TRANSCRIPT:
- Concern that terror labels are leaving multicultural communities on edge;
- Subsidies being expanded to a lifesaving breast cancer drug;
- Surfing legend Kelly Slater puts on a show on the first day of the Gold Coast Pro.
A federal MP has declared that police and intelligence agencies should consult with multicultural communities before labelling an incident as an act of terror.
Independent MP Dai Le represents the western Sydney electorate of Fowler where a bishop was stabbed during a sermon in April.
She says police need to be aware of what these labels could do to a community, and that it could stoke fear and increase the risk of discrimination against Muslims.
But New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb has told Sky News that this is not about religion.
"I'm not differentiating any community. Certainly the community, all communities and the communities in southwest Sydney have been very good with the police. What we're talking about here is a group of young people that have committed, we allege, and are planning to commit terrorist acts, that is separate to their religion, what community they belong to, so this is not about generalising about a community."
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Twenty soldiers have been killed in an explosion at a military base in Cambodia.
The blast has been identified by local media as a detonation of ammunition stored on an unidentified base in the Kampong Speu province, which is in the southwest of the country.
It is not immediately clear what caused the blast.
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Protesters have made their presence felt at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington D.C.
Hundreds of protesters have heckled administration officials as they entered the building, while also urging journalists arriving for the dinner to boycott it instead.
US president Joe Biden avoided the large protests at the front of the hotel by arriving through a back entrance, but he was still greeted there by smaller groups of demonstrators calling for a ceasefire.
The President's ten minute speech made no mention of Israel's war or of the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but did highlight what Biden said was the threat posed by his Republican rival, Donald Trump.
"The most urgent question of our time is whether democracy is still - is still - the most sacred cause of America. That is the question the American people must answer this year."
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Ukrainian groups have welcomed the news that Australia will contribute more military support to their besieged country, as the Russian invasion continues.
The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations says it's also delighted by the visit to Ukraine of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles.
Co-chair Stefan Romaniw says the visit will sharpen the minister's understanding of what is on the line in this war.
Australian author and Supporters of Ukraine Network member Pete Shmigel says while the Ukrainian community is grateful, more can still be done.
"Australia is about 40 out of 45 countries when it comes to giving to Ukraine, and certainly it can do more. For example, we can have a long term plan on how Australia plans to support Ukraine towards victory. Such a plan would be in the interests of Australia in terms of global peace and prosperity. And in terms of Ukraine, in terms of saving lives and getting back to a normal life that everybody deserves."
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Australians who live with a high risk of breast cancer reoccurring after an early diagnosis will soon pay as little as $7.70 for an expanded treatment that could halt the disease from spreading.
The federal government is expanding subsidies for Verzenio, which up til now has only been available through the pharmaceutical benefits scheme for patients with advanced metastatic cancer.
But oncologists say one in eight patients with early breast cancer are classified as high risk and are three times more likely to have their cancer return as incurable advanced disease.
Medical oncologist at the Peter McCallum Centre, Shaom Goel, says the subsidised drug could now offer new hope to these patients.
"Verzenio is a tablet which we would now like to add to the treatment for certain women, and by doing so we believe it will put cancer cells in their bodies into a state of hibernation and therefore prevent those cancer cells from ever coming back and causing a future problem."
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A dedicated centre will be opened in New South Wales to care for sick and injured koalas.
The $4.5 million centre will be based at the Wildlife Health and Conservation Hospital in southwest Sydney.
New South Wales Environment Minister Penny Sharpe says the government wants future generations to be able to step into bushland in southwestern Sydney and see koalas in the wild.
"The commitment that this government has to protecting that population into the future is extremely strong. We know that koalas are on a bad trajectory in New South Wales. Without really focused efforts we could see, we could lose them from the wild by mid century. We're determined not to do that. "
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Surf legend Kelly Slater has put on a show for fans on the first day of the Gold Coast Pro.
Fans have lined up along the beach at Snapper Rocks to see the 11-time world champion and four-time Gold Coast Pro winner tear up the waves on an ideal day.
