19 Australians stuck in Gaza amid fierce aerial bombardment from the Israelis; The Prime Minister is urging Australians to vote 'yes' in a last ditch effort to reverse the referendum odds; Australia's World Cup campaign in tatters after embarrassing loss to South Africa.
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- 19 Australians stuck in Gaza amid fierce aerial bombardment from the Israelis
- The Prime Minister is urging Australians to vote 'yes' in a last ditch effort to reverse the referendum odds
- Australia's World Cup campaign in tatters after embarrassing loss to South Africa
Flights evacuating Australians from Israel are underway as the Australian government says it's doing its best to get all vulnerable citizens home.
This morning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that at least 19 Australians are currently stuck in the Gaza Strip and wanting to leave amid a total blockade of vital resources and a fierce aerial bombardment by Israeli forces.
There are currently no routes out of Gaza for those caught in the violence as Israel and Egypt have closed the borders.
This comes in the wake of a surprise assault by Hamas militants over the weekend which saw fighters raiding Israeli towns and killing civilians.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says they are in discussions with Egypt to secure a safe passage for Australians and others trapped in Gaza.
"Obviously the situation in Gaza is extremely difficult. We are engaging with Egypt, as is the U-S, about seeking to establish humanitarian corridors but obviously, the situation on the ground is extremely difficult."
Meanwhile, the first of three repatriation flights for Australians fleeing Israel will lift off from Tel Aviv today bound for London.
In New South Wales, police have warned protesters that they are considering using extraordinary powers to disperse those who wish to attend a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney this weekend.
Police say the protest remains unauthorised by police and officers will not need reasonable cause to search protesters or demand identification.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is urging Australians to support the Indigenous Voice To Parliament referendum in a last ditch effort before polls open tomorrow.
The 'yes' campaign says a voice is key to addressing significant disparities in areas such as health and economic outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
The latest polling from the Guardian Australia puts the 'yes' side at an estimated 41.6 per cent support nationally, trailing in every state except Tasmania.
The Prime Minister addressed a rally in Adelaide today, pleading with Australians to support the voice and show a spirit of kindness that he sees as key to the Australian character.
"Kindness costs nothing. Thinking of others costs nothing. Us Australians have that opportunity to show the generosity of spirit that I see in the Australian character where, at the worst of times, we always see the best of the Australian character. I hope we see that tomorrow. I hope we see that generosity. And I call upon my fellow Australians to vote yes."
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Opposition leader Peter Dutton argues that a 'No' result in tomorrow's Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum would not be a rejection of the needs of Indigenous Australians.
Mr Dutton and the rest of the 'No' campaign are giving their final pitches before Australians head to the polls tomorrow to have their say.
The campaign has argued that the voice proposal doesn't address the needs of First Nations peoples.
Mr Dutton says he's confident the Australian public will say 'No' in the referendum.
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Four Australian scientists have been awarded the world's most prestigious engineering prize from King Charles the Third for their pioneering research into renewable technologies.
University of New South Wales professors Martin Green and Andrew Blakers, alongside Jianhua Zhao and Aihua Wang, invented groundbreaking solar cell technology that has helped reduce the cost of solar panels by 80 per cent in the last decade.
This has earned them the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.
The engineers were recognised last night when King Charles presented them with a 3D-printed trophy and an award of almost $1 million.
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Australia's O-D-I World Cup campaign is in tatters after crumbling to an embarrassing 134-run loss against South Africa to be winless from their first two games in India.
After suffering a six-wicket humbling against the hosts on Sunday, Australia's performance in Lucknow was even worse.
They've now slumped to a record fourth-straight World Cup loss after they lost their last two games of the 2019 edition in England.
Australia put down six catches during a sloppy fielding display as Quinton de Kock smashed a second-straight World Cup century to power South Africa to 311 runs.
In response, the Australians were all-out for 177 in the 41st over.
