Penny Wong speaks with Israel’s international minister, requires de-escalation with Iran

Josh Butler
Australian international minister Penny Wong spoke together with her Israeli counterpart in a single day, once more calling for a de-escalation of the rising battle with Iran.
Wong spoke by cellphone with Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s international minister, final night time. It’s understood she urged restraint and de-escalation, after Iran and Israel traded missile strikes over the weekend, with many killed. Wong additionally referred to as for a return to dialogue and diplomacy.

It was just like Wong’s public statements, as reported yesterday. Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, mentioned on social media yesterday:
Some nonetheless urge diplomacy, as if phrases can cease warheads. That is how the battle started. Israel can’t afford the phantasm that existential threats are empty phrases.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese echoed Wong’s sentiments at a press convention earlier right this moment. Australian sources are mentioning that the US, United Kingdom, Germany and Canada are additionally all urging dialogue and diplomacy too.
Key occasions
Ash Barty welcomes second youngster, Jordan
Former world primary Ash Barty has welcomed her second youngster, Jordan, in a publish on Instagram. The tennis legend shared a photograph of the new child carrying a onesie bearing the message “Embrace your bizarre”. She wrote:
Welcome to the world, Jordan 💕
You’re cherished unconditionally and we’re so grateful to have you ever in our arms, beautiful lady.
Permit Instagram content material?
This text contains content material offered by Instagram. We ask to your permission earlier than something is loaded, as they could be utilizing cookies and different applied sciences. To view this content material, click on ‘Permit and proceed’.
Hamish Blake doesn’t need the Gold Logie
Comic Hamish Blake, the host of Lego Masters Australia, was the lone male nominee for the Gold Logie. Blake, a two-time winner of the award, mentioned this morning he hopes it finally ends up with considered one of his six fellow nominees, all “way more worthy” than him. He mentioned on Dawn:
I believe it actually does have to go to a much more worthy recipient. And I’m not simply saying that as a result of it will be a PR nightmare if the one bloke received up and stole the Gold Logie from a sea of deserving girls. It can’t occur. It might probably’t occur, and it shouldn’t occur.
I’m not making an attempt to do a trick … it’s beautiful to be nominated, however now could one of the best lady win …
Don’t need it! No, no, no.
You possibly can learn extra concerning the nominees right here:
Some extra from ‘nice companions’ Canada and Australia this morning earlier than the G7
Anthony Albanese and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney had sort phrases to say to one another this morning after assembly on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
Jason Clare says ministers have agreed new guidelines on reporting of abuse in childcare
The schooling minister has conceded the federal government “must do extra” to ensure that childcare centres are secure after saying more durable guidelines in early schooling and care.
Showing at Goodstart Early Studying in Canberra, Jason Clare pointed to earlier reforms to ban the usage of private cell phones in childcare centres, in response to proof about offenders working in services.
Along with that … schooling ministers have now agreed that the obligatory reporting of sexual abuse and bodily abuse in childcare centres will should be reported to regulators inside 24 hours, as a substitute of the seven-day rule that exists in the intervening time, and that may come into impact from the primary of September this 12 months.
All of those reforms are about making our early schooling system higher and safer, bettering high quality and bettering the integrity of the system. And when schooling ministers meet on Friday in Adelaide subsequent week, one of many issues that we’ll discuss are the subsequent steps that we have to take to enhance the standard and the protection and the integrity of our early schooling and care system.
‘An excessive amount of negativity’ round synthetic intelligence, head of Nationwide AI Centre says
The pinnacle of Australia’s Nationwide AI Centre (NAIC) says there’s an excessive amount of “negativity and worry” across the emerging technology.
Lee Hickin took to LinkedIn a month after taking on the brand new function.
He mentioned it was his ambition to “construct confidence” within the actuality of what AI can ship, including there was such a proliferation of “opinions” it had develop into “very exhausting to find out what’s actual, each when it comes to the potential and the chance”.
I’m not at all diminishing the very actual issues we have to take account of within the deployment of AI – nevertheless it’s my sense that a lot of the potential good that AI would possibly deliver to our trade and society is being held again as a result of we’re filling the discourse with negativity, worry and a imaginative and prescient of AI that overplays the worry.
I joined the NAIC as a result of I imagine we’ve got an excellent alternative forward of us and I imagine AI will probably be a pressure multiplier sooner or later my kids will inherit.
Sydney Movie prize awarded to Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi
Dissident Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi has obtained the celebrated $60,000 Sydney Movie prize on the closing night time of the movie competition for his “astonishing masterpiece” It Was Just an Accident.
In Could, Panahi gained the top prize at the Cannes film festival for the drama, impressed by his stints of imprisonment by the hands of the Iranian authorities.
The movie was the primary made by the director after being launched from jail in 2023 – though he has continued to direct over time regardless of being expressly forbidden to take action.
Panahi accepted the award in particular person to an emotional standing ovation from the Sydney viewers. The jury, led by director Justin Kurzel, mentioned the winner was “a brave movie with a deep soul and a strong sense of forgiveness”.
It has excellent performances and an understated authority which is brimming with fact.
In a joint assertion, the jury mentioned in these “instances of nice battle and uncertainty, it’s extra necessary than ever that filmmakers are given the liberty to precise what they see round them”.
What to know when you’re travelling to the US
After revelations an Australian man was detained upon arrival at Los Angeles airport and deported back to Melbourne for his writing on pro-Palestine protests by college college students, travellers to the US could also be pausing for thought.
Alistair Kitchen mentioned he was “clearly focused for politically motivated causes” and mentioned officers spent greater than half-hour questioning him about his views on Israel and Palestine together with his “ideas on Hamas”.
Can immigration deny you entry when you refuse at hand over your cellphone? What can officers take a look at or obtain, and how will you shield your units?
Right here’s what it’s essential to know and what you are able to do in case you are heading to the US:
Australians urged to remain on prime of Smartraveller recommendation amid Israel-Iran battle
Prime minister Anthony Albanese and lots of others, together with the international minister, have spent the morning pointing Australians to the Smartraveller web site amid the rising battle within the Center East.
The web site has up to date its Israel and Palestinian territories page to emphasize folks mustn’t journey there as a result of “unstable” and “deteriorating” safety state of affairs. It reads:
Following army strikes in Iran, there are army and rocket assaults in opposition to Israel. Israel has declared a nationwide state of emergency. In an assault or different armed battle, it’s best to take shelter, observe the recommendation of native authorities and monitor native media.
The Smartraveller page for Iran has related steerage for Australians.

Luca Ittimani
ASX to be investigated after ‘repeated and critical failures’
The Australian share market operator will probably be investigated over “repeated and critical failures” which have drawn concern from the Reserve Financial institution.
ASX would be the topic of an inquiry into whether or not it may possibly preserve secure and safe market operations, after the RBA and Australia’s company regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Fee (Asic), expressed concern concerning the firm working the market.
Shares within the ASX group dropped almost 5% in early buying and selling on Monday, wiping almost $700m from the operator’s market worth.
Asic had already been investigating the ASX’s system for finalising transactions, often called Chess, which is important for market trades however suffered an outage in December 2024 and has struggled with years of improve delays. The regulator and the RBA additionally warned the ASX in March they have been involved on the operator’s method to dangers.
That evaluate will now be complemented by a full inquiry into whether or not ASX is complying with the obligations of its licence as monetary market operator. The regulator’s chair, Joe Longo, mentioned:
Asic’s choice to provoke an inquiry follows repeated and critical failures at ASX. ASX is ubiquitous. You merely can’t purchase and choose the Australian public equities and futures markets with out counting on ASX and its programs.
Traders and market individuals need to have absolute confidence that ASX is working soundly, securely and successfully.
The ASX says it is going to cooperate utterly with the inquiry, which is able to embody the RBA and the banking regulator. Chair David Clarke mentioned:
We acknowledge the seriousness of this motion … We’ve got been working exhausting on a metamorphosis technique … however we acknowledge there have been incidents which have broken belief in ASX.
Penny Wong speaks with Israel’s international minister, requires de-escalation with Iran

Josh Butler
Australian international minister Penny Wong spoke together with her Israeli counterpart in a single day, once more calling for a de-escalation of the rising battle with Iran.
Wong spoke by cellphone with Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s international minister, final night time. It’s understood she urged restraint and de-escalation, after Iran and Israel traded missile strikes over the weekend, with many killed. Wong additionally referred to as for a return to dialogue and diplomacy.
It was just like Wong’s public statements, as reported yesterday. Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, mentioned on social media yesterday:
Some nonetheless urge diplomacy, as if phrases can cease warheads. That is how the battle started. Israel can’t afford the phantasm that existential threats are empty phrases.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese echoed Wong’s sentiments at a press convention earlier right this moment. Australian sources are mentioning that the US, United Kingdom, Germany and Canada are additionally all urging dialogue and diplomacy too.

Adeshola Ore
A million Australians lacking specialist physician appointments as a result of value, report finds
One in 10 Australians pay nearly $600 every year to see specialist docs, with 1 million delaying or skipping appointments as a result of value, in keeping with new evaluation. A report by the Grattan Institute, launched on Monday, revealed outpatient charges have soared over the previous 15 years.
Consultants say an absence of regulation of specialist session charges and coaching positions has led to ballooning prices. Some specialist docs charged greater than triple the Medicare scheduled price, the evaluation discovered. The scheduled price refers to a set cost that the federal authorities pays the physician for the service.
Of those “extreme-fee charging” specialists, psychiatrists had the very best common out-of-pocket prices for an preliminary session – $671. This was adopted by $372 for endocrinologists and $369 for cardiologists.
Learn extra right here: