The RBA hikes interest rates to a 15-year high; The government assisting the family of an Australian man detained in Cambodia; The NRL makes a major call on who will referee the rugby league grand final on Sunday.
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TRANSCRIPT:
- The RBA hikes interest rates to a 15-year high;
- The government assisting the family of an Australian man detained in Cambodia;
- The NRL makes a major call on who will referee the rugby league grand final on Sunday.
The Reserve Bank's monetary policy board has voted to raise the cash rate to 4.6 per cent — a 15 year high.
The 0.25 percentage point hike is the fourth this year and was widely anticipated by all major banks and many economists.
It means mortgage holders will shoulder hundreds of dollars more in monthly repayments compared to the start of the year.
Director of Data Insights director Sally Tindall has told SBS on the Money that people who may be struggling to meet higher repayments should contact their bank to discuss hardship options.
"Legally they are required to help you, and they can sit down and work through what your options might be. Ideally, a rate review and a rate reduction, but it could also mean switching over to interest-only payments for a period of time, extending out your loan term, or putting a pause on your repayments altogether. Just know, these options, they all have long-term stings in the tail, and so it's important to get independent financial advice as well."
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Fears are growing for an Australian activist missing in Cambodia.
The Australian Alliance to combat Human Trafficking co-founder Tran Hiep was due to meet up with his wife in Bangkok after travelling to Phnom Penh in Cambodia, to meet with human rights activists.
But the 50-year-old Melbourne man never boarded his flight and has not been heard from since September 18.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government is providing consular assistance.
"We are continuing to deal including engage with family involved and provide consular assistance. That's what Australian governments do with our citizens. And we will continue to engage directly with the family."
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OpenAI has apologised for a rogue artificial intelligence agent that hacked Australian government portals earlier this year.
It's released a statement saying it is working to do better in the future, after the breaching of a range of services including the Services Australia Medicare Statistics Reporting Service, the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Victorian Department of Health, and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The company has also apologised for its handling of the response, which included taking a month to alert Australian officials of the breach once it was discovered in August.
Open AI says its aim had been to give affected agencies a detailed account once their investigation was complete.
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At least two people have died and 40 others rescued after a makeshift boat capsized several miles from a tiny, uninhabited island west of Puerto Rico.
The US Coast Guard says survivors have reported at least 60 people were on board.
The Coast Guard says the boat capsized after a fight in which people were severely injured by a machete, leading the group to jump into the water without life vests.
It's not clear where the people were from but migrants fleeing poverty and violence have long traveled from Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, to Puerto Rico and other islands.
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Pope Leo XIV has addressed the Catholic Church's handling of sexual abuse after meeting seven survivors during a four-day visit to France.
The French Bishops’ Conference says the group included people who were abused as minors or adults in Catholic schools, parishes and religious congregations.
Several survivors had called on the Vatican to take further action against clergy sexual abuse as the Independent National Authority for Recognition and Reparation deals with almost 2,000 people who have come forward over the past five years.
Pope Leo says the church has a responsibility to deal with the issue.
"When it happens within the church, it actually has another whole dimension added to it because people's lives of faith are deeply wounded and sometimes even destroyed. So, there's a particular responsibility of the church to walk with them and to help them seek healing."
[[If you or someone you know needs support, contact Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25). More information is available at beyondblue.org.au and lifeline.org.au.
Anyone seeking information or support relating to sexual abuse can contact Bravehearts on 1800 272 831 or Blue Knot on 1300 657 380.
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A 20-year-old constable killed during a pursuit in Sydney will be honoured alongside Victorian officers murdered at a rural property, as part of annual police remembrance commemorations.
Mia Lay's name will be added to the National Police Memorial Wall in Canberra alongside the two Victorian officers killed at Porepunkah in August last year.
832 touchstones are engraved on the memorial wall to represent the police lives lost since records began in 1803.
Victorian Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill says officers risk their lives everyday to help the community.
"They arrive at their police stations on a daily basis, they put on their uniforms. They deploy within their communities, knowing full well that they stand in harms way to protect the community."
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To sport and in NRL news,
Some major developments ahead of a massive weekend.
Referee Ashley Klein will have no role to play at the rugby league grand final.
Klein has been dropped from the officiating line up after several controversial decisions over the past couple of months.
Instead, Adam Gee has been promoted to referee his second NRL decider between the Sydney Roosters and the Newcastle Knights on Sunday.
