Key Points
- Greens deal secures Environment Law Reform bill
- Woman killed in shark attack in New South Wales
- Milano Cortina Games torch has been lit
TRANSCRIPT
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has secured a deal with the Greens to overhaul the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
After months of speculation regarding whether the government would strike a deal with the Greens or the Coalition, the suite of reforms is expected to pass through the Senate today.
The reforms include establishing a new National Environment Protection Agency and setting National Environmental Standards.
The amendments are designed to speed up decision-making for national priorities, such as renewable energy and housing.
Simultaneously, they aim to strengthen environmental compliance by increasing penalties for breaches and removing controversial exemptions for high-risk land clearing and regional forest agreements.
Mr Albanese says the reforms have been a long time coming.
"More than five years after Professor Graham Samuel handed down his independent review into the nation's 25-year-old environmental laws that were widely acknowledged as not being fit for purpose, the government's Environment Protection reform bill will be passed by the Senate today."
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A woman is dead after a shark attack at a remote beach on the New South Wales mid-north coast.
Police say that fellow beachgoers unsuccessfully tried to help her before emergency services arrived at the beach in the Crowdy Bay National Park, about an hour south of Port Macquarie, early this morning.
A man has survived being bitten and is in hospital in a critical condition.
Both were aged in their 20s but are yet to be identified.
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Analysts says the Reserve Bank is more likely to hike rates next than cut them, following higher-than-expected inflation data published yesterday.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed consumer prices rose by a higher-than-expected 3.8 per cent in the 12 months to October.
Economists say rising inflation suggests the cash rate is not slowing down the economy, with some tipping the Reserve Bank to raise rates in 2026.
But Labor minister Jason Clare has tried to temper fears, telling the Seven Network the recent rise in inflation is easily explained.
"It's related to the end of energy rebates from the states and if you look at the forecast from the Reserve Bank or from treasury, they're continuing to expect inflation to moderate over the year ahead. But we're under no illusions here ... we know Aussies are doing it tough."
Meanwhile Shadow Treasurer Ted O'Brien has blamed yesterday's inflation figures on the Albanese government, saying it pours too much money into the economy and forces prices up.
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Police have renewed the search for the remains of Samantha Murphy, who disappeared without a trace while on a run in Victoria two years ago.
Detectives are understood to have searched areas around Ballarat, though the exact locations have not been disclosed.
Over the past 12 months, extensive searches for the body of the missing mother have taken place with particular focus on the Enfield State Park, Canadian Forest and Buninyong Bushland Reserve.
The 51-year-old Ballarat woman was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street, to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest on the morning of February 4, 2024.
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In the United States, two National Guard soldiers have been shot near the White House, in what officials described as a targeted ambush.
Authorities say both soldiers are in a critical condition.
The suspect is in custody after suffering gunshot wounds during the attack.
President Donald Trump was in Florida at the time, but has been briefed about the incident, which sent the White House into lockdown as law enforcement from multiple agencies swarmed the area.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene after shots were fired with pedestrians fleeing.
Emma McDonald said she hid in a toilet cubicle.
"So I went to the bathroom, and was going to lock myself in and this family came over to also put their kids inside because you never know what's going to happen in these situations but they said - the people came over and said 'it's fine, this area is, you know, secured' so we felt like it was safe to not lock ourselves in. But at first, that's what everybody's - where everybody's head was at. In that moment."
The motive for the shooting is not immediately clear, but officials say they believe the shooter acted alone.
National Guard soldiers have been in Washington since August, when Mr Trump deployed them to the streets as part of his contentious immigration and crime crackdown targeting Democratic-led cities.
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The torch for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics has been lit in ancient Olympia, which marks the beginning of its around-10-week journey to Milan.
The Olympic torch will visit famous landmarks including the Colosseum in Rome and the Grand Canal in Venice - before entering San Siro stadium in Milan on February 6 for the Games' opening ceremony.
While the event is traditionally held at the stadium where the Games were born in ancient Greece, it moved into a museum due to warnings of heavy rain.
International Olympic Committee President, Kirsty Coventry, says the Oympics is about bringing people together in peaceful competition, friendship and respect.
"In today's world, sadly, we have a lot of division and a lot of conflicts. And for me, this is the reason why our Olympic movement is even more important, because it allows for there to be a platform that unifies and is a symbol of peace."
