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TRANSCRIPT:
- Liberal leader Angus Taylor unveils his new shadow frontbench;
- U-S civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson dies in the US at the age of 84;
- Cronulla prop Addin Fonua-Blake sets his sights on the State of Origin series.
Immigration policy looks set to dominate discussions within the Coalition as Liberal leader Angus Taylor reveals his new frontbench.
As expected, Mr Taylor has rewarded some of his conservative backers, bringing Sarah Henderson, Jacinta Price and Andrew Hastie back into shadow cabinet.
Several moderate allies of former leader Sussan Ley have been dropped, including Anne Ruston, Alex Hawke and Paul Scarr, while Mr Taylor's deputy, Jane Hume, will assume responsibility for employment and industrial relations.
Tasmanian conservative Claire Chandler is taking on the finance portfolio, while moderate MP Tim Wilson has been given Treasury, saying he wants to restore economic hope.
"We need a government with an economic focus that is actually going to be in the best interests of Australians, to lower the cost of living, protect living standards and drive the economic dynamism so that the next generation of Australians can look forward with hope."
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A man has been charged with murder after a fatal stabbing in the western Sydney suburb of Merrylands.
A 38 year old died in the attack at a mini-mall business yesterday ((Tue)) that also left two others seriously injured.
The 25 year old man is due to appear before Parramatta Local Court later today.
New South Wales Police Superintendent Simon Glasser says he is known to police.
"It's very early in the investigation. Police are unaware at this point what the motive was. However it appears it was a random attack... The male has a history for low level crime, but most of his history with us is mental health-related."
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The United States and Iran are beginning a second round of indirect talks in Geneva aimed at resolving their long-running nuclear dispute amid the looming threat of war.
U-S envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to take part in the negotiations mediated by Oman, alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The U-S is pushing to broaden negotiations to include Iran's missile program as it masses military assets in the region, while Iran is seeking sanctions relief.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to use military force against Iran if it refuses to constrain its nuclear program.
"So I'll be involved in those talks indirectly and they'll be very important. We'll see what can happen. I mean it's been, typically, Iran is a very tough negotiator. They're good negotiators or bad negotiators - I would say they're bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. We had to send the B-2s. I hope, I hope they're going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal."
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An Australian man has been sent to prison for eight years after attempting to smuggle hundreds of live reptiles across the world.
Sydney man Neil Simpson will serve at least five years and four months behind bars before becoming eligible for parole in what authorities say is the longest sentence ever given to an Australian wildlife smuggler.
Authorities say they seized 101 live lizards, skinks and dragons stuffed into calico bags and concealed in popcorn packets, biscuit tins and a handbag during their investigations.
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Veteran United States civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson has died peacefully at the age of 84.
A statement from his family says Reverend Jackson was a servant leader to the oppressed, voiceless and overlooked, with an unwavering belief in justice and equality.
The Baptist minister had been a civil rights activist since the 1960s, when he marched with Martin Luther King Junior and helped fundraise for the cause.
Speaking in 2021, Dr Noelle Trent from the National Civil Rights Museum said Reverend Jackson's legacy, including two presidential runs, had helped reshape America.
"He really did help bring the awareness of the Black political struggle forward. And I don't think that we can underestimate the impact of him, just the act of running. He wasn't fully successful, but I don't know if that mattered, right, that he showed that there were that there's a need for it. That he really did lay the groundwork for Barack Obama to be a viable candidate."
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To sport now and in the NRL,
Cronulla's three-time Dally M Prop of the Year Addin Fonua-Blake has welcomed changes to the eligibility rules for the State of Origin series.
Under the new rules, players can represent New Zealand or the U-K as long as they are already eligible to play for New South Wales or Queensland.
Born in Western Sydney, he was previously blocked from the interstate series because he'd played one Test for New Zealand in 2017.
Fonua-Blake has told Channel Nine he's excited to play for New South Wales if he gets selected.
"Just the physicality, you know, I feel like Origin, the refs are a bit more lenient, and that's the game sort of I fell in love with when I was younger, you know, obviously, the brutality of it all."
