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- Australia's interest rate increased for the first time in more than two years
- Former Liberal senator Cory Bernardi joins Pauline Hanson's One Nation party
- Wallabies Rugby World Cup matches revealed
The Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted interest rates, bringing the cash rate up from 3.6 per cent to 3.85 per cent.
It's the first time the central bank has hiked the rate in more than two years.
Australia's big four banks and many economists had anticipated an increase, after Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed a rise in inflation last week.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the federal government understands more needs to be done to control inflation and reduce cost-of-living pressures.
"Even though today's decision was expected it doesn't make it any easier for people who are already under pressure, I think I've made that really clear. And we don't just acknowledge that, we're acting on that as a government collectively. We're acting on that with cheaper medicines and tax cuts, more bulk billing, student debt relief and the like. Now if those opposite really cared about the pressure on people around this country, they would have supported that cost of living help."
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Former Liberal senator Cory Bernardi has joined Pauline Hanson's One Nation party.
He is the latest former Coalition member to join her party following Barnaby Joyce's defection from the Nationals in December.
Mr Bernardi is running as a candidate for One Nation at the South Australian election next month.
He says he has been having conversations with Ms Hanson over a number of years, after he quit the federal Senate in 2020.
"There is no doubt that I will stay a member of One Nation. Pauline and my views are aligned. And quite frankly if you look at history, we were both members of the Liberal Party at one point. Pauline has been trying to reshape politics for 30 years. I thought I could reshape politics as well by dragging parties back to where they should be. They don't want that. But right now Pauline Hanson has legacy that is worth defending and is worth building upon."
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The protest restrictions in New South Wales have been extended ahead of a planned visit of Israel's president.
Nationwide protests have been planned against the visit by President Isaac Herzog, who has been invited to visit Australia after the Bondi terror attack in December.
The New South Wales Police Commissioner, Mal Lanyon, has declared the restrictions on applications for approval for public assemblies will be in effect for the next 14 days.
It will apply to the region covered by the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command; and in parts of Sydney’s CBD, excluding Hyde Park.
Premier Chris Minns says a balance must be struck.
"There’s a need to protect both the president, who is an invited guest of Australia, and also regular Australians as they go about their jobs and lives in Sydney next week. And we want to make sure we’re balancing those protections."
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Victoria's government has announced it's allowing general practitioners to diagnose and treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD in adults and children.
Adults in the state can currently only be diagnosed and prescribed medication by a psychiatrist, and children must see a paediatrician or psychiatrist.
Premier Jacinta Allan says that is leading to high out-of-pocket costs and long wait times.
"Too many families are waiting too long. It can take months for some and up to more than a year to receive that first diagnosis and then that repeat visit to get the scripts refilled adds stress as well for these families. But also too it puts additional pressure on our specialists in the system - our paediatricians and our psychiatrists."
The change will be supported with $750,000 allocated to accredited training for an initial 150 GPs by September this year to diagnose and treat ADHD in adults and children.
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To sport,
The Wallabies will kick off the 2027 Rugby World Cup against Hong Kong in Perth on October 1st.
The tournament is being held in Australia for the first time since 2003.
The Wallabies second match will be against the All Blacks in Sydney on October 9, followed by a game against Chile on October 16 in Brisbane.
The expanded 24-team World Cup will feature 52 matches across 19 match days in seven cities - with a shortened pool stage but a new knockout round of 16.
