TRANSCRIPT
- Federal ministers congratulate ACT Labor on being re-elected for a seventh consecutive term
- Seventy-three Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on northern Gaza
- The coach of the Brisbane Roar says the team will come back stronger after losing to Auckland Football Club
Federal Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has congratulated Andrew Barr on being re-elected ACT chief minister.
A former ACT chief minister herself before she entered federal politics, Ms Gallagher says the result is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Labor party in the ACT.
Labor has the numbers to rule as a minority government with the Greens, extending their time in office to a seventh consecutive term - but both parties suffered swings, amid the rise of independents.
Ms Gallagher tells Sky News, she doesn't see the result as surprising.
"Canberrans are very astute with how they vote; and how they use the unusual electoral system - the Hare Clark system here - to ensure it returns the parliament they want. We don't take anything for granted. I don't think Andrew takes anything for granted. He has campaigned hard. We are seeing the rise of a couple of independents, which is new for the Assembly. The Greens have come back. The ACT community is a pretty progressive place, so I don't think it is unusual that you see a fairly progressive parliament with a minority government - supported by a cross-bench."
Unlike the preferential voting system used in other parts of Australia, the ACT and Tasmania use a proportional system known as Hare-Clark.
The system means the ballot papers and votes accrue to specific candidates, rather than parties.
There is no above the line voting and parties have little say over which of their candidates will be elected.
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Doctors and officials in northern Gaza say an Israeli airstrike has killed at least 73 people.
The strike in the town of Beit Lahiya hit several houses and a multi-storey residential building.
Rescue operations are being impacted by cut-off telecommunication and internet services.
Israel's military says it is looking into the incident, saying it believes the figure of 73 is exaggerated and does not align with its own information on the precise munitions used in what called a targeted strike of a Hamas target.
Israel's military has been focusing their ground operation over the last two weeks in nearby Jabalia, claiming they are targeting Hamas militants who have regrouped there.
Israeli officials deny there is any systematic plan to clear civilians out of Jabalia or other northern areas - as medics report their medical and food supplies have been blocked.
Meanwhile, aid agency Oxfam has condemned the killing of four water engineers in Gaza - in Khuzaa, east of Khan Younis.
The aid agency says the workers were in a clearly-marked vehicle that was bombed by Israeli authorities.
**
Back here in Australia, the Commonwealth Bank is warning customers of the increased risk of scams, after a glitch over the weekend resulted in some accounts being overdrawn.
The bank has apologised for a glitch that saw customers charged twice for a single transaction, with some customers reporting that their bank balance was overdrawn as a result.
The reason behind the glitch and the extent of people affected has not been disclosed.
Commonwealth Bank spokesperson Angus Sullivan says the bank has already reversed the duplicate transactions, so that the funds have been restored.
But he warns customers to be vigilant for scammers looking to exploit the glitch to acquire personal information.
"We encourage customers to be aware of increased scam activity also during this time. Remember we will never send you an email or SMS asking for your banking information - like your NetBank client ID, password or netcode; or include a link to log in directly from an email or SMS."
**
Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla are attending a church service in Sydney as part of their six-day trip to Australia.
King Charles is only the second reigning British monarch to visit Australia.
His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, became the first 70 years ago.
The itinerary covering Sydney and Canberra has been scaled down to accommodate the 75-year-old monarch who is being treated for cancer.
After completing his trip in Australia, King Charles will travel to Samoa to open the annual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The CEO of the Britain-Australia Society, Louise Mulley, says it is testament to the relationship between Australia and the UK, that King Charles has made the long trip to Australia.
She says the monarch has his fans.
"I think King Charles is, in fact, incredibly popular. I think people have realised now that a lot of his ideas and thoughts were very ahead of their time. Australia's now and Australians are very interested in environmental issues, particularly because Australia's really at the cutting edge when it comes to climate change given their geographical location. And King Charles was always very passionate about environment, about sustainability. And again, that's something that Australians are very passionate about."
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In the A-League, the head coach of the Brisbane Roar, Ruben Zadkovich, says he is taking away the positives from the game against Auckland Football Club.
In front of a sold-out crowd of 25-thousand in Auckland, A-League's newest club, the Black Knights, won 2-nil against three-time A-League champions Brisbane Roar.
Zadkovich says the team will re-gather over the next week during their bye.
"There is so much room for this team to grow. And wherever we're at the moment is nowhere near the finished article. So we'll take the positives from it. We'll look at the game back - and we'll keep bringing the group together - but there are positives to take away, for sure. When we get it right, we just have to focus on improving and that's certainly a process this early on in the season."
