Australia on Saturday imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on four officials in Afghanistan’s Taliban government over what it said was a deteriorating human rights situation in the country, especially for women and girls.

Australia’s fiscal position has deteriorated in the past year as rising expenses across federal, state and territory governments outstripped stronger-than-expected revenue, according to the Parliamentary Budget Office.

Australia's government spending jumped in the third quarter to add to a long-awaited rebound in business investment, setting the stage for a solid economic performance.

UNSW AI Institute Director Sue Keay discusses the Australian government’s launch of a national AI plan. “It is like we’ve been shopping around, to put that AI plan together over the last seven years, and we’ve got to the checkout and discovered we’ve only got enough funding for an AI Safety Institute,” Ms Keay told Sky News Australia.

The wealthy state is determined to stop any changes to its special tax deal, no matter how much the other states complain how it is unfair.