TRANSCRIPT:
- States and territories meet to demand more hospital funding from the federal government;
- Donald Trump defends the Saudi Crown Prince as the leader visits the White House;
- The Socceroos lose to Colombia in New York.
State and territory leaders have met to break a deadlock on federal hospital funding.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler promised to cover 42.5 per cent of public hospital running costs by 2030 and 45 per cent by 2035, in a deal struck in late 2023.
The state leaders have agreed at today's meeting that the pledge must be honoured to address ambulance ramping, extensive surgery wait times and widespread staff burnout.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says there's concern they have not been getting the support that's needed - but Anthony Albanese says his government is offering more than enough money.
"What we have on the table is an increased amount of funding... We currently have 20 billion dollars on the table... 20 billion dollars is a substantial increase in health funding for hospitals."
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The New South Wales premier has condemned an allegedly racially motivated assault of a man in western Sydney.
The man of Indian background was allegedly attacked at Westfield Parramatta.
Chris Minns says no-one should ever be targeted or intimidated because of their background or identity.
His comments have come as his government introduced a new bill on hate crimes in the state, to ban behaviour that shows support for Nazi ideology and giving police more power to unmask them.
"We want to make sure, and help the police, with big, bright lines, so that it doesn't come down to arbitrary judgments on a random Saturday afternoon, given everything else the police have to do as well."
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One of the world's biggest gaming platforms - Roblox - will ask users to verify their age after Australia's online safety regulator threatened multimillion dollar fines.
The company's Chief Safety Officer Mat Kaufman says all users will be asked to submit to age-estimation technology under its changes, with checks provided by US firm Persona.
"Safety is fundamental to everything we do at Roblox... Roblox is the first online platform to require age estimation for all users who access communication. Now once you're age-checked you'll be able to communicate on Roblox with other people in similar age groups."
But eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says the restrictions are only being introduced after its negotiations with Roblox, in which they were threatened with fines for failing to prevent harm, amid concerns it was becoming a playground for pedophiles.
She says eSafety reached out to them with a formal warning, which then turned into a negotiation which they had to comply with by the end of December.
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US President Donald Trump has come to the defence of Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to the White House, insisting the Saudi prince knows nothing about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in 2018.
His fierce defence of the visiting Saudi crown prince contradicts a US intelligence assessment over the murder of the Washington Post columnist, which concluded bin Salman approved the capture or killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Trump chided the reporter who asked the Khashoggi question - which was also paired with an inquiry about the Trump's family's business interests in Saudi Arabia, and whether the president considered that to be a conflict of interest.
TRUMP: “Who are you with?
REPORTER: "I'm with ABC News, sir."
TRUMP: "YYou're with who?"
REPORTER: "ABC News, sir."
TRUMP: "Fake news, ABC fake news, one of the worst, one of the worst in the business. But I'll answer your question. I have nothing to do with the family business. I have left and when I - I've devoted a hundred percent of my energy. What my family does is fine."
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Authorities have delivered an initial report into how a cargo plane skidded off the runway in Hong Kong, killing two airport workers.
The report from Hong Kong's Air Accident Investigation Authority says the Turkish-operated cargo plane that skidded off the runway at Hong Kong's international airport last month experienced an acceleration in one of its four engines after landing.
But the full cause of the crash still needs to be determined.
The Investigation Authority says it's collecting further data including technical issues related to the aircraft's systems, engineering issues, maintenance records and flight crew qualifications.
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There's a push for more Australian men to visit the doctor more often.
It's International Men's Day today.
And Independent M-P David Pocock says it's a day to reflect on the idea that Australian men should start treating themselves like they treat their cars.
"If we can get ten per cent more of Aussie blokes to go and see a G-P and get a blood test every twelve months, we will save thousands and thousands of lives. We have just got to get them to go and make that first initial step, to take that plunge, and put them into an uncomfortable position, and go and see that G-P. Because so many men just aren't seeing them, because they think there is nothing wrong. We service our cars every ten thousand kilometres, or twelve months. We don't service ourselves."
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To sport and in football news,
The Socceroos have lost to Colombia, three goals to nothing, in New York.
All three goals were scored in the final fifteen minutes - the first time the Socceroos have conceded three goals in that fashion since 1968.
The loss marks a disappointing international window for Australia, as they continue preparations for next year's World Cup.
They lost to Venezuela, one goal to nothing, in Houston last Saturday.
