The Loop: Budget revelations for first home buyers, life-threatening weather, why Diana film 'honoured' as worst

Good morning, it's Monday, March 28. Here's what you need to get going today.

One thing to know right now: Budget revelations for first home buyers

On federal budget eve, a few more details are coming out. Here's the latest:

• The government will expand its home guarantee schemes — both the first home guarantee and the family home guarantee
• The programs, which allow first home buyers to purchase a property with a 5 per cent deposit (2 per cent for single parents) without paying lenders mortgage insurance, were set to end in June
• But the government has announced they will continue and more places will be offered
• The full details will be outlined in tomorrow's budget — which includes setting up a new program that will allow Australians and permanent residents to put down a 5 per cent deposit if they're building or purchasing a new home in regional Australia, a scheme similar to what Labor announced earlier this month

The scheme to be extended allows some to skip Lenders Mortgage Insurance with low deposits. (ABC News: Arianna Levy)

• There's also nearly $18 billion for transport infrastructure, to be spread around the country. There'll be $1 billion on the train line between Sydney and Newcastle, $3 billion for key freight projects in Victoria, and more than $1.5 billion for the Brisbane to Sunshine Coast rail extension

One thing you’ll be hearing about today: Rain is back on the flood-hit east coast

• South-east Queensland could face life-threatening heavy rain and storms with locally intense rainfall and landslides today and tomorrow

• The Bureau of Meteorology expects a slow-moving trough to dump heavy rainfall on parts of the south-east on Monday and Tuesday
• And in NSW wet weather is expected to continue for the next few months, the BOM has warned
• Communities in the Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast are again bracing for possible flooding as heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are forecast from later today through to Wednesday.
• The BOM's Jane Golding said while it was too soon to be too definitive about the current weather system, the future looked bleak:

News while you snoozed

Let's get you up to speed.

• Ukraine's President says he's willing to discuss becoming neutral as part of a peace deal — even as another top Ukrainian official accused Russia of aiming to carve the country in two. The head of Ukrainian military intelligence said he believed Russia was trying to split Ukraine to create a Moscow-controlled region after failing to take over the whole country. Kyrylo Budanov said:

Western analysts say Russia's aim to quickly encircle Kyiv has failed as Ukrainian forces hold strong. (Reuters: Marko Djurica)

• Solomon Islands Opposition Leader Matthew Wale says Australia was warned last year China was seeking to negotiate a security deal in the Pacific nation — and he's "extremely disappointed" in Australia for not doing more to stop it
• Max Verstappen has won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to claim his first points of the F1 season. The Dutch driver duelled with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc over the final eight laps -- taking the lead four laps before the chequered flag. Australian Daniel Ricciardo retired with an engine problem

• American safety experts will take part in the Chinese investigation into a Boeing 737 crash last week that killed 132 people. Both black boxes are being examined by experts in Beijing with US air safety experts included in the process due to Boeing being an American company. The flight plummeted from cruising altitude last week, and experts say there is no easy explanation for what likely went wrong

Authorities had difficulty locating the second black box due to heavy rains and muddy conditions near the crash site. (Reuters: Carlos Garcia Rawlins)

The news Australia is searching for

• Melbourne Victory: They beat Sydney FC in the A-League women's grand final, 2-1. It was 0-0 at half-time before Amy Jackson and Catherine Zimmerman scored to give Victory a 2-0 lead

• Kristen Stewart: An early Oscars indication for Best Actress winner? Maybe, but also the Spencer star's interview with UK paper the Mirror (where she talks about her bisexuality) is doing the rounds. She told the paper:

One more thing: Razzies 'honour' the worst film performances

Before we hear who's the *best* in Hollywood (and we'll be live blogging the Oscars action later this morning) it's time to roll out the worst.

Cue the Razzies (where Bruce Willis has his own category).

And the big "winner"?

Diana: The Musical took home five Razzies for Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay (Joe DiPietro and David Bryan), Worst Actress (Jeanna de Waal), Worst Director (Christopher Ashley) and Worst Supporting Actress (Judy Kaye).

Why? Plenty of reasons, but the musical's script was singled out for special attention, particularly lyrics that rhymed "Camilla" with "Manila" and ... "gorilla". Yes.

Jeanna de Waal was awarded the Worst Actress Razzie for her perfomance in Diana: The Musical. (Supplied: Netflix)

While NBA star LeBron James received the Worst Actor award for Space Jam: A New Legacy, he really outdid it to take out Worst Screen Couple — along with "Any Warner Cartoon Character (or WarnerMedia Product)  He Dribbles On" in the film.

Oscar winner Jared Leto received the Worst Supporting Actor Razzie for his widely panned portrayal of Paolo Gucci in Ridley Scott's House of Gucci. 

And (unsurprisingly) Bruce Willis received the Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie Razzie (would have been a shame for him to miss that). It was for Cosmic Sin, for the record.

That's it for now

We'll be back later on with more.

ABC/wires