Wong said Australia holds ‘grave concerns’ for Oscar Jenkins
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has been speaking with ABC RN as the Department of Foreign Affairs makes “urgent inquiries” amid reports Australian Oscar Jenkins, 32, who was captured by Russian forces while fighting for Ukraine, has been killed.
Wong said that the Australian government holds “grave concerns for his welfare.” She said the government had had “a number of discussions” with Russia and the Russian ambassador to Australia “seeking information” on his whereabouts.
We have also engaged with the Ukrainian ambassador, but we have [also] reached out to the Ukrainian government.
She said the Russian ambassador had been called in, at her direction, earlier this week in relation to Jenkins.
Is there any reason to doubt the reports that Jenkins has been killed? Wong said reports need to be verified and “we’re working very hard to do that.”
My thoughts are with Mr Jenkins’ family. They’ve lived with a fear and uncertainty of a loved one in the middle of a foreign war for many months. I know these reports will be devastating to them, and they are in my thoughts, and I’m sure the thoughts of many Australians.
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Wong said that the Australian government holds “grave concerns for his welfare.” She said the government had had “a number of discussions” with Russia and the Russian ambassador to Australia “seeking information” on his whereabouts.
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We have also engaged with the Ukrainian ambassador, but we have [also] reached out to the Ukrainian government.
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She said the Russian ambassador had been called in, at her direction, earlier this week in relation to Jenkins.
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Is there any reason to doubt the reports that Jenkins has been killed? Wong said reports need to be verified and “we’re working very hard to do that.”
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My thoughts are with Mr Jenkins’ family. They’ve lived with a fear and uncertainty of a loved one in the middle of a foreign war for many months. I know these reports will be devastating to them, and they are in my thoughts, and I’m sure the thoughts of many Australians.
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Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink has warned passengers of major service reductions and cancellations “due to the impact of more than 350 ongoing and new industrial bans”.
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Transport for NSW said in a statement the Combined Rail Unions were asked to help complete critical overnight maintenance at Bondi and Homebush. This was not provided, resulting in essential infrastructure “booked out of use”, creating significant delays.
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Passengers should expect delays, service cancellations and large service gaps, particularly on the T1 North Shore and Western, T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra, T8 Airport and South lines. These impacts will have a flow-on effect across the network.
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One daily return Bathurst Bullet service will also be cancelled and replaced by buses between Lithgow and Bathurst.
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In addition, work bans at the Rail Operations Centre (ROC) may make managing the impacts challenging, and we expect cancellations and delays to compound throughout this week.
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It said buses would support train services on some lines in and off peak where possible, and the Metro would operate on an increased 4-minute frequency. Passengers are asked to delay non-essential travel and leave plenty of additional travel time.
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service reductions and cancellations are expected for NSW trains today.”,”caption”:”Major service reductions and cancellations are expected for NSW trains today.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1736885172000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.06 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1736885652000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.14 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1736885517000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.11 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.11″,”title”:”NSW rail passengers warned to expect delays amid industrial action”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 14 Jan 2025 16.04 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 14 Jan 2025 14.31 EST”},{“id”:”67862b838f086d39415c1a39″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Anthony Albanese will visit Tasmania today as Labor looks to win support in key seats ahead of the upcoming federal election.
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Labor holds two of the apple isle’s five seats – Lyons and Franklin – but is looking to boost its vote in Braddon and Bass, held by the Liberal MPs Gavin Pearce and Bridget Archer on thin margins. The final seat, Clark, is comfortably held by long-serving independent Andrew Wilkie.
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The prime minister will be joined by finance minister, Katy Gallagher, home affairs minister, Tony Burke, and infrastructure minister, Catherine King, as he continues his pre-election blitz of the country.
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The visit will spruik the government’s $3bn funding announcement on Monday to finish upgrades to the National Broadband Network.
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Albanese will say more than 21,000 Tasmanian houses will be eligible for NBN upgrades as a result of the new funding.
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prime minister Anthony Albanese.”,”caption”:”The prime minister Anthony Albanese.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Dominic Giannini/AAP”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Labor’s senior ministry will be joined by Lyons and Bass candidates, former Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White and Jess Teesdale, as well as the Tasmanian senator Anne Urquhart who is now contesting the seat of Braddon. Albanese said:
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My government cares about Tasmanians. That’s why we are delivering on cost of living relief, investing in housing and infrastructure, childcare and healthcare for Tasmania.
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Brisbane is the most expensive city on average for an independent education, while Canberra tops the list for Catholic schools, according to a new report from an education bonds group.
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The data, released by Futurity Investment Group as part of its annual cost of education index today, found independent school fees in Queensland’s capital city for a student starting in 2025 would total $12,405.
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Melbourne came second, averaging at $11,062, while Sydney sat at $9,838 and Canberra ranked fourth at $8,503.
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Catholic schools were substantially cheaper, averaging at $3,334 for the ACT, followed by $3,112 in Brisbane and $2,972 in Sydney. Melbourne was cheapest at a total of $2,363.
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Futurity Investment Group’s Sarah McAdie said education costs were placing a substantial burden on many Australian families.
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Spiralling cost of living, rent and mortgage repayment pressures mean many households are under considerable pressure. With less discretionary money to spend, it is going to be a challenge for many families to pay for education, including school fees and voluntary contributions, which have all increased in the past year.
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Brisbane CBD and Brisbane River.”,”caption”:”The Brisbane CBD and Brisbane River.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Darren England/AAP”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1736883085000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.31 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1736886659000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.30 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1736883441000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”14.37 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”14.37″,”title”:”Brisbane most expensive city for private schools, report finds”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Caitlin Cassidy”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/04/21/Caitlin_Cassidy.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a7810efa6fe4dd2f5f1cd6126d06cc15″,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/04/21/Caitlin_Cassidy,_L.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4e50b2e4e7d1ea268f8a714d346ec620″}],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 14 Jan 2025 16.04 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 14 Jan 2025 14.31 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Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with some of the best stories making the news this morning before Emily Wind takes over.
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Anthony Albanese is visiting Tasmania today with a high-powered delegation of ministers and is expected to spruik federal funding for the NBN and housing. The prime minister is joined today by the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, home affairs minister, Tony Burke, and infrastructure minister, Catherine King, as he continues his pre-election blitz of the country. More details soon.
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A report out today says that Brisbane is the most expensive capital city on average in which to send children to a private school. The data shows that the cost for a student starting this year would total $12,405, while it’s Melbourne in second, averaging at $11,062, Sydney at $9,838 and Canberra ranked fourth at $8,503. More coming up.
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The Matildas captain and football superstar Sam Kerr has appeared in court in the UK charged with alleged racially aggravated harassment of a police officer. The Chelsea striker, wearing a black coat and a white jumper, attended a hearing at Kingston crown court on Tuesday.
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Key events
Hume questioned on public sector spending, use of external contractors
Jane Hume was asked about the prime minister’s defence of public spending while on the road last week – that anyone with a parent in aged care would be happy a nurse is on site, and anyone needing childcare would be glad for the childcare pay increase – and if any of this falls into the Coalition’s definition of unnecessary spending?
The shadow finance minister said “we will not be making cuts to essential services.” But she again pointed to an increase of the public service as “irresponsible budgeting.”
Will voters know before the election if the Coalition will cut public sector jobs, and how many? Hume responded:
You’d be hard pressed to find an Australian that believes that because they’ve had a 20% increase in the public service, that they’re being 20% better served than they were only a few years ago. This has been an extraordinary expenditure, and yet it hasn’t been accounted for.
Labor argues the public service has grown because it has reduced its reliance on external contractors, which were a large expense under the previous Coalition government. Would the Coalition impose a cap on external contractors?
Hume argued “the government is still using consultants, and the public service will always refer to the expertise of consultants, particularly in a world where technology is changing so fast.”
So I think that that’s a difficult a different comparison to make. But we’ve been clear an efficient and effective public service is important, but it needs to be sustainable.
Shadow finance minister questioned on Coalition calls to cut spending
The shadow finance minister, Jane Hume, has denied opposition leader Peter Dutton is calling for spending cuts when he says “economic surgery” is needed.
Speaking with ABC RN earlier about the prospect of spending cuts, she said the decisions of this government had meant “inflation has stayed too high for too long, that productivity has gone backwards and economic growth has stagnated”:
We also believe that the only way that our nation will reach its potential, and Australians will experience the prosperity that they expect and deserve, is if that’s a private sector-led phenomenon.
It doesn’t mean that having a great big public sector and ever-increasingly bloated bureaucracy is going to be the solution to the problem, but there’s a difference between a bloated bureaucracy and deep spending cuts.
Hume was again asked about the comments from Dutton – that the expensive “Panadol policies must stop”, and the necessary economic surgery to stop wasteful spending must start – and responded:
The only solution the Albanese government has to a problem is to spend more … We don’t think that that is the right solution for Australia. We think that containing the size of government and the size of spending is fundamentally important.
It was put to Hume that a cut in government spending, which the Coalition is proposing, could force Australia into recession. But she argued Australia is “already in a household recession”. It was also put to her that inflation is now within RBA targets, and Hume replied this was “an artificial deflation because of government spending on subsidies”.
‘Reaching a ceasefire is critically important’: Husic
Ed Husic also told the program there was “promising signs” about a ceasefire occurring in the Middle East.
This is off the back of many months of work, particularly by our friends in the United States. Others in the region also, and there are a lot of members of the international community, as well as Palestinians and Israelis that want to see an end to this conflict.
We need to see the hostages released. We need civilians protected and we also need to see aid urgently go into Gaza, where it is needed desperately. Reaching a ceasefire is critically important.
Husic on Oscar Jenkins: government is ‘deeply and clearly concerned about his welfare’
The science and industry minister, Ed Husic, just spoke with ABC News Breakfast amid reports Oscar Jenkins has been killed – as we flagged earlier in the blog.
Husic said the Australian government was “deeply and clearly concerned about his welfare.”
At the foreign minister’s direction, we have called in the ambassador from the Russian Federation to follow up on those inquiries and also to remind the Russian Federation of their obligations under international humanitarian law, particularly around the treatment of prisoners of war.
We are providing consular support to Mr Jenkins’ family, who have requested privacy at this time, while they get some news and detail about what has happened with Oscar.
Asked if the Russian ambassador to Australia should be expelled, Husic said “at this point in time [we will not] engage in hypotheticals but rather try to provide the type of details that not just the family rightly should obtain, but Australians as well.”
Rishworth echoes foreign interference warning from PM ahead of federal election
The social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, has backed a message from Anthony Albanese yesterday, warning tech giants – particularly X’s owner, Elon Musk – that Australian elections are a matter for Australians and that the country has foreign interference laws.
(You can read more on this in yesterday’s blog, here).
Speaking to Sunrise this morning, Rishworth said “the decision of who governs our country should be left to the Australian people”:
That is the corner stone of democracy. It is important for our prime minister to be sending a clear message that if anyone is thinking about interfering in our elections, we won’t stand for it …
Of course, people can comment on social media and the like, but what has got to be really clear is that they can’t interfere with our elections … we are a sovereign country and we need to stand up for our national interests and it is really, really important that the message is out there that Australia is it own country and we won’t stand for foreign interference.
Geotechs continuing to monitor landslide at McCrae that brought down one home yesterday
SES Sorrento unit controller Mark Daw has been speaking with ABC News Breakfast after a landslide brought down a house in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula yesterday, with nearby homes evacuated.
Daw said crews had been monitoring and measuring the scene every hour overnight and “at the moment we’ve had no movement, which is a fantastic occurrence.”
Geotechs would continue to monitor the scene through the day, he said, because crews are worried there is “potential for a further slip”.
As for the scene yesterday after the landslide, Daw said it was “total destruction of that house”.
We have moved seven permanent residents out of places … Until we make the hill safe and deem that hill safe, and when we talk to the geotechs to what they think could happen up there, they won’t be allowed back into their properties.
Wong ‘hopeful’ that ceasefire deal can be reached in Gaza
Amid widespread reports that Hamas and Israel were in the “final stages” of agreeing a ceasefire agreement, Penny Wong said she is “hopeful” this can be reached.
She told ABC RN this had been talked about “for some time” and president elect Trump had been “very clear in his language about his expectation that this deal must be done.”
I saw what secretary [Antony] Blinken had to say, and I know this is something that the outgoing Biden administration has been working on for months.
So we have both the outgoing administration and a very clear language and engagement from the incoming Trump administration, and I think all of us are hopeful that we can see the ceasefire that we have been advocating for and so many around the world have soared for so long.
Wong ‘absolutely confident’ government can work with Trump as US president
Moving to another topic, Penny Wong was asked about her invite to Donald Trump’s inauguration in the US, and responded:
Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States, and I’m honoured, on behalf of the country, to have been invited to his inauguration.
Wong said she would “always stand up for alliances and partnerships” because Australia believes in “partnership, alliance and democracy”.
The foreign minister said she is “absolutely confident” the government can navigate this relationship with the US.
Wong says Australia will ‘consider all options’ once facts ascertained around Jenkins
Continuing from our last post: Penny Wong was asked how would the Australian government view an extrajudicial execution of an Australian citizen, if that was shown to be true?
She said that Russia is “obliged to treat all prisoners of war in accordance with international humanitarian law”:
This includes humane treatment and the right to a fair trial. So that is their obligation, [and] we will look at the facts when they have been ascertained.
But I want to be clear, all options are on the table. Those options include expelling the ambassador and recalling Australia’s ambassador in Russia … I need, as the foreign minister, to identify and ascertain the facts beforehand.
Wong said the relationship with Russia had been “difficult” for many years, “including the downing of MH 17 in 2014 as well as the illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine”:
Australia has maintained diplomatic relations with Russia through that period under different governments. However, we will consider all options once we have ascertained the facts and once we can verify what has actually occurred.
Wong said Australia holds ‘grave concerns’ for Oscar Jenkins
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has been speaking with ABC RN as the Department of Foreign Affairs makes “urgent inquiries” amid reports Australian Oscar Jenkins, 32, who was captured by Russian forces while fighting for Ukraine, has been killed.
Wong said that the Australian government holds “grave concerns for his welfare.” She said the government had had “a number of discussions” with Russia and the Russian ambassador to Australia “seeking information” on his whereabouts.
We have also engaged with the Ukrainian ambassador, but we have [also] reached out to the Ukrainian government.
She said the Russian ambassador had been called in, at her direction, earlier this week in relation to Jenkins.
Is there any reason to doubt the reports that Jenkins has been killed? Wong said reports need to be verified and “we’re working very hard to do that.”
My thoughts are with Mr Jenkins’ family. They’ve lived with a fear and uncertainty of a loved one in the middle of a foreign war for many months. I know these reports will be devastating to them, and they are in my thoughts, and I’m sure the thoughts of many Australians.
NSW rail passengers warned to expect delays amid industrial action
Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink has warned passengers of major service reductions and cancellations “due to the impact of more than 350 ongoing and new industrial bans”.
Transport for NSW said in a statement the Combined Rail Unions were asked to help complete critical overnight maintenance at Bondi and Homebush. This was not provided, resulting in essential infrastructure “booked out of use”, creating significant delays.
Passengers should expect delays, service cancellations and large service gaps, particularly on the T1 North Shore and Western, T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra, T8 Airport and South lines. These impacts will have a flow-on effect across the network.
One daily return Bathurst Bullet service will also be cancelled and replaced by buses between Lithgow and Bathurst.
In addition, work bans at the Rail Operations Centre (ROC) may make managing the impacts challenging, and we expect cancellations and delays to compound throughout this week.
It said buses would support train services on some lines in and off peak where possible, and the Metro would operate on an increased 4-minute frequency. Passengers are asked to delay non-essential travel and leave plenty of additional travel time.
Australia’s peak mining lobby group promoting nuclear to young women on social media
We’re reporting today how Australia’s peak mining lobby group is promoting nuclear energy to young women with a social media campaign generating millions of views on TikTok through memes about Wicked, The Grinch, and seasoning steak with sawdust.
But there’s a cautionary tale for Australia’s nuclear spruikers from the UK this morning, where it has been revealed that where the cost of building the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk has doubled to £40bn (around $80bn).
A rise in construction charges over recent years, combined with cost overruns and delays at EDF’s Hinkley Point C nuclear project in Somerset is expected to increase the final bill to build a successor project at Sizewell, according to the Financial Times.
Here’s the story from our UK team:
Sarah Basford Canales
Federal government holds snap meeting with NSW and Victorian premiers over rising antisemitism incidents
The Albanese government says it’s ready to assist NSW and Victoria in responding to rising antisemitism incidents after holding a snap meeting with premiers and the federal police on Tuesday.
In a joint statement released on Tuesday night, the Albanese government, along with the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and acting NSW premier, Penny Sharpe, said the governments were working together to “stamp out the scourge of antisemitism”.
The rise of antisemitism is abhorrent and there is no place for the kind of hate speech and attacks we have seen recently in our country.
An Australian federal police taskforce set up to crack down on antisemitism, threats, violence and hatred towards the Australian Jewish community has so far received 124 reports, with 102 of them under investigation.
Anthony Albanese in Tasmania to build support
Sarah Basford Canales
Anthony Albanese will visit Tasmania today as Labor looks to win support in key seats ahead of the upcoming federal election.
Labor holds two of the apple isle’s five seats – Lyons and Franklin – but is looking to boost its vote in Braddon and Bass, held by the Liberal MPs Gavin Pearce and Bridget Archer on thin margins. The final seat, Clark, is comfortably held by long-serving independent Andrew Wilkie.
The prime minister will be joined by finance minister, Katy Gallagher, home affairs minister, Tony Burke, and infrastructure minister, Catherine King, as he continues his pre-election blitz of the country.
The visit will spruik the government’s $3bn funding announcement on Monday to finish upgrades to the National Broadband Network.
Albanese will say more than 21,000 Tasmanian houses will be eligible for NBN upgrades as a result of the new funding.
Labor’s senior ministry will be joined by Lyons and Bass candidates, former Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White and Jess Teesdale, as well as the Tasmanian senator Anne Urquhart who is now contesting the seat of Braddon. Albanese said:
My government cares about Tasmanians. That’s why we are delivering on cost of living relief, investing in housing and infrastructure, childcare and healthcare for Tasmania.
Caitlin Cassidy
More on the schools report, continuing from our last post
Nationally, school fees have risen year on year across government, independent and Catholic schools, the Futurity report showed.
While a public education is free, most schools request voluntary contributions and small mandatory fees.
A total government education averaged $409 nationally in 2025, up from $274 in 2024, while Catholic education also rose from $2,507 last year to $2,802.
Independent schools were up to an average of $8,418 compared with $8,213 in 2024 and $7,807 in 2023.
Melbourne was the most expensive capital city for children enrolled in government schools from 2025, costing an average of $626 over 13 years of education.
Adelaide ranked second for government education, at $467, followed by Sydney at $386. Perth was the cheapest capital city, totalling $206 for students enrolled in public schools.
The data was sourced through ACARA’s school income from fees, charges and parent contributions for the 2022 financial year, indexed to the most recent CPI figures.
Brisbane most expensive city for private schools, report finds
Caitlin Cassidy
Brisbane is the most expensive city on average for an independent education, while Canberra tops the list for Catholic schools, according to a new report from an education bonds group.
The data, released by Futurity Investment Group as part of its annual cost of education index today, found independent school fees in Queensland’s capital city for a student starting in 2025 would total $12,405.
Melbourne came second, averaging at $11,062, while Sydney sat at $9,838 and Canberra ranked fourth at $8,503.
Catholic schools were substantially cheaper, averaging at $3,334 for the ACT, followed by $3,112 in Brisbane and $2,972 in Sydney. Melbourne was cheapest at a total of $2,363.
Futurity Investment Group’s Sarah McAdie said education costs were placing a substantial burden on many Australian families.
Spiralling cost of living, rent and mortgage repayment pressures mean many households are under considerable pressure. With less discretionary money to spend, it is going to be a challenge for many families to pay for education, including school fees and voluntary contributions, which have all increased in the past year.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with some of the best stories making the news this morning before Emily Wind takes over.
Anthony Albanese is visiting Tasmania today with a high-powered delegation of ministers and is expected to spruik federal funding for the NBN and housing. The prime minister is joined today by the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, home affairs minister, Tony Burke, and infrastructure minister, Catherine King, as he continues his pre-election blitz of the country. More details soon.
A report out today says that Brisbane is the most expensive capital city on average in which to send children to a private school. The data shows that the cost for a student starting this year would total $12,405, while it’s Melbourne in second, averaging at $11,062, Sydney at $9,838 and Canberra ranked fourth at $8,503. More coming up.
The Matildas captain and football superstar Sam Kerr has appeared in court in the UK charged with alleged racially aggravated harassment of a police officer. The Chelsea striker, wearing a black coat and a white jumper, attended a hearing at Kingston crown court on Tuesday.
