TRANSCRIPT:
- Israel to resume negotiations for the release of hostages in Gaza
- Treasurer Jim Chalmers thanks participants of productivity summit for reform directions
- AFL chief Andrew Dillon acknowledges more efforts are needed to counter homophobia
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will resume negotiations for the release of hostages in Gaza and an end to the nearly two-year war, but only on terms acceptable to Israel.
It was his first response to a ceasefire proposal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and accepted by Hamas on Monday.
Addressing troops near the Gaza border, Mr Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s plan to defeat Hamas and capture Gaza City, approved by the security cabinet earlier this month despite calls from allies to step back.
At the same time, the Israeli military has urged medical officials and international organisations in northern Gaza to evacuate ahead of an expanded offensive.
In Gaza City, dozens of Palestinians staged a protest against the war and forced displacement, including Amjad Al-Shawa, Director of the Palestinian N-G-O Network.
"We have lost more than 10 per cent of our population, 85 per cent of our buildings and facilities, and many of our cultural and historical landmarks. Gaza today is threatened with total destruction. Our Palestinian people must be spared the consequences.”
**
Russia has launched one of its biggest aerial attacks of 2025 at Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Force says 574 drones and 40 missiles were fired.
The overnight attack mostly targeted western regions of the country, with the strikes killing at least one person and injuring 15 others.
Western parts of Ukraine are far from the battlefield's front line in the east and south of the country.
Much of the military aid provided by Ukraine's Western allies is believed to be transported and stored there.
It was Russia's third-largest aerial attack in 2025 in terms of the number of drones fired and the eighth-largest in terms of missiles, according to official figures.
**
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has wrapped up the government's economic reform roundtable by thanking business, union and civil society leaders who contributed.
He says 29 hours of conversation, and 327 contributions by attendees, has produced ten 'reform directions' that the government intends to pursue.
"So the 10 reform directions were, first of all, progress towards a single national market, which is how we improve the federation, modernise the federation; the second one is about simplifying trade and reforming tariffs; the third one was better regulation and how we cut the clutter when it comes to reg; the fourth one was speeding up approvals in national priority areas; fifth one was building more homes more quickly."
The remaining five reform directions are making artificial intelligence a national priority, attracting capital and deploying investment, building a skilled and adaptable workforce, improving the tax system, and modernising government services.
**
Opposition Treasury Spokesperson Ted O'Brien has offered his recommendations to Treasurer Jim Chalmers as the government's economic roundtable wraps up.
Mr O'Brien says the government should commit to time-bound targets to reduce regulation, and introduce rules to contain spending and support budget repair.
He also raised questions around the cost of Australia's energy policy.
"My recommendation to the government is that it should do something it's never done before, which is a total system cost analysis to find the cheapest pathway possible to have an electricity grid that it can manage that has to be reliable and decarbonise over time. I am concerned that the government is going to double down on an energy policy which is already failing."
The Coalition is currently reviewing its policies, including on Australia's net-zero targets, with prominent Liberal and Nationals M-Ps pushing to abandon the key climate goals.
That review is set to report by the end of the year, but both Coalition parties have already agreed to continue their push for an end to Australia's ban on nuclear power.
**
And now to sport, AFL chief Andrew Dillon has acknowledged the code has more work to do after six players have been suspended within 16 months for using homophobic slurs.
This week Adelaide's Izak Rankine copped a four-game ban for homophobic comments directed at an un-named Collingwood player.
Rankine has since apologised for his behaviour, saying it has no place either in football or the community.
Mr Dillon says the language Rankine used was "offensive, hurtful, and highly inappropriate".
"I know people in the LGBTIQ+ community are hurting when an incident like this occurs. One incident is one too many, and the fact there have been multiple incidents over the last 18 months, shows there is still much work to do. Players get taunted players get provoked but when the line is crossed, then the accountability. And in this instance, Isaac is paying a significant price."
