TRANSCRIPT:
The federal government has repeated its calls for Australians in Lebanon to leave immediately.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong says the security situation is worsening.
She says commercial flights are at risk of being grounded.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed the Minister's call.
"These are volatile circumstances and we want to make sure that Australians are safe, which is why we repeat our request that people while commercial flights are still available. And the latest figures that I received the briefing was that some 11% of flights had been cancelled. 50% had been delayed, but there were still flights available."
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The Israeli embassy has criticised an Australian report into the killing of aid worker Zomi Frankcom in Gaza.
Israel's Canberra embassy says the report left out crucial details.
They also claim it misrepresented the IDF's co-operation and openness during the inquiry.
Former Australian Defence Force chief Mark Binskin found the killings were the result of failures to follow IDF procedures.
He also blamed mistaken identification and decision-making errors - exacerbated by confirmation bias.
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The Minister for Indigenous Australians says the government is still being guided by the ideals behind the Uluru Statement.
A formal treaty and truth-telling commission were recommended in the statement.
The Prime Minister has effectively ruled out both.
But Malarndirri McCarthy says the government remains committed to helping First Nations people.
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Four men have been charged over an alleged plot to smuggle methamphetamine into Australia.
Police allege they found 306 kilograms of the drug in a six-tonne hydraulic press in June.
The men are understood to be from Melbourne.
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It's been revealed thousands of young people are being turned away from homelessness services every year.
A report from Homelessness Australia says almost 20,000 were turned away without receiving any help between 2022 and 2023.
Chief executive Kate Colvin says the figures should ring alarm bells for politicians.
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Meanwhile, new research shows millions of Australians feel persistently lonely.
A report released this week by the charity Ending Loneliness Together has found over 40 percent of young Australians are persistently lonely, which researchers define as being longer than eight weeks.
One in four adults have also reported feeling that way.
The group says those who experience financial hardship, are single or divorced, have a chronic illness, or come from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, are especially vulnerable to feeling alone.
Sophia Foo, a new mum in Melbourne, says she found becoming a parent a very isolating experience.
"I think the feeling of loneliness is feeling like you had no one that understood what you were going through at that same time. I don't think I talked specifically about loneliness to anyone apart from my partner. Even if one person notices, that makes a big difference. Rather than everyone just sweeping it under the rug and going like that's fine, she'll be right in a month."
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Dignitaries from Japan and Australia have attended a memorial in the New South Wales central west to mark the 80th anniversary of the Cowra breakout.
The camp has been preserved and a traditional garden now sits on the edge of the town, with cherry blossom trees and ponds full of Koi carp.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the site holds a powerful message.
"For generations, we've seen the spirit of humanity kept aglow by the Cowra community. We’ve seen the respect blossom in the Japanese garden, an oasis of reflection framed by Australian trees. The people of Cowra remind us that no matter what, our common humanity has the power to transcend everything. In the wake of the bleakest of nights, Cowra took the ashes of war and tenderly and carefully nourished the roots of friendship."
