TRANSCRIPT
- Debate over hate speech reforms after the Bondi terror attack
- Inflation eases in Australia, but remains above the Reserve Bank's target
- Australian Daniel Sanders retains his lead in the Dakar Rally
The federal opposition says changes to Australia's hate speech laws in response to the Bondi mass shooting should only focus on Islamic extremism and antisemitism.
The federal parliament expected to return this January to pass new religious vilification laws.
The proposed legislation is still being drafted and aims to crack down on hate preachers.
People with Disability Australia and Equality Australia have called for the proposed laws to also cover Australians with disabilities and members of the LGBTIQ+ community.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley says she believes the laws should have a narrow focus.
"I want to be very clear, tackling hate speech is not a licence to go after free speech. There are clear issues that this legislation needs to address. It needs to be targeted to the threats that we face, and those threats are radical Islamic extremism and antisemitism."
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The Bureau of Meteorology says both Victoria and South Australia are experiencing dangerous heatwave conditions as temperatures reach above 40 degrees Celsius.
The Bureau says severe-intensity heatwave conditions are stretching from the north-west to the south-east of the country, with widespread areas facing temperatures in the low to mid 40s.
The Royal Australian College of GPs is advising people in affected areas to stay hydrated, stay indoors and check on other who may be more suscepitble to heat exhaustion.
Sarah Scully - from the Bureau of Meteorology - says people should take steps to minimise the impacts from the heat.
"Now, community impacts with these really high temperatures include that increased risk of bushfires, but as well those heatwave conditions can create uncomfortable sleeping conditions and prevent the body being able to recover from the heat stress of the day and as well creates stress on power and infrastructure."
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Venezuela's Interim President, Delcy Rodríguez has declared seven days of mourning to honour those killed in the US military operation that saw the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
Cuba and Venezuela say 55 Cuban and Venezuelan military personnel were killed during the US raid.
Venezuela's attorney general says "dozens" of civilian and military are dead, without providing a more detailed breakdown.
Ms Rodríguez did not mention a start date for the mourning period, but says now is the time for grieving.
"Here there is no war, because we are not at war. We are a peaceful country that was attacked. So we will carry on on this path. All the Venezuelan people, in national unity, let's go together to stand firm, working for our future and working to defend our history and dignity."
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Australia’s inflation rate has fallen more than expected.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics says over the 12 months to November, headline inflation rose 3.4 per cent - that annual rise is less than the 3.8 per cent figure from the year to October.
Housing accounted for most of the increase, followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages; and transport.
Underlying inflation dropped to 3.2 per cent, from 3.3 per cent in October.
The metric on underlying inflation, dropped down to 3.2 per cent - from 3.3 per cent in October.
That figure is still above the Reserve Bank's target range of between 2 and 3 per cent.
The monetary policy board of the Reserve Bank is meeting early next month to decide on interest rates.
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In sport, Australian Daniel Sanders has extended his overall lead on Stage 3 of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
The defending champion finished third but will take a 67 second advantage into the marathon stage.
He has told SBS, he is preparing as best he can.
"The main thing is to not injure yourself (and) to not damage the bike in marathon stage. You're limited to supplies. The team is not there to fix it all - band aid it all. So yeah, we just try to survive like we did today. And we will check out the terrain and make a game plan. Just go as fast as we can and same old: don't make any mistakes."
