TRANSCRIPT:
Australia has been urged to take the threat of far-right extremism seriously after nationalists marched alongside neo-Nazis at anti-immigration rallies at the weekend.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has maintained diversity is a strength in modern Australia.
He says people voted for his government in huge numbers at May's federal election in part because it embraces the fact the modern Australia is made up of people from all different backgrounds.
But Deputy Greens leader Mehreen Faruqi has told the Senate both major parties have created the conditions for such rallies by being negative towards migrants for years.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge says he agrees the government is not innocent.
"It ignored those calls to not fuel hateful, right-wing, anti-immigration sentiment, and it joined with Peter Dutton to pass those hateful laws... And then when their ministers are given a chance in this place to respond to that criticism, they deflect, they dissemble, they defer, they avoid, they turn it into a parallel political attack. This government needs to take responsibility for what it has done."
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Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has been forced to cut short a press conference after Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell gatecrashed the event.
Earlier in the conference event, Ms Allan had condemned the violence surrounding anti-immigration marches on Sunday, which included an attack on a significant Aboriginal site in Melbourne known as Camp Sovereignty.
Mr Sewell was among a large group of people that attacked the Camp.
Today, the neo-Nazi has hurled insults and accusations at the Victorian Premier, including the false claim that the government wanted to ban the right to protest.
"Have your goons attack me. You're a coward, and we're going to take this country back from politicians like you."
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Afghanistan is calling for foreign aid to help relief efforts after a devastating earthquake that has claimed more than 800 lives.
Rescuers are reportedly battling to reach remote mountainous areas cut off from mobile networks along the Pakistani border, where mudbrick homes dotting the slopes collapsed in the quake.
The United Nations says its team in Afghanistan is already delivering emergency assistance and life-saving support.
But Taliban health ministry spokesman, Sharafat Zaman Amar, says more help is needed.
"The number of casualties is likely to increase because the situation is serious, as rescue teams are in the area to save the victims of the earthquake. So far, hundreds of casualties have been reported. Therefore, we urgently call on humanitarian organisations to step in and provide immediate support so the residents of the affected areas can be protected from further tragedies. Humanitarian organisations are also urged to assist in preventing the spread of communicable diseases in affected areas."
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Bulgarian authorities have accused Russia of interfering with a plane carrying E-U Commissions President Ursula von der Leyen as it approached an airport at Plovdiv.
European Commission spokeswoman, Arianna Podesta, says the E-U is investigating what happened.
Russia has not yet commented on the allegations.
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Health Minister Mark Butler is standing firm against a cross-party push to pressure the government into releasing additional home care packages for older people.
Evidence before a Senate hearing has confirmed more than 120,000 Australians are waiting for assessment for home care services.
The government initially planned to release 83,000 more packages from July, but has delayed the release until November.
Mr Butler says the government still plans to stick to its timeline.
Look, we've been delivering additional packages pretty much every budget or budget update, we did it again in the budget update, in December, just before Christmas, and we committed to a very big increase in packages to take effect when the new aged care system comes into operation, and that will now be on the first of November."
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Three New South Wales councils are trialling the removal of shark nets from beaches, following years of controversy about the program.
New South Wales has been using shark nets to prevent attacks on bathers since 2011.
But Waverley, Central Coast and Northern Beaches - which manage some of the state's most popular beaches - have agreed to remove them.
Marine scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta says shark nets aren't a simple solution for preventing bites.
"The reality is that a shark net is kind of like a band aid. Sharks can swim around it, and then underneath it. It's not a complete way of blocking sharks. Unfortunately, the reason why so many people don't want them there is because they not only kill sharks, but they kill other animals like whales, dolphins, turtles and a whole other marine life."
