At least 32 people dead after a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the southern Philippines; Disability advocates call for an extension of a Senate inquiry into proposed reforms of the National Disability Insurance Scheme; And in the AFL, Melbourne defeats Collingwood by eight points at the MCG.
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TRANSCRIPT
- At least 32 people dead after a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the southern Philippines.
- Disability advocates call for an extension of a Senate inquiry into proposed reforms of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
- And in the AFL, Melbourne defeats Collingwood by eight points at the MCG.
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 200 injured after a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern Philippines.
The quake triggered a tsunami of up to one metre along parts of the coast, damaged buildings and infrastructure, and forced the temporary closure of General Santos Airport.
Authorities say most of the casualties occurred in collapsed or damaged structures, with several people still missing.
Local Jojo Calma was driving his motorcycle in front of a building when it collapsed.
“My tears started to fall. It was the first time I experienced something that strong, that I really couldn’t stop myself from tearing up. I thought about my children and my niece, what if something had happened to them. Thank God they’re okay, but my sibling’s house collapsed.”
Aftershocks as strong as magnitude 6.5 have been recorded, while smaller tsunami waves were detected in Indonesia, Palau and Japan.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says the tsunami threat has passed as emergency crews continue to assess the extent of the damage.
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Iran and Israel have announced they will stop striking each other, following a day of missile exchanges.
The two countries halted attacks after an appeal from US President Donald Trump, though Tehran said it would resume strikes if Israel continued to hit Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The 24-hour wave of attacks was the most direct confrontation between Iran and Israel since an April ceasefire and threatened to damage efforts to reach an agreement between the US and Iran to end the three-month-long war.
Feelings were mixed in Tel Aviv after the halt was announced with some saying Israel is defending its people and others, including Entrepreneur Gal Nakash, saying there was nothing gained from the latest attacks.
"These 12 hours of missiles are a waste of time for us. We didn't get anything out of that. The Iranians got what they want, which is, create an equation between Lebanon and Tel Aviv. So basically now Israel is locked in terms of Lebanon and locked in terms of Iran. So, we basically lost."
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New analysis from Anglicare suggests the current rate of JobSeeker payments is leaving a single person $251 dollars short of meeting their basic needs every week.
Anglicare’s 2026 Cost of Living Index also found a couple with two children on JobSeeker payments falls behind by $428 per week, or $174 for a single parent on Parenting Payment.
Anglicare Executive Director Kasy Chambers says the research compared basic weekly costs for food, rent, and other essentials with the rate of welfare payments.
She says rising inflation and living costs hit those with the least the hardest.
"We're not suggesting that somebody is rocketing backwards by $428 a week, but what it does mean and what Anglicare Australia member services see every day is families who are accessing their emergency relief services. It's families and households who are coming to food banks. It's people who are not filling medical prescriptions.”
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Disability advocates are calling on the government to extend a Senate inquiry into reforms proposed for the National Disability Insurance Scheme ahead of public hearings today.
More than a third of the savings in the Federal Government’s budget in May come from cuts to the NDIS, but some disability advocates say they feel disregarded and left behind.
A bill before the parliament is currently being examined by the Senate inquiry, which is due to report on June 16, just one month after it was established.
The CEO of the Disability Advocacy Network of Australia, Emma Bennison, will address the inquiry.
”Yeah, people with disability really feel as though they have been shortchanged, because, you know, we haven't had the opportunity for effective scrutiny of the reforms, we haven't had sufficient time to scrutinise those reforms, and I think probably most egregious is the fact that the reform process itself and the inquiry process itself is inherently inaccessible.”
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And in the AFL,
Melbourne has defeated Collingwood by eight points in front of more than 88,000 fans at the MCG on a day dedicated to the memory of Neale Daniher.
Players from both clubs formed a circle before the match and the crowd erupted in applause as part of the annual Big Freeze fundraiser, held a fortnight after Daniher's death from motor neurone disease.
Kysaiah Pickett kicked the sealer in the final minute, while Bayley Fritsch booted three late goals to help the Demons secure the 12.11 (83) to 11.9 (75) victory.
But the result was overshadowed by a serious injury to Collingwood forward Brody Mihocek, who was taken to hospital after his head struck the turf during a tackle in the second quarter.
The 33-year-old was able to move his arms and communicate with medical staff before leaving the field.
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