Australians advised not to travel to Gaza as fighting between Israel and Hamas intensifies; Services Australia staff call a 24 hour strike; The first public hearing begins in an inquiry into Victoria's cancellation of the Commonwealth Games.
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TRANSCRIPT:
- Australians advised not to travel to Gaza as fighting between Israel and Hamas intensifies;
- Services Australia staff call a 24 hour strike;
- The first public hearing begins in an inquiry into Victoria's cancellation of the Commonwealth Games.
Israel has pounded the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, killing hundreds of people in retaliation for an attack by Islamist group Hamas.
Israeli air strikes have hit housing blocks, tunnels, a mosque, and homes of Hamas officials in Gaza, killing more than 400 people, including 20 children.
Israel has declared a state of emergency, and extended it from the south of the country near Gaza to the whole nation.
It has also announced power supplies to Gaza - which it controls - has been cut off.
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Australia has updated its travel advice for Gaza, with the alert now standing at do not travel.
The Department of Foreign Affairs says anyone already in the area is advised to exercise a high degree of caution.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says there is still no information about Australians caught up in the fighting.
"I don't have any information at this stage about Australians hospitalised or injured, or any fatalities. But obviously as I said, we are seeking to ascertain the welfare and whereabouts of Australians on the ground."
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Meanwhile Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called on the government to provide information on the measures being taken to protect the Jewish community in Australia.
Several European countries have increased police protection of Jewish communities fearing an increase in anti-Semitic acts as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues.
Mr Dutton says Australia also needs to be ready
"We've seen only in the last 24 hours, incidents in other countries where people have Jewish faith has been targeted. And I would implore the Prime Minister to provide an update to the Jewish community here in Australia, providing an assurance around the additional security and safety measures that have been put in place."
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Investigators are trying to determine what caused a light plane to crash in rural South Australia, killing the pilot and his son.
Major crash officers have been joined at the scene by investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau as they piece together the cause.
The plane crashed into a field after striking power lines at Merriton, 170 kilometres north of Adelaide.
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The education minister says a permanent, independent body to oversee student safety on university campuses might be better than a taskforce.
A parliamentary inquiry found in September that universities' responses to campus assaults were woefully inadequate, and that the sector could not be trusted to address the issue without independent oversight.
Mr Clare says a working group is considering how that oversight might operate, but a taskforce might not be the best solution.
"When I think taskforce, I think about something which is temporary rather than permanent. One of the ideas being considered here is something permanent and something that is independent of government, independent of this place and independent of this place... There's a bit of work to do before a proposal like that comes before me and other education ministers formally but it was floated as an idea at the education ministers meeting last week."
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Staff at Services Australia have gone on strike for 24 hours over a pay dispute.
It's believed that around a third of employees have walked off the job, after talks on a pay increase broke down.
But customers have been assured in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that no payments will be affected during the strike.
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More first time homebuyers are jumping on a federal government scheme as the cost of borrowing surges.
Figures in the latest National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation report indicate one in three first homebuyers have taken advantage of the federal government's home guarantee scheme in the past financial year, when it was one in seven last year.
The housing agency has chalked the growth up to a more challenging purchasing environment, with buyers hit with the most rapid increase in prices and interest rates in 30 years.
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An inquiry into Victoria's cancellation of the Commonwealth Games is holding its first public hearing today, with its first witnesses some of the senior officials involved in organising the event.
Department of Industry and Regions secretary Tim Ada says Premier Jacinta Allan, who was then the minister for the Games delivery, was warned in early March of the cost blow-out.
The Games were ultimately canned on July 18, with then-premier Daniel Andrews saying the event would cost up to $7 billion.
