Radio National Breakfast

Calls for repairs going unanswered, mould in the walls, or landlords withholding bond.

These are just some of the stories being told by some of the millions of renters in Australia.

But for some it can be be difficult to challenge a landlord and know all your legal rights.

In Victoria lawyer Noel Lim saw this gap in the system and decided to build a solution.

Guest: Noel Lim, founding CEO of Anika Legal 

Pacific nations have seen a devastating rise in rates of HIV and AIDS, with Fiji alone recording hundreds of new cases this year.A United Nations report has found an uncounted number of people have died globally from AIDS, and 2,500,000 people have lost access to medicine to block the spread of HIV since cuts to USAID programs by the Trump administration. Ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1, the Albanese Government will financially support a $48 million program in the Pacific region to manage the crisis.

Tasmania's fiscal future is back in the spotlight, after the state's credit rating dropped to the lowest in the country, alongside the Northern Territory.

Moody's Ratings downgraded Tasmania from Aa2 (negative) to Aa3 - flagging a sharp rise in the state's debt and interest burdens. 

Shadow Minister for Housing Andrew Bragg says Australia's ongoing housing crisis cannot be blamed on the nation's migration intake. 

As the Coalition mulls its immigration policy, Senator Bragg says "even if you cut migration to zero, you'd still have a whopping housing crisis".

Last week,  Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonno Duniam said housing construction numbers should be considered when determining a migration intake number.

• Guest: Andrew Bragg, Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Productivity and Deregulation
• Producer: Isadora Bogle

New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows annual inflation rose to 3.8 per cent last month, while electricity costs rose 37.1 per cent in the 12 months to October.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers acknowledged the "introduction and removal of energy rebates" at both the federal and state level had "an impact" on electricity costs while stressing electricity rebates are "not a permanent feature" of the government's budget. 

It comes as Minister for Finance, Katy Gallagher, clarifies the details of Labor's cost-saving directive to federal departments and agencies. 

• Guest: Katy Gallagher, Minister for Finance
• Producer: Isadora Bogle

Optus crews spent hours repairing a mobile phone outage for more than 14,000 services yesterday.

The telco says vandals attempting to steal copper had cut several fibre cables in Melbourne's south-east.

It's the third Optus outage in recent months.

• Guest: Professor Allan Fels, former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

A sizzling barbecue and summer go hand in hand for many Aussies, but this year it might cost you more.

The most recent data from Meat and Livestock Australia shows the cost of beef and lamb is at the highest level since mid-20-22.

But farmers say prices are reasonable when compared globally. 

• Guest: Ripley Atkinson, Australian Meats and Livestock Manager at StoneX 
• Producers: Brooke Young and Jason Whittaker

The United States says there are signs of progress in peace negotiations over Ukraine, as it prepares to send a delegation to Moscow next week, for talks with the Kremlin.

Ukraine says it will keep working on the US-backed plan, while European leaders warn the process could still lean too far in Russia's favour.

Meanwhile, US Peace Envoy Steve Witkoff is under scrutiny after a leaked phone call to the Kremlin appeared to show him coaching a Russian official on how to appeal to US President Trump.

• Guest: Maria Zolkina, a political analyst and head of Regional Security and Conflict Studies at Ukraine's Democratic Initiatives Foundation
• Producer: Anne Barker 

Today is the final sitting day of Parliament, and Labor needs to strike a deal with either the Greens or the Coalition to get its environmental reforms through the Senate.

In the latest offer to the Greens, the government says it's willing to amend its legislation to ensure native forestry complies with the proposed new National Environmental Standards within three years.

Currently, Regional Forestry Agreements are exempt from the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

• Guest: James Felton-Taylor, owner and managing director of Australian Sustainable Timbers
• Producer: Eddy Diamond

Britain's Chancellor Rachel Reeves has handed down a high-stakes national budget overnight, which the government hopes will boost economic growth, reduce child poverty and ease cost-of-living pressures.

Ms Reeves is under pressure from within her own party and from the business sector after weeks of government leaks, policy backflips and internal disputes over welfare and income tax.

Analysts warn the budget may not be enough to restore confidence, with fears that sluggish growth and rising debt could undermine the government's plan.

• Guest: Anna Gross, political reporter at Britain's Financial Times newspaper
• Producer: Anne Barker