Key Points
- UN calls for investigation into deaths of Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza
- Australia's minimum wage lifted by 3.5 per cent
- Socceroos prepare to play for a World Cup place this Thursday
TRANSCRIPT
The United Nations says it is appalled by reports Israeli forces have killed dozens of starving Palestinians seeking aid.
Health officials and witnesses in Gaza say Israeli forces opened fire at people attempting to reach an aid distribution site, killing at least three and wounding dozens.
Following reports from Sunday that over 30 people were killed and more than 100 injured while waiting for aid, the UN is demanding an independent probe into the matter.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says the amount of aid entering Gaza must be immediately scaled up.
"It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food. The Secretary-General calls for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable. Israel has a clear obligation on international humanitarian law to agree to and facilitate aid, humanitarian aid."
The Israeli military says it was firing warning shots at people it calls suspects.
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The Fair Work Commission has delivered a 3.5 per cent pay rise for employees on industry awards and minimum wage.
Handing nearly three million low-paid workers a wage rise above inflation, the decision is in line with the federal government's call for a sustainable pay rise.
With concerns now easing over whether a wage increase could further entrench inflation, the commission's president, Adam Hartcher, says it is important to correct the fall in living standards.
Despite being lower than the 4.5 per cent rise suggested by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, council secretary Sally McManus says it is a "great outcome".
"Finally, award wage workers in Australia, our lowest paid workers, are getting ahead again and that's great news. The Fair Work Commission accepted the arguments made by unions that it was time for low wage workers, award workers, to start catching up for what was lost during the inflation spike.”
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Authorities are cracking down on cryptocurrency ATM's and tightening regulations, amid reports of large-scale scamming and money laundering.
Financial regulator AUSTRAC is refusing to renew the license of a crypto ATM operator and is introducing transaction limits and tighter requirements to prevent cybercriminals using the machines to extract money from victims.
Analysis of data from nine crypto ATM providers finds 79 per cent of users were above 50 years old and 29 per cent were between 60 and 70.
AUSTRAC says people in this demographic are over-represented as victims of scam activity.
Sean Foley is a Professor of Applied Finance at Macquarie University.
He says cryptocurrency ATMs have risk more conventional ones don't.
"Crypto ATMs pose a different kind of issue in the sense that you can deposit cash directly into these ATMs. Nobody knows where the cash came from, and you can get cryptocurrencies, which are widely anonymous, use them for any kind of behaviour that you'd like."
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Labor cabinet minister Anne Aly is set to be responsible for the new Office of Multicultural Affairs, established within the Home Affairs Department.
The office will combine the department's existing multicultural affairs agenda, with settlement services and community grants programs.
The department will undergo a consultation period, which will inform which tasks will be taken on by the new office.
Anne Aly became the first female Muslim cabinet minister, when she was promoted in the reshuffle last month.
She tells SBS the new office will be able to work more closely on issues that are important to multicultural Australians.
"To be quite honest with you for too long, multiculturalism has been about citizenship and Immigration. Carving it out from Citizenship and Immigration, whilst recognizing that there are some crossovers there, gives Multicultural Affairs portfolio a standalone remit. "
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Seven men have been arrested in New South Wales over large-scale drug imports and more than 20 million untaxed cigarettes.
The arrest was sparked by a man allegedly boasting about circumventing Australian borders, with authorities hearing about the claims in 2023.
After learning in May that the man was allegedly planning to import 50kg of cocaine from Panama, police moved in.
During raids, police also seized 243 boxes of tobacco.
The seizure comes as Premier Chris Minns questions if the federal excise on tobacco is driving smokers to buy illicit tobacco.
"The federal government expects to raise seven billion dollars in the 25/26 year from excise. They expect to lose seven billion dollars over the next four years. Are they making the case? or is anyone making the case? That the reason for that drop in revenue is because we're expecting a third of smokers to give it up in the next eighteen months. Or is it more likely that they're going to buy illegal tobacco instead."
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In football, Socceroos defender Milos Degenek says the expansion of the World Cup actually makes it more important that Australia seals qualification for the tournament earlier.
The Socceroos can book their spot at next year's World Cup in the last two games of stage three qualifying- at home to Japan in Perth on Thursday night, and then away to Saudi Arabia in Riyadh next Wednesday morning.
Degenek says it's important to avoid the extra work that comes not qualifying from stage three.
“Now that there's more countries at the World Cup, if you don't qualify through this group stage, there's another group stage, you get through that group stage, there's another playoff game. So, there's another almost a year of football if you don't qualify directly. So, hopefully we'll do the job on Thursday."
The top two teams in each Asian group book their World Cup spots early.
Australia is currently in second place in its group, three points ahead of Saudi Arabia.
