Warning: This story contains references to child sexual assault.

A man has been jailed for 18 years over a depraved and brazen sex attack on a seven-year-old girl in Perth's north-east.

But for the family of the girl who was asleep in her bed in Ellenbrook when Callum Ferris Davies broke in and raped her two days after Christmas 2021, his incarceration is little comfort.

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

The girl's mother cried yesterday as she revealed how the attack had impacted her young daughter, who can't be named for legal reasons.

"She is different now, fearful and withdrawn. Her innocence was cruelly taken from her," she said.

" … Our daughter should have been playing, growing, learning and enjoying simple things."

Davies, then 25, was captured on home security camera moments before he broke in through the bathroom window and gagged and raped the girl, forever shattering the family's lives.

He taped her mouth shut as she lay in her bed, awake, choking her until she lost consciousness before abusing her and leaving the home.

"Our lives changed forever because of a stranger. My heart is broken that my child carries these emotional scars," the girl's mother said.

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The court heard the family couldn't afford to move, stuck living in their house, haunted by memories.

"She can't sleep without one of us with her," the girl's mother said. 

"I listen to her fears and anxieties about going to sleep, sometimes this takes hours. 

"She asks us why this happened to her, which we have no answer."

Davies handed himself in three days after the attack, then pleaded not guilty, claiming mental impairment.

A judge convicted him of the sexual assault last year. 

Today, the 28-year-old was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

The judge considered Davies' autism and psychosis disorders but said the dominant factor was the offender's paedophilic interests and if they went untreated, he would be at risk of reoffending.

"If there's a sexual assault in the course of a home invasion, the sentencing parameters are much more different," lawyer Tom Percy, KC, said.

"It puts it akin to murder."

With time already served, Davies could be eligible for parole in about 13 years.

Every single Australian taxpayer will be handed a tax cut next year under a $17 billion measure included in Treasurer Jim Chalmers' fourth federal budget.

Cost-of-living relief has remained front and centre in the national accounts and Australians earning any taxable income will soon receive some "modest" relief.

The federal government is set to deliver two more tax cuts in 2026 and 2027 on top of the stage 3 measures that rolled out in 2024.

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But the opposition has signalled it will oppose the measure, setting the stage for a showdown on the federal election campaign trail.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor tonight told 9News chief political editor Charles Croucher the opposition wouldn't vote or campaign for the tax cuts because they wouldn't touch the sides.

Nor would there be lower taxes to come in Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's budget reply speech on Thursday.

If implemented, the cuts will save the average worker a combined $2548, or $50 per week, by the 2027-28 financial year.

The tax cuts will impact every person earning above $18,200, and the government says it will give Australians up to $268 every year, starting July 1, 2026.

That tax cut will increase to up to $536 in 2027, according to the budget papers.

Combined with Labor's 2023-24 tax cuts, the average Australian will have seen an extra $2548 in their bank accounts.

However, this amount will vary and it depends on how much you earn.

Unlike some tax cuts which are given in a lump sum, this tax relief will be delivered every time you get paid.

You'll start seeing this change in payslips from July 1 next year.

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What do the new tax cuts look like?

If you're earning below $18,201 you won't get a cut, because you don't pay tax on your income as it is.

It's important to note the most an average earner on $79,000 will get back in their payslip annually will be $536 by 2027.

The federal government is rolling their stage 3 measures into today's figures and the combined total includes the cuts from July 1 last year.

From July 1 next year, the lowest tax bracket rate of between $18,201 and $45,000 will be reduced from 16 per cent to 15 per cent.

In 2027, this rate will be cut further to 14 per cent.

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This means someone earning $40,000 per year will save $1090 in tax across Labor's three tax cuts since 2024.

Around 2.7 million taxpayers will enjoy this series of rate cuts over the next few years.

It marks the lowest tax rate for bottom income earners in 50 years, according to the government.

Around 80 per cent of taxpayers earn above $45,000 and this demographic will also enjoy a small change to their pay packet.

Australians earning between $45,001 and $135,000 will see their annual taxes slashed by between $1340 and $4265.

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Those on incomes between $135,001 and $190,000 will have between $4265 and $5065 back in their pocket, while those earning above $190,001 are set to save a capped amount of $5065 per year.

"These additional tax cuts are modest but will make a difference," Chalmers said during his federal budget speech.

"Our $17 billion in tax cuts are the biggest part of the responsible cost-of-living package in this budget. "

According to the budget papers, the average taxpayer earning $79,000 will save around $30,000 in tax under these cuts by the 2035-36 financial year.

Chalmers also announced an increase on the Medicare levy low-income thresholds, which will be raised to 4.7 per cent from July 1 to ensure one million Australians will continue to either pay a reduced rate or remain exempt from the levy.

These changes to personal income tax will cost $17.1 billion over the forward estimates.

The government expects the tax cuts will encourage Australians, especially women, to work more hours and increase total weekly work hours by 1.3 million.

The Albanese government's rejigged stage 3 tax cuts passed parliament last year, with all taxpayers receiving a cut from July 1, 2024. 

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Every single Australian taxpayer will be handed a tax cut next year under a $17 billion measure included in Treasurer Jim Chalmers' fourth federal budget.

The federal budget has fallen back into deficit after two consecutive years of surplus.

The fiscal plan outlined by Treasurer Jim Chalmers tonight featured tax cuts for every taxpayer and heavy investments in health and education.

Here are the graphs that explain the 2025-26 federal budget.

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

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Tax cuts were the most surprising element of the 2025 federal budget, which will see every single Australian taxpayer get a bit of extra cash in their payslip from mid-next year.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down two "modest" tax cuts in his fourth federal budget, building on the stage 3 measures from last year.

These cuts won't be given as a lump sum and instead you'll see it appear gradually in your payslip, but when will they actually begin? This is what you need to know.

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

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

When will the tax cuts begin?

The first of the tax cuts – reducing the lowest tax rate from 16 to 15 per cent – will kick in on July 1, 2026, at the start of the 2026-27 financial year.

The second – a further reduction from 15 to 14 per cent – will begin the following year, on July 1, 2027.

It marks the lowest tax rate for bottom income earners in 50 years, according to the government.

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

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

How will I receive my tax cut?

You don't need to do anything to receive the tax cut, as it will be automatically reflected in your first pay after July 1 next year, just like last year's stage 3 tax cuts.

It will impact every person earning above $18,200.

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How much of a tax cut will I get?

The government says Australians will receive a tax cut up to a maximum of $268 a year for the first stage, beginning in July 2026.

That tax cut will increase to up to $536 when the second stage kicks in on July 1, 2027, according to the budget papers.

If you earn below $18,201, though, you won't get a cut, because you don't pay tax on your income as it is.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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"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.

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"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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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"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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