The Reserve Bank tipped to raise interest rates to 4.6 per cent; Five men arrested on suspicion of terror offences in the UK released on bail; Sydney Swans' longest-serving coach poached by Essendon.
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT:
- The Reserve Bank tipped to raise interest rates to 4.6 per cent.
- Five men arrested on suspicion of terror offences in the UK released on bail.
- Sydney Swans' longest-serving coach poached by Essendon.
The Prime Minister says the government will continue to prioritise easing cost-of-living pressures, ahead of today's interest rate decision.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is widely expected to move to raise interest rates to a 15-year high of 4.6 per cent, when it concludes its two-day meeting today.
Inflation is still above the Reserve Bank's two to three per cent target band, with the government saying the war in the Middle East is keeping price pressures elevated.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the RBA's decision comes as many Australians are struggling financially.
"That's why we supported a tax cut that came in on July 1. That's why we're supporting free TAFE. That's why the initiatives in health, including the urgent care clinics, expanding free access to Medicare by expanding bulk billing, is all aimed at making a difference because we know people are doing it tough."
.
Opposition leader Angus Taylor is blaming the government for today's expected interest rate rise.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says earlier higher inflation was in part due to soaring oil prices as a result of the war in the Middle East.
Mr Taylor is accusing Mr Chalmers of shifting blame and says it's a sign the Albanese government is losing control of the economy.
"If the government had offset all of its additional spending, we'd be running a surplus right now. But we're not. We're still in a substantial deficit, $22 billion. And of course, interest payments are rising. Interest rates are going up. They've been going up. Three interest rate increases from Labor's homegrown inflation, and there's a 90% expectation in the marketplace we're gonna have another interest rate increase."
.
Five British men arrested on explosives and terror charges near a US-operated air force base in England have been released on bail.
Counter-terror detectives say they're investigating “multiple lines of inquiry,” including whether there is a link to Iran, Russia or non-state-backed militant groups.
The men were detained early Sunday after three vans were spotted near RAF Fairford, a UK-owned base used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East.
The head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, says the vehicles have been subject to extensive examination.
He says the men were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and preparation of a terrorist act under section five of the Terrorism Act but have been released on bail.
"To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry. "
.
Larissa Waters is stepping down as leader of the Greens, citing declining health due to pre-existing kidney disease.
The Queensland senator says the demands of leadership, including additional travel, had taken a toll.
Ms Waters says a party room meeting will take place this week to determine the next steps for leadership.
Ms Waters says it was a "tremendous honour" to serve as leader of the Greens, and she will take a period of medical leave before returning to the parliament as a Queensland senator.
.
The founder of the Network Analysis and Social Influence Modelling research group says the Medicare portal hack shows Australia is not prepared yet for the risks of autonomous AI.
An Artificial Intelligence agent developed by OpenAI was found to have accessed an Australian government website connected to Medicare in June.
Dr Mehwish Nasim says the government is lucky only aggregated data was accessed but warns next time individual data might be hacked.
Dr Nasim – who’s also a senior lecturer at The University of Western Australia – tells SBS Urdu the federal government and UN's recommendations to keep powerful AI systems safe and accountable are important.
"So, the core message is that AI must stay under human direction, oversight and control and that it should be developed and used in line with international law and there should be safety testing and transparency, and all of these policies should be science-based, and also there should be inclusive global dialogues so all the country should be involved."
.
To sport now, and in AFL, Sydney Swans' longest-serving coach, John Longmire, is leaving the club to take on a new role as general manager of performance for Essendon.
Longmire departs Sydney after 25 years in various roles to reunite with his former assistant, new Bombers coach Mark McVeigh.
The Bombers have effectively split the football boss role in two, with Longmire to oversee game strategy, player development, leadership, the coaching group, performance analytics, and strength and conditioning.
In a statement, Longmire says he's excited to be joining the Essendon Football Club, and he looks forward to supporting the team to pose a consistent challenge to its opposition on the field every week.
