmers' promise following the ACCC's report last week, to pursue a "fair go" at the "farm gate", as well as promoting a similar message in tonight's budget speech.

Big supermarkets

That being said, the government is still promising to crack down on major supermarkets, by allocating $38.8 million for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to probe misleading and deceptive pricing practices and unconscionable conduct in the sector.

Welfare recipients

While Australian welfare recipients had their paymints rise thanks to indexation last week, advocates had been calling for biggest boosts, particularly to JobSeeker.

"This routine indexation is not enough. If the Federal Government is serious about addressing the cost of living crisis, it must lift income support payments to at least $82 a day, in line with the age pension," Australian Council of Social Services Cassandra Goldie said before the budget.

"An additional 22 cents a day does not address the inadequacy of JobSeeker and related payments. Ensuring people have a sufficient income to cover the basics would transform lives."

The government, though, opted against a boost for the welfare payments.

Sugar tax advocates

The Australian Medical Association last week called for a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks to combat Australia's obesity crisis, while at the same time adding $3.6 billion in revenue to the budget.

The federal government has ignored the suggestion.

Russia and Belarus

The federal budget confirmed a two-year extension to 35 per cent tariffs on goods from Russia and Belarus in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

The tariffs now extend to October 24, 2027.

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Billions of dollars will be injected into Australia's public healthcare system under the 2025 Federal Budget delivered tonight.

Public hospitals will receive the biggest boost with an extra $1.8 billion in funding to help slash waiting lists, cut waiting time in emergency rooms and support ambulance ramping.

This will bring the federal government's total investment in state-run public hospitals to $33.9 billion in the 2025-26 financial year, according to the budget papers.

WINNERS AND LOSERS: Who benefited, and who missed out in this year's budget

TWO-MINUTE GUIDE: Everything you need to know with the budget back in deficit

EXPLAINED: The surprise tax cut coming for every single Aussie taxpayer

The budget included the already-announced commitment to establish 50 more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across every state and territory.

This year's budget will also invest $7.9 billion in Medicare to improve bulk-billing so millions of Australians can visit their local GP for free.

The bulk-billing incentive eligbility will be expanded by November 1, 2025, which the government says will make nine out of 10 doctor visits completely free.

"These incentives mean there will be around 4800 fully bulk billing practices across the country," Treasurer Jim Chalmers said. 

READ MORE: Multi-billion dollar pay rise for 60,000 workers

"Making it easier to see a doctor and get the care you need."

According to the budget, Australians will save a combined $859 million in bulk billing fees by 2030 under this plan.

This is on top of the $784.6 million in funding to make more medicines available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

The federal government has invested $18 million in PBS funding to help make medicine cheaper for Australians.

It means no medicine on the PBS will cost more than $25.

READ MORE: Budget reform could send three million workers into a better job

This could save a familiy filling four prescriptions per month around $316 per year, the budget states.

Two extra medicines will also be listed on the PBS by May 1 – Spravato, which is prescribed for those with depression and Epkinly, which treats patients with refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Several contraceptive pills are already available on the PBS – Yaz, Yasmin and Slinda, which will benefit a combined 150,000 women.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR WOMEN: Critical $793 million health boost

Women are one of the biggest winners in this year's budget after Labor announced a $792.9 million package including 11 new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics and a Medicare rebate for menopause health assessments.

Three menopause treatments will also be added onto the PBS for the first time in 20 years.

And an endometriosis medicine named Ryeqo will be added to the scheme too.

"For our government, women’s health is not a boutique issue or a question of special interest – it is a national priority," Chalmers said.

Government spending for health will be $124.8 billion for the 2025-26 financial year.

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A $792.9 million boost to women's healthcare, targeting endometriosis, contraception and pelvic pain, is the centrepiece of funding measures aimed towards women in this year's federal budget.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the federal government was proud to invest in women's health.

"Because for our government, women's health is not a boutique issue or a question of special interest – it is a national priority," he said.

But there was more in the budget for women than just health. Here are all the other ways the government is supporting women.

TWO-MINUTE GUIDE: Everything you need to know with the budget back in deficit

WINNERS AND LOSERS: Who benefited, and who missed out in this year's budget

EXPLAINED: The surprise tax cut coming for every single Aussie taxpayer

Contraception

About two-thirds of women between 18 and 44 use contraception, with the government citing the cost of medicines as a barrier to uptake.

The budget contains $134.3 million to create 150 per cent larger Medicare rebates and incentivise more bulk billing for insertion and removal of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) by nurse practitioners.

About 300,000 women will be estimated to save up to $400 a year in out-of-pocket expenses for LARCs.

Under a $1.8 billion Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) package, new oral contraceptives have been listed for the first time in more than 30 years and will become available from May 1.

Another $109.1 million will be allocated to fund two national trials that are hoped to make it cheaper and easier for women to access contraceptives and treatment for urinary tract infections.

READ MORE: Cheap medicine, free GP visits under $124.8b healthcare budget 

Endometriosis and pelvic pain relief

The government is investing $20.9 million over three years for endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics to support the one in nine Australian women suffering from endometriosis.

There will be 11 new clinics created with funding in this year's budget, building upon the 22 already established, and will also be available to those experiencing perimenopause and menopause.

A new endometriosis treatment has also been listed under the PBS, which is expected to save about 8500 women thousands of dollars a year.

Women with severe endometriosis will also be able to receive a Medicare rebate for ultrasounds from November 1.

HOUSING CRISIS: Budget doubles bonus for tradie apprentices in one industry

Menopause support

Women of all ages experiencing perimenopause or menopause will be able to receive a new Medicare rebate for menopause health assessments under a $26.3 million package.

New types of menopausal hormonal therapies were listed under the PBS from March 1, which the government says will save about 150,000 women hundreds each year.

Under the budget, $4.4 million will help develop national clinical guidelines for treatment and train health professionals and $12.8 million will form a public awareness campaign.

READ MORE: How tobacco is blowing a hole into the Federal Budget

Wage increases

Women are set to see their wages rise as the government pours into female-dominated industries.

The budget has funded $2.6 billion in further pay rises for aged care nurses from March 1, bringing the total investment into the sector up to $17.7 billion.

"So the workers we trust to care for our parents and grandparents get paid properly for the work they do," Chalmers said.

Early childhood education and care workers will see a "historic" $3.6 billion wage hike from December when an extra five per cent is slapped onto a 10 per cent increase handed down in December 2024.

READ MORE: Budget reform could send three million workers into a better job

Anti-domestic violence measures

Last year's federal budget included an almost $1 billion anti-domestic violence package.

While there wasn't a headline announcement tackling what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously dubbed a "national crisis", this year's budget included new multi-million-dollar investments to improve response measures and frameworks.

About 500 new community sector and frontline worker jobs will be created across the country under a $277.7 million boost.

The government has also allocated $70 million to existing services and trialling new measures to support women and children experiencing violence.

There will be $21.4 million invested over three years from 2025-26 to improve victim and survivor engagement within the justice system and inform a broader response to the Australian Law Reform Commission's inquiry into the Justice System's Response to Sexual Violence.

First Nations women, children and communities will receive $21.8 million for family, domestic and sexual violence services and $16.7 million will fund innovative approaches to address perpetrator behaviour.

READ MORE: Multi-billion dollar pay rise for 60,000 workers

Workforce and career support

Under efforts to support the country's health workforce, the government is using $606.3 million to deliver more doctors and nurses and $28 million to support the construction of the Nursing and Midwifery Academy in Victoria.

Another $10.5 million will expand the Primary Care Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship program and $1.3 million will extend the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Education and Training Program by 12 months.

First Nations women in business will be able to access a $3.4 million mentoring and coaching program.

And, the Australian Sports Commission will receive $3.2 million to help women and girls' participation in sports leadership through coaching, officiating and sports administration.

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“I have felt the effects of this in every aspect of my life,” she told Ericson Pascua.

A carer for a 21-year-old saw the photo and mistook her for their patient.