National cabinet prepares for intense discussions on NDIS; United States considering an international task force to protect shipping routes near Yemen; And in sports, Matildas are about to face Canada in a friendly match.
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TRANSCRIPT
- National cabinet prepares for intense discussions on NDIS;
- United States considering an international task force to protect shipping routes near Yemen;
- And in sports, Matildas are about to face Canada in a friendly match.
The federal government is preparing for a showdown with the states over National Disability Insurance Scheme funding when the issue is discussed at national cabinet tomorrow.
Minister for the NDIS Bill Shorten is due to release a review of the scheme this week, which is projected to cost more than $50 billion next year.
The government is tomorrow expected to outline plans for state governments to provide more disability support services outside the NDIS, despite states resisting the move.
Minister Shorten says he is hopeful their differences can be resolved.
"The NDIS is here to stay but we want to make sure that all the funds are getting through to the people for whom it was designed, we want it to be a more human less bureaucratic experience. I think people of goodwill at the state and all levels of government can work together on this, so I remain quietly positive that some of the changes that need to be made will be."
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The White House declared it is discussing standing up a naval task force to escort commercial ships in the Red Sea, after three vessels were struck by missiles fired by Iranian-backed Houthis armed group in Yemen.
National Security advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States were in active conversations with allies about setting up the escorts, thought nothing was finalised.
He referred to it as a “natural” response to that sort of incident.
He also noted similar task forces are used to protect commercial shipping elsewhere, including off the coast of Somalia.
Mr Sullivan explicitly mentioned his administration believes Iran is involved:
"We are talking about the Houthis here. They're the ones with their finger on the trigger. But that gun, the weapons here are being supplied by Iran. And Iran, we believe, is the ultimate party responsible for this."
Ballistic missiles were fired from Yemen by Houthi rebels and struck three commercial ships, while an American warship shot down three drones in self-defense.
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Israeli forces continued to bomb the Gaza Strip overnight.
Traces of bombs falling over the skyline of Gaza were seen from a southern Israeli town across the border.
Occasional artillery explosions could be heard around midnight from across the border in a relatively quiet night after a day of intense bombardment.
Israel is widening its ground offensive and bombarding targets across the whole of the Gaza Strip, saying that the expanded offensive, which resumed after the collapse of a week-long ceasefire, is aimed at eliminating Hamas.
The war has already killed thousands of Palestinians and displaced over three-quarters of Gaza's 2.3 million residents.
The Health Ministry in Gaza says the death toll in the territory since the beginning of the war has surpassed 15,500, with more than 41,000 wounded.
Israel authorities say they targets Hamas operatives and that civilian casualties are to blame on Hamas operating in residential neighbourhoods.
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Borrowers are likely to be spared another interest rate hike in the lead-up to Christmas.
A month of mortgage reprieve will be welcomed by workers who have recorded a sharp rise in financial distress based on research by Suicide Prevention Australia.
The Reserve Bank of Australia is widely expected to stay on hold after a surprisingly weak monthly inflation read.
Headline inflation grew 4.9 per cent in October, down from 5.6 per cent in September.
A poll taken by Reuters last week found 28 of 30 economists expect the central bank to keep the cash rate steady at 4.35 per cent.
Australia's big four banks were among those tipping no change.
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And to sports,
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson will turn to his best available line-up for Australia's second friendly against Canada but remains adamant his younger players learned crucial lessons from their 5-0 loss in the first game.
Gustavsson fielded six players with fewer than 20 caps in Langford on Saturday, with the experimental line-up put to the sword by a slick Canada.
It was a pre-planned decision to field an inexperienced line-up first, and a strong team second in Australia's final games before February's Olympic qualifiers against Uzbekistan.
Gustavsson stressed several senior players didn't play or had limited minutes in the first game in order to manage their workloads amid hectic club schedules.
He accepted criticism for throwing young players in the deep end but stood by his selections.
