Reaction to Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ fifth Federal Budget have been varied, and in some cases pointed.
While headlines across the mainstream press range from claims of it being a “communist manifesto” to an attack on boomers and “major” redistribution of wealth to the young, various bodies representing different groups of (mostly) women have been a little more measured.
Overall, the $182.6 million reform of the child support scheme has been widely welcomed by advocates as a long-overdue response to systems abuse and financial coercion. The $250 Working Australians Tax Offset have also been welcomed, along with changes to negative gearing (at least by some groups, especially unions)
But advocates across women’s safety, asylum and refugee policy, climate, early childhood education, nursing and international aid say the Budget falls well short of what’s needed to address the key challenges their groups address.
Here’s some of what the country’s leading sector voices have said. Women’s Agenda is updating this list over the course of the 13th May, 2026.
Federal Budget misses the mark for adolescent girls, says Plan International Australia
Plan welcomes the Government holding the aid budget steady amid sweeping global aid cuts, with Official Development Assistance lifting by 2.5% indexation to $5.2 billion in FY27, and more than 75c in every aid dollar directed to the Asia Pacific. However, aid has slipped to 0.63% of the national budget — a historic low — while an additional $53 billion will be spent on defence over the next decade. With more than 240 million adolescent girls in the region facing crises, Plan says this was a key moment to invest in girls, and that moment has been missed.
“This budget is a missed opportunity to have made Australia’s aid dollars work even harder through targeted investment in adolescent girls, generations of which are now at risk of falling even further through the cracks.” — Susanne Legena, CEO, Plan International Australia
Historic child support reforms a win, but frontline funding still missing, says Women’s Legal Services Australia
WLSA welcomes the $182.6 million commitment to address the weaponisation of the child support system, describing it as one of the most significant actions taken against systems abuse in Australia’s recent history. The investment responds to Commonwealth Ombudsman findings confirming perpetrators were strategically exploiting the system to continue coercion and harm after separation. Up to 90% of women seeking support in relation to domestic and family violence have experienced financial abuse. However, WLSA says targeted investment in women’s legal services is missing, with services already forced to turn away around 1,000 women a week.
“Investment in making the child support system safer and tackling the shocking levels of financial abuse is both the right thing to do and the smart economic decision.” — Adrianne Walters, Executive Director, Women’s Legal Services Australia
NDIS cuts a devastating blow for women with disability, says Women With Disabilities Australia
WWDA says the Budget is a devastating blow for women, girls, and gender-diverse people with disability, with deep NDIS cuts set to leave more women without essential support and facing higher out-of-pocket costs. Women already make up just 38% of NDIS participants, are exiting the Scheme at greater rates than men, and are twice as likely as women without disabilities to experience violence. WWDA warns cuts to social and community participation supports will be especially damaging for women and girls in group homes and segregated settings, where isolation already increases risk of violence, abuse and neglect. It welcomes funding for Disability Representative Organisations to support consultation on reforms.
“You cannot claim to prioritise women’s safety while cutting the supports that make safety and wellbeing for women with disability possible.” — Sophie Cusworth, CEO, Women With Disabilities Australia
Family violence funding welcome but clarity needed on rollout, says First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence
FNAAFV welcomes the Government’s $218.3 million over five years to support the Our Ways Strong Ways Our Voices: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence 2026–2036, alongside $167.6 million over four years for up to 40 culturally safe frontline ACCOs to support families and help prevent the removal of children. The peak body also welcomes ongoing funding for the National Access to Justice Partnership. However, FNAAFV says further detail is needed on support specifically allocated for Aboriginal women impacted by family violence, and was hopeful for funding for an Early Child Protection Notification and Referral Scheme.
“We call on the government to work with FNAAFV and the specialist FVPLS sector to identify which 40 ACCO’s will receive funding under this announcement.” — Kerry Staines, Chief Executive Officer, First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence
Health reform for nurses remains unfinished business, says Australian College of Nursing
ACN says nurses around Australia will need to stay patient beyond this Budget for significant nursing reforms and funding announcements. The College acknowledges housing affordability and cost-of-living relief must be priorities, but says support for nurses cannot be delayed further. ACN welcomes expanded MBS access for nurse practitioners and midwives, the decision to fully subsidise personal care in aged care, and the funding boost making Urgent Care Clinics permanent. The College urges the Government to release the National Nursing Workforce Strategy, implement the Cormack Review into the scope of practice, and scale registered nurse prescribing.
“Big-picture health reform, especially for nurses and nursing, remains unfinished business.” — Dr Zach Byfield, Acting CEO, Australian College of Nursing
Women need support to progress in tech, not just enter it, says Women in ICT
Women in ICT welcomes continued investment in initiatives supporting women’s participation in STEM, particularly those aimed at students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. But with technology and AI continuing to reshape the workforce, WIC says there is a growing need to ensure women are not only entering the sector but supported to remain and progress into leadership roles. Programs like WIC’s Work Experience Connection Program, which connect students to real-world ICT experience, are critical to building a more inclusive tech pipeline and a future workforce equipped to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving digital economy.
“Building a more inclusive tech pipeline requires sustained investment, not just in education, but in pathways that connect students to real-world experience and long-term career opportunities.” — Josephine Calabria, President, Women in ICT
A missed opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, says SNAICC
The Budget 2026 is a missed opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, one that had community-led solutions ready and waiting, says SNAICC, the National Voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. While the organisation welcomed the funding for Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices and dedicated workforce funding in Thriving Kids, it says too many critical programs have been left without a stable future which will impact our children and their families.
“At a time when our children, families and services are facing increasing and often unwarranted scrutiny, it’s disheartening to see the Federal Government failing to back programs we know will make a huge difference to our community.” — Catherine Liddle, SNAICC CEO
Budget misses the real crisis in Australian homes, says No to Violence
No to Violence, the peak body for organisations committed to ending men’s use of family violence, says the Budget delivers piecemeal cost-of-living relief while failing to address one of the biggest drivers of instability and financial insecurity in Australian homes: family violence. The organisation acknowledges positive investments, including the $182.6 million Child Support Scheme reform and $218.3 million over five years for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence. But it warns the Budget relies heavily on repackaging previous announcements rather than delivering the scale of new investment required.
“For women and children trapped in violent homes, tonight’s budget offers them no relief. This Government has chosen tinkering at the edges over the serious investment needed to stop violence before it escalates.” — Phillip Ripper, CEO, No to Violence
Skills recognition reform welcome but offshore detention costs blowing out, says Refugee Council of Australia
RCOA welcomes the $81.1 million allocated over four years to Trades Recognition Australia to improve skills assessments, calling it an important first step towards addressing systemic barriers facing migrants and refugees who experience significant de-skilling after arrival. However, RCOA is alarmed that estimated actual expenditure on offshore detention in 2025–26 will reach $971.6 million — 67.3% higher than allocated. This is the seventh blowout in 13 years, with cumulative spending since 2012 totalling over $14.35 billion. Despite unprecedented global displacement, the Refugee and Humanitarian Program remains at 20,000 places, the level set in 2023–24.
“While successive governments have spoken about the importance of restraint on spending and fiscal responsibility, the capacity to spend eyewatering amounts of money on warehousing people that sought our protection never ceases to astound and disappoint.” — Paul Power, co-Chief Executive Officer, Refugee Council of Australia
Offshore detention costs near $1 billion while asylum seekers remain banned from working, says Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
The ASRC says the Albanese Government has allowed offshore detention spending to blow out by almost $400 million, approaching $1 billion this financial year, while again failing to deliver meaningful support for refugees. An increase to the Status Resolution Support Services payment reverses just 2% of cuts made under Peter Dutton, leaving recipients on $44 a day — well below Centrelink rates and the poverty line. The ASRC welcomes the new Skills Migration Commissioner and $85.2 million for skills assessments but notes nearly 13,000 people seeking asylum living in the community are still banned from working.
“The Government is allowing spending on offshore detention to spiral towards a billion dollars this year, while thousands of people seeking asylum are left destitute in the Australian community, and the tiny number who do get support are forced to survive on just $44 a day.” — Jana Favero, Deputy CEO, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.
Budget fails the climate test and stops short on inequality, says Oxfam Australia
Oxfam welcomes significant steps to wind back capital gains tax settings that have unfairly benefited wealthy investors but says grandfathering negative gearing means inequality is being baked in. The Budget misses critical opportunities on First Nations equity — First Nations people make up 3% of Australians yet receive just 1% of the $800 billion budget — and falls short on climate, with $46 billion in fossil fuel subsidies prioritised over the forward estimates and no gas export tax. Oxfam welcomes the maintained aid investment but notes the proportion of overall budget spending has dropped to 0.63%.
“This Budget fails the climate test and misses the opportunity to raise billions for cost-of-living relief and to help communities here and across the Pacific respond to worsening climate impacts.” — Jennifer Tierney, Chief Executive Officer, Oxfam Australia
Budget fails to deliver hip pocket relief for early education and care, says The Parenthood
The Parenthood says the Budget was a missed opportunity to provide substantive support to the families of 1.4 million children paying out-of-pocket for early childhood education and care, now the second-largest household expense after housing. The Budget is also silent on the future of the Worker Retention Payment, leaving 260,000 educators unsure whether wages will go backwards in November. The Parenthood welcomes the child support reforms, cost-of-living relief through fuel excise, tax offsets, Medicare and PBS measures, and the commitment to begin consultation toward a national Early Education and Care Commission, which it has long called for.
“We know this government is committed to the goal of universal access to early childhood education and care, so it is disappointing to see there is no relief in this budget for families managing exorbitant out-of-pocket costs for an essential service.” — Georgie Dent, CEO, The Parenthood
Lack of long-term wage funding puts early learning workforce at risk, says Australian Childcare Alliance
The ACA, the peak body for early learning services supporting more than 360,000 families, is concerned about the absence of any wage funding commitment in the Budget. The current Worker Retention Payment ends 30 November 2026, with the Fair Work Commission’s gender-based undervaluation decision lifting award rates only 10% by July 2026 — short of the 15% currently funded under the WRP. Service viability is a growing concern, evidenced by the recent closure of 40 G8 services. The ACA also welcomes a slight increase in funding for the Inclusion Support Program.
“Certainty beyond the immediate funding period will be critical to giving providers the confidence they need to plan, invest in their workforce and continue delivering for their communities.” — Paul Mondo, President, Australian Childcare Alliance
Budget rebalances housing and tax in favour of workers and young people, says Australian Unions
Australian Unions welcomes the Budget as one of fairness for workers, with changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax it says rebalance the scales in favour of young people and workers. The Budget includes $2 billion in enabling infrastructure to support 65,000 new homes, a permanent $250 tax offset under the new Working Australians Tax Offset, fairer taxation of discretionary trusts, and the $14.8 billion Strengthening Australia’s Fuel Resilience package. Unions led the push to reform Howard-era taxes that have driven house prices up by more than 400% — almost twice as fast as average earnings.
“This is a budget that finally tackles a system that’s been taxing work harder than taxing wealth.” — Michele O’Neil, ACTU President