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In this bulletin;
- The government rejects Peter Dutton's allegations about extra citizenship ceremonies;
- The Reserve Bank Governor says life should be getting better for renters;
- And in tennis, Alex De Minaur loses the match, but wins respect, at the Qatar Open.
The federal government says Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's strong claims about citizenship ceremonies are outrageous.
Mr Dutton has accused Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke of holding additional citizenship ceremonies for political gain, saying he's racing to get as many people citizenship in key electorates as possible, so they can vote for the Labor party in the forthcoming federal election.
The Department of Home Affairs says additional ceremonies, apart from those usually conducted by local councils, are being held in the period up until March the 4th- but only to clear a backlog of around 12,500 people who want to become citizens, and are eligible to do so.
Mr Burke has told Sky News Mr Dutton's claims are ridiculous, because he has no idea for whom any new citizens will vote, anyway.
"I don't care what seat what people are from. I don't care which way people are going to vote. But I do care about people who want to make a pledge of commitment to Australia, who have the legal right to do so, getting that chance as soon as possible."
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Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock says renters may be the biggest winners out of interest rate decreases.
The central bank cut the official interest rate for the first time in around four and a half years this week, citing easing inflation.
Speaking to a parliamentary committee, Ms Bullock says decreasing inflation, combined with an anticipated rise in new dwellings being built, will likely making things a little easier for some less well-off people.
"That cohort of renters on relatively low incomes, they are the ones that I think will stand to benefit as inflation eases quite a lot more, and it gets a bit easier to rent. So, that would be I think the group that often gets forgotten. And I just want to make sure that people understand they are people that have really been hurt very hard by this."
Ms Bullock has cautioned, though, that the Reserve Bank is unsure what effect on inflation increased international tariffs may have.
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New Zealand's Defence Minister, Judith Collins, says the Chinese ships currently off Australia's east coast should serve as a wake-up call for all nations in the Indo-Pacific.
The Australian Defence Force, along with their New Zealand counterparts, is currently monitoring three Chinese navy ships, which were spotted about 280 kilometres east of Sydney this week, in Australia's exclusive economic zone.
Whilst the ships are not breaking international law, it is believed their presence is meant to end a message to Australia about China's capability, following another run-in between Australian and Chinese forces in the South China Sea recently.
Ms Collins says the Chinese ships' presence shows distance from much of the rest of the world doesn't mean much now, in terms of defence.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a military operation in the West Bank, after three explosions on empty buses near Tel Aviv, and two more foiled explosions.
The explosions occurred in parking lots in Bat Yam.
Oshri Basson of Israel Fire and Rescue Services says no one has been hurt in the incidents.
"Around 20:30 we received several calls about a blast in the area of Dan terminal in Amal St., Bat Yam industrial area. Fire and Rescue Services who arrived at the scene noted the initial status: An articulated bus, diesel-driven, fully burning. Next to it there was a vehicle that was seemingly... there are shock damages that could indicate that there was a blast here. Extinguishing, a professional response was given here at the site with the help of two regions that deployed at the site. There is full control of the site. After inspection there is no one trapped. Full control over the event. That's it."
The Israeli military has blocked of certain entrance points to the West Bank, although it won't say where.
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In tennis, Alex De Minaur lost lost an epic quarter-final at the Qatar Open.
The Australian has lost 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 to Russian Andrey Rublev.
The final set went to a 10 points to 8 tie-break.
De Minaur held off seven match points, coming back from five games to two down in the final set.
After the match, Rublev joked De Minaur was such stubborn opposition, he wanted to punch him.
