Key Points
- Penny Wong warns over North Korean interference after Australia lays sanctions
- Microsoft apologises, promises to refund customers
- Australian athletes praise “comfortable” white Winter Olympics uniform
TRANSCRIPT
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says there are countries that seek to disrupt Australia's democracy as she referred to the scale of risks and threat that North Korea poses to the region.
Earlier today Australia sanctioned four entities and one individual for using cybercrime to fund North Korea’s weapons programs.
A report found North Korean cyber actors stole at least $1.9 billion dollars in 2024 - used to sell and transfer military equipment and raw munitions materials.
She says it's important to maintain our social cohesion to deter foreign interference, which she says is what the government is doing.
"We all know the scale of risk and the threat that North Korea poses to the region. So we are always looking at ways to do more with other partners to put pressure on the regime, and starving them of funds is obviously a very important part of that."
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Four people have died in a house fire in the central Queensland town of Emerald - about 270 kilometres west of Rockhampton.
Emergency services extinguished the fire as the blaze erupted before 7 A-M local time in the regional town.
According to a Queensland Police service spokeswoman, a crime scene has been declared and they're launching a major investigation with fire investigators.
It's the second fatal blaze to kill multiple people in the state in less than a month - after an alleged arson attack killed a mother and two young boys in the coastal city of Gladstone on October 15.
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Environment Minister Murray Watt says it's too soon to say what the government is willing to negotiate on passing Labor's environment laws through parliament.
Mr Watt is warning that not all suggestions from the Greens or Coalition will be adopted.
However, he says the government is willing to make changes.
Speaking to Sky News, the environment minister says that the final law that passes will deliver real gains for the environment and businesses.
"I've always said no one will get 100 per cent of what they want here and that applies to me as much as it does to business or environment groups. But what we need to make sure of is the final law that's passed delivers real gains for environment and business, it can't be one or the other."
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Microsoft has apologised to customers and says the company will refund them, after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission sued the tech giant.
Last week, the A-triple-C sued Microsoft for allegedly misleading about two-point-seven million Australians over its Microsoft 365 subscriptions, so they would stay on the expensive plans.
In a statement on their website, the company wrote to customers saying it fell short of their standards and could have communicated more clearly when they changed their pricing in October last year.
Microsoft says in response to the demand for advanced AI tools, they introduced A-I capabilities into the Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions that they offer in Australia.
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About one in ten homes sold last month were bought by Australians using Labor's expanded five per cent deposit scheme to enter the market for the first time.
Housing Minister Claire O'Neil says this is proof the program is working.
"It is making a big difference to the young people who need our help, but only bringing a moderate number of new buyers into the market in this first month."
The federal government is insisting its five percent deposit scheme cannot be blamed for the one-point-one per cent rise in house prices in October.
They are arguing supply shortages, interest rates and wages have a greater impact on prices.
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Experts are calling on the government for urgent action on e-bikes after Queensland recorded seven people were hospitalised in one night.
It follows a series of incidents, including the recent deaths of an eight-year-old and 15-year-old in separate incidents.
Sunshine Coast Mayor, Rosanna Natoli told Channel Seven they have been urging the government to introduce changes.
"Which is why of course it is really important and councils I know we have been lobbying the federal government to try to limit of course the speed of this bikes and scooters when they're imported because that is the moment when that can be happening. But of course we also know when people buy them that they are changing the speed. And it is the high speed of these devices that makes it difficult."
Mayor Natoli says in the Sunshine Coast they get at least ten complaints about e-bikes a day.
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To sport now, three months out from the Milana Cortina Winter Olympics, to be hosted by Italy, Team Australia has unveiled its new uniform.
The uniforms are mainly white, with coloured black and gold around the collar and white jackets with black details on the pockets.
Among the first to don the new kit are Australian Curling athletes, Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt.
Despite being set to take the world number one mixed-doubles ranking, the duo still faces a challenge in booking their spot at their second Winter Games.
Hewitt says the pair aims to qualify for the games at a curling event in December.
We're heading back next week overseas into Canada to hopefully get the preparation we need to get the qualification for those last two spots. So with the year we've had, hopefully we can keep going."
