TRANSCRIPT:
- Penny Wong condemns the deaths of Palestinians in an Israeli air strike;
- Labor declares it's working with the Reserve Bank to bring down inflation;
- Australia names its flagbearers for the Paris Olympic Games closing ceremony.
A man has died after a house fire in Sydney’s west last week.
The 71 year passed away in Nepean Hospital after being taken there in a critical condition on Tuesday.
Police say he sustained his injuries in a house fire in Kingswood, near Penrith.
A 63-year-old man has been charged over the fire and the matter remains before the courts.
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Foreign Minister Penny Wong has condemned the deaths of about 100 civilians after Israel's air strike on a school compound in Gaza City.
Israel has defended the attack, saying around 20 militants had been operating at the Al-Tabeen school compound.
But Senator Wong says innocent Palestinians "cannot continue" to pay the price of defeating Hamas.
She says Israel must comply with international humanitarian law.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticised Peter Dutton for shifting the Liberal Party towards the right since taking over its leadership.
Speaking from South Australia, the Prime Minister has said members of the Opposition have made morally ambiguous quotes that further ignite social division.
Mr Albanese highlighted a recent tweet by Liberal Senator Gerard Rennick, who said institutionalised childcare is used to brainwash children with quote "the woke mind virus."
Mr Albanese says these kinds of opinions do not help society move forward.
"I think the shift to the right that we've seen from the LNP over a period of time and over Peter Dutton's leadership, where you have cookers like Senator Rennick being able to express views that are completely out of touch with modern Australian society, need to be called out. This isn't a fringe dweller. This is someone who'll be sitting in the Senate this week and voting on legislation."
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Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt says the federal government cannot intervene in Reserve Bank's decisions on interest rates but that it can have a supporting role.
Early in the week, the R-B-A's board announced its decision to keep interest rates on hold at 4.35 per cent, but said lowering them was not an option for the immediate future.
Senator Watt has told Sky News, both the government and the R-B-A are doing their best.
"I think the government and the RBA are as at one in terms of fighting inflation. They've got a role to play, so do we. And the best thing we can do is to continue with that surplus budget that we've already put in place, delivering cost-of-living pressure that is taking pressure off inflation, while the RBA does its job as well."
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Kaylee McKeown and Matt Wearn will be Australia's flag bearers at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics - and they say they're honoured to be given the privilege.
McKeown, who won five medals in Paris while breaking multiple records, says she was pleasantly surprised to receive the call.
"I wasn't expecting this at all. When I got a missed call from Anna (Meares, Chef de Mission), I was like 'Oh no! What have I done wrong?' So it was such a nice surprise and a relief. It was brilliant news and I couldn't be more excited. I think it's such an honour and such a moment that I'll never forget in my lifetime."
Sailor Matt Wearn, who won gold in the men's dinghy, says that to be a part of Australian history is a dream come true for him.
"Very much similar situation. I think (if) you see Anna's name pop up on your phone screen, you think 'What's going on here?' I thought she was just calling to congratulate me on the gold medal but yeah, very emotional time. I think it's obviously something that you, in some sense, dream of. Obviously going to the Olympics in itself is fantastic. But then, you see the great people that have been part of Australian history at the Olympics. That have walked out with the flag in both opening and closing ceremonies. And to be a part of that is pretty special."
