TRANSCRIPT
- Peter Dutton pledges a boost in military spending if elected.
- Israel sends Mossad director to ceasefire negotiations.
- And in tennis, severe rain and thunderstorms halt day one of the Australian Open.
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Federal opposition leader Peter Dutton says his government will increase military spending so that Australia can play it's part as a credible partner in promoting peace.
Speaking at a pre-election campaign rally in Melbourne, the Liberal leader says he will work to mend Australia's relationship with Israel.
"The government is so morally confused it treats our ally Israel like an adversary, and moreover, its push for Palestinian statehood at this time would reward Hamas' use of terrorism to achieve political ends. And despite wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe and tensions in our region, the government has reduced defense spending to under two percent of GDP in and our defence bureaucracy is operating on a business as usual basis."
Mr Dutton also told the rally he plans to develop national uniform knife laws, toughen bails laws and introduce tougher penalties to prevent coercive control.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency, David Barnea, to ceasefire negotations in Qatar.
In what some say could signal possible progress in the negotiations, the presence of Mr Barnea means high-level officials, who would need to sign off on any agreement, are now involved.
In the 15 months since Israel commenced it's latest bombardment of Gaza, just one brief ceasefire has been achieved, with efforts repeatedly stalled since then.
In Tel Aviv, several ambassadors, including outgoing U-S ambassador Jack Lew, have joined protesters in demanding a deal be reached.
"We join together in the hope that the talks in Doha succeed. We're encouraged by the news today, but we know we can't stop. Every day matters."
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At least 16 people are now confirmed dead in the Los Angeles wildfires as international fire crews arrive to help battle the flames.
With the death toll expected to rise in what's being described as the city's most destructive fires on record, Mexico has sent a team of firefighters to help tackle the fires.
Around 153,000 residents in the area have been ordered to evacuate with another 166,000 facing potential evacuation orders if the fire continues to spread.
California's Governor Gavin Newsom has thanked Mexico for what he says is an act of friendship.
"This is what friends do. This is what relationships are all about. Friends in need being there for one another. We want to be there for the people of Mexico in times of need and disasters and we're incredibly humbled and grateful that the President was willing to send the crew you see behind me. They'll be out on the lines for the next 24, 36 hours. They'll be out on the lines for the next 24, 36 hours."
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Severe weather warnings are still in place for Queensland as forecasters expect the worst of the weather could be on its way.
The Bureau of Meteorology has put multiple flood warnings in place across parts of the state, including the Logan River, Boyne River and Barambah Creek.
Emergency services were called out on Friday to resident trapped in their cars along flooded roads.
The Bureau is forecasting storms to continue into the week, with severe weather remaining a risk into Wednesday.
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The Albanese government says it is launching a national campaign to combat scams as criminal scammers employ increasingly sophisticated methods of targeting Australians.
Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Stephen Jones made the announcement today and says the Fighting Scams Campaign will equip Australians with actionable strategies to guard themselves from scammers.
Australians lost $2.74 billion to scams in 2023, with the Albanese Government reporting a 40 per cent drop in scam losses in the 2023-2024 financial year.
Mr Jones says around half of the losses are investment scams and warns that if it looks too good to be true, then it almost certainly is.
"Australians are getting cold calls from scam artists who are promoting investments, promoting cheap products. They look too good to be true, they sound too good to be true, but unfortunately thousands and thousands of scammers are falling to these sort of techniques."
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To the tennis now...
Heavy rain and thunderstorms in Melbourne have halted play on the outside courts early on day one of the Australian Open as local hope Omar Jasika was threatening to turn the tide against Hugo Gaston.
France's Gaston sped through the first set 6-2, with 27-year-old Jasika unable to convert the six break-point opportunities he created.
The pair then locked at a deuce in the second game of the second set before play was suspended due to rain.
The action is set to continue on one of the closed roof courts.
Jasika is one of five Australians in action on day one at Melbourne Park along with Adam Walton, Aleksandar Vukic, Li Tu and Daria Saville.
