What we learned, Monday 23 June
We’re winding down our live news coverage for the day. As far as Mondays go, this one’s been dominated by grave news from the Middle East and the United States:
Anthony Albanese said the government supported Donald Trump’s attack on Iran and underlined the need for a diplomatic end to the Israel-Iran conflict.
The response was heavily criticised by the former Labor senator and union leader Doug Cameron.
Senator Jacqui Lambie also did not hold back on her opinions of Albanese’s support of the attack, calling the US president a “bloody sociopath”.
The Greens’ David Shoebridge said the attacks were “grossly unlawful” and that Albanese was trying to curry favour with Trump.
Shadow foreign minister Andrew Hastie supported the government’s stance but said the PM had been “too slow and too silent and too passive”.
Penny Wong earlier said the government supported the attacks – while also calling for diplomacy. She also said the US had not asked Australia to engage in the attacks. Some 3000 Australians sought help from within Iran, she said.
The former Australian ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos said Australian combat troops were not the way forward.
Both Qantas and Virgin Australia say they are monitoring airspace around the Middle East closely.
Petrol prices were expected to rise at least 5c a litre after the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.
New Zealand’s foreign minister said he was looking for evidence that justified the US strikes.
The ASX closed lower as the markets awaited Iran’s response to the attacks. More than $10bn was wiped from the Australian share market on opening.
Finally, we’ll leave you with a piece of good news. A humpback whale off Sydney was disentangled after being caught in about 150 metres of rope.
Thank you for joining us. We’ll be back bright and early tomorrow.
Updated
ASX closes lower as markets wait for Iranian response
The Australian share market closed lower today but the sell-down was modest given the tense situation in the Middle East.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 fell almost 0.4% to 8,475 points as investors weighed up the risk of an Iranian retaliation to US strikes on nuclear facilities.
Airlines and travel companies, including Qantas and Flight Centre, were among the most affected stocks, due to an expected slowdown in bookings linked to the conflict.
Investors are also concerned that rising fuel prices, linked to potential supply disruptions, could hurt airline profits.
Both stocks were down about 2% on Monday, accelerating falls suffered last week.
The size of the drop in the ASX is small compared to the market fallout caused by other major recent events, including Donald Trump’s tariffs, which sent the benchmark down by more than 4% in a single day.
Omkar Joshi, chief investment officer at Sydney-headquartered Opal Capital Management, said investors were taking a measured response to the US strikes.
“It was news but not a complete surprise as we expected the US to do something at some stage,” he said.
If the conflict escalates materially, that would be a key concern for markets.
There’s a bit of complacency in the market. It probably wouldn’t take much for it to break.
Updated
Trump meeting with Albanese at Nato summit unlikely to happen – report
As promised, an update on a report that suggested Donald Trump was to seek a meeting with the leaders of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea at this week’s Nato summit.
According to Reuters, the planned meeting would “likely not take place”.
The news agency said the Japanese prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, was to cancel his attendance at the summit in The Hague.
Reuters reported Ishiba was cancelling the trip “because a planned meeting between Nato and the group of four Indo-Pacific nations (IP4) would likely not take place, and because a meeting with US president Donald Trump was also unlikely, Fuji Television reported”.
Updated
Greens say US attack ‘grossly unlawful’ and Labor trying to curry favour with Trump
David Shoebridge says the US attack on Iran was “grossly unlawful” and that there are millions of Australians who are “horrified” by Anthony Albanese’s support of the bombardment.
Speaking with the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, the Greens’ foreign affairs spokesperson said his opinion on the attack was guided by the atomic energy council, which “said repeatedly that there is no evidence Iran was on the pathway to making a nuclear bomb”.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on two separate occasions there was no evidence Iran was building a nuclear bomb. You ask yourself, who do you trust in this fairly low trust environment? Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu on one side, who are obviously prone to escalation and bullying, or the International Atomic Energy Agency? As a Greens senator and representative of the Senate we would go with the International Atomic Energy Agency every day.
He said that Australia’s government wanted to “curry favour” with the Trump administration.
Obviously a lot of countries are desperate to have the approval of an increasingly erratic and dangerous Trump administration … and it would be far better if the statements were based on the most credible international evidence, and they are not.
He said the attacks, according to “every credible international lawyer”, were “unlawful” and that the Greens were on the side of Australians who say “not again”.
We will connect with the millions of Australians horrified [to] see Australia cheer in yet another US war in the Middle East.
Updated
Lambie labels Trump a 'bloody sociopath'
Continuing with Jacqui Lambie’s colourful judgment of Donald Trump’s attack on Iran and Anthony Albanese’s response, the independent senator told the ABC:
My goodness, it is the lamb following the lamb here. What Trump did was wrong … You are bending over to Trump already. I find it shameful. Start standing up to the man, he is a bloody sociopath.
Lambie went on to say Albanese should attend this week’s Nato summit:
The prime minister should be going onto Nato to deepen friendships with other countries. What he needs to do is get into the boys’ club and continue to attend these things. He should have worked on deepening relationships with other countries and other leaders.
Go for it – you have a platform, a huge majority. Everyone is looking up to you so this is a perfect opportunity, do not waste it.
Updated
Lambie says Trump ‘has not played by the rulebook’
It’s been a busy Afternoon Briefing session. Jacqui Lambie is not holding back on her criticism of both Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese’s handling of the Australian response to the US attack on Iran.
The independent senator told the ABC that Australia “should not be supporting action because [Trump] has not played by the rulebook”.
The government “should be saying that ‘you do not play by rulebook’. As soon as somebody else breaks the rulebook, [Trump] is straight down their throat. This is a trust thing with the Iranian people.”
She went on:
What he said to those people was ‘you have two weeks’. What he does is give a warning to the rest of the world with citizens in that country to get them out. That was taken away from us. Not only was that taken away from us, he took the trust away from the Iranian people.
Right now they are very vulnerable citizens. The last thing you want is driving them back into the arms of terrorists, because that is what they are doing.
Lambie also likened Trump to a gamer:
You know what else is so stupid? What sort of president, what sort of man gets out there and puts everything out on social media? He is not playing on a game console – this is real life stuff.
Somebody please tell him he is not running a TV show. My God, this is shocking.
Updated
Trump seeking Albanese meeting at Nato summit – report
Donald Trump is reportedly seeking a meeting with Anthony Albanese and the leaders of Japan, South Korea and New Zealand during the Nato summit.
According to a report by Nikkei Asia, the meeting is provisionally to be held in The Hague and would include Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.
Nikkei Asia reported that sources said Trump “regards this meeting as an opportunity for the US and European members of Nato to expand security cooperation, as Russia and China pose growing threats in areas such as cyberspace and space development”.
Albanese was not due to attend the summit.
Guardian Australia has not confirmed the report and will bring you more updates as soon as we learn more.
Updated
Labor says what’s important now is ‘where we go from here’
Matt Thistlethwaite says the US attack on Iran, which the Australian government supports, was “very targeted and tight”.
Responding to Hastie’s accusation that Anthony Albanese acted too slowly when addressing reporters today rather than yesterday, the assistant minister for foreign affairs told Patricia Karvelas:
We are a government that takes serious issues such as this and relies on important information from our intelligence and defence agencies and we make proper decisions. That is the responsible thing to do. Nonetheless, we issued a statement yesterday, the foreign minister did a dozen interviews this morning and the prime minister held a press conference to make clear Australia’s position.
But what is now important, Patricia, is where we go from here and what we believe is important is that the parties now negotiate. We want to see a peaceful resolution that ensures that Iran abides by its obligations and is something that is negotiated rather than through conflict.
Updated
Hastie urges higher spending on defence
Andrew Hastie says that he believes Australia should increase its defence expenditure “so we are in the best possible position to secure our own interest and have as much agency as possible”.
Speaking with the ABC, the shadow foreign minister said:
We have seen in the last five to 10 years countries like Russia and Iran and China in our own region challenge the US rules-based global order. Those countries are revisionist – they want to revise the rules and bend them through their own rules – and expansionist as well, as we have seen with Russia and Ukraine. This is just the world as it is not as we wish it to be and we have to respond.
He also said the opposition was “Australia first” and that Anthony Albanese should attend the Nato summit and seek a meeting with Donald Trump:
The US is our closest security partner, that is why we are troubled Anthony Albanese has not been able to establish a personal relationship with President Trump.
I think that is a problem – President Trump has been elected for more than several months now and that is why I would encourage the prime minister to go to Nato: not send the deputy prime minister but go himself and seek a meeting with Donald Trump and build a deeper relationship with our allies.
Updated
Hastie calls Albanese’s response to US strikes on Iran ‘too slow and too passive’
Andrew Hastie says the people of Australia deserved a more prompt statement from Anthony Albanese regarding the US attack on Iran on Sunday.
The shadow foreign minister told Afternoon Briefing on Monday that he thought the prime minister “has been too slow and too silent and too passive”.
Speaking with the ABC’s Patricia Karvelas, he said:
Yesterday we only heard from a spokesperson from the government, which was a very ambiguous statement, and only heard from the prime minister today. He called NSC [national security committee] this morning, not yesterday, and we saw his press conference with Penny Wong a little earlier.
The question I have is: is this a question of confidence or competence on his part?
Updated
Whale untangled off Sydney beach and moving ‘much more freely’
In a piece of good news, we have just heard the humpback whale off Palm Beach has been disentangled.
“It’s a really successful end of the day considering we’re about to lose light,” an Orcca spokesperson said.
The whale is moving “much more freely”, with Orcca members staying close to it to assess its health.
Updated
Whale entangled in rope off Sydney beach
A whale has become entangled off Sydney’s northern beaches.
In a Facebook post, Orrca marine rescue group said the sub-adult humpback whale off Palm Beach was 10 to 11 metres in length and was trailing about 150m of rope.
The line goes through the whale’s mouth, partially wrapping its body and potentially also its left pectoral fin, according to Orcca. The trailing end of the line is marked by four white buoys equally spaced along the last 10 metres.
NSW National Parks is leading a disentanglement attempt, an Orcca spokesperson confirmed on Monday afternoon.
“It seems to be tired, but that’s to be expected from an entangled whale that is carrying something like a buoy that is slowing it down,” the spokesperson said.
Updated
Weather warnings issued for SA and Tasmania
A quick look at a couple of weather alerts issued by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Parts of South Australia will be hit by abnormally high tides on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the bureau.
In a post on X, it said tides above normal high tide marks were likely, which may lead to seawater flooding of low-lying coastal areas.
Damaging winds were forecast for northern Tasmania on Tuesday.
Updated
Australia needs new regulations to protect people from tech giants, ACCC finds
Australia needs new laws and regulations to prevent significant harm to consumers and businesses from the exploitative practices of US tech giants, AAP reports.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued the warning in its final digital platform services report on Monday after five years of monitoring social networks, online marketplaces, app stores and search engines.
The report issued six recommendations but also raised future areas of concern including a lack of competition in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) services, and risky behaviour involving online video games.
Gina Cass-Gottlieb, chair of the ACCC, said existing laws were not equipped to protect Australians:
While these services have brought many benefits, they have also created harms that our current competition and consumer laws cannot adequately address.
This is why we continue to recommend that targeted regulation of digital platform services is needed to increase competition and innovation and protect consumers in digital markets.
Updated
Thank you, as ever, Nick Visser. Let’s get straight on with the remainder of the day’s news.
That’s all for me today after a busy morning of news to start the week. Daisy Dumas will guide you through the rest of the day. Take care.
Australia Post says letter volumes have fallen to 1950s levels
As reported earlier, the consumer watchdog has given the OK to a price bump on the cost of sending a letter in Australia. If finalised, the new stamp fees would kick in on 17 July and see stamps for an ordinary small letter increase from $1.50 to $1.70.
Australia Post says letter volumes have declined to levels not seen since the 1950s. A spokesperson said on Monday:
The average household purchases five to six full-rate stamps each year and the proposed increase would cost them about $1.20 extra per year.
Even with the price increase, Australians will still be paying less than the current median price of $1.93 for a small letter across OECD postal service operators. The self-funded government enterprise may be losing money delivering letters, but has benefited from growing appetites for online shopping and parcel delivery.
Updated
How Minjee Lee rose to the top in a golden era of women’s golf
The finest triumph for Australia’s highest-paid sportswoman was accompanied by something unusual. For the usually private, impassive Minjee Lee – after winning her third major at the Women’s PGA Championship near her second home in Dallas, Texas – tears were a glimpse into her recent pain.
A 19-month winless run. A collapse at last year’s US Open. An adoption of the broomstick putter, a very public symbol that everything was not right. But those experiences were consigned to the past after sinking a par putt on 18 in Frisco. “It’s very different, because I feel like I had a lot of doubt the past few years,” Lee said. “I think this one just means a little bit more to me.”
The Western Australian won by three strokes to earn $2.8m and become only the third Australian golfer to claim three different major championships, after Karrie Webb and Jan Stephenson. Even Greg Norman only found major success at a single tournament, the Open Championship, in his two victories.
Read more about the great of Australian sport here:
Updated
Covid deaths in aged care jump as infections spread
Thirty-four residents of aged care homes died from Covid-19 over the week to 19 June, a sharp jump from the previous week.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing releases weekly figures for Covid cases and fatalities in aged care homes across the country.
In the week ending 12 June, there were 16 deaths, meaning figures more than doubled for the following reporting period.
Figures also show a steady increase in total Covid cases – for the week ending 29 May, there were 967 reported infections. For the week ending 19 June, there were 1,414.
NSW Health issued warnings earlier this month that Covid cases were rising across the state, with large increases among people aged 90 and over. At the time Dr Jeremy McAnulty said:
While most people have already received their primary course of Covid vaccinations, we’re urging people, especially those aged 65 and over, to get a booster to protect themselves.
Updated
Anti-nuclear group says Australian support for Iran strikes sends ‘dangerous message’
The Australian branch of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican) said today the Albanese government’s support for the US strikes on Iran was “deeply unhelpful” in achieving peace in the region.
Ican said the prime minister’s backing sent a “dangerous message to the international community that Australia backs military aggression over dialogue”.
The anti-nuclear group said in a statement:
Instead of aligning with nuclear-armed states acting outside the law, Australia should act independently to uphold international law and negotiated outcomes…
Before her deeply disappointing support for the American attacks, foreign minister Penny Wong has more helpfully called for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy. Ican Australia supports this approach and urges the government to adopt one further D – disarmament.
You can read more about Ican’s calls here:
Updated
Anthony Albanese quizzed on intelligence that led to support for action against Iran – video
Do you have any questions about politics this week?
Back to Back Barries is Guardian Australia’s political analysis podcast. This week, veteran political journalist George Megalogenis is filling in for co-host Barrie Cassidy. He joins former Liberal adviser and pollster Tony Barry to pull apart the spin behind the strategies.
And they want to hear from you! Send your politics questions to backtobackbarries@theguardian.com and they’ll pick some to answer on this week’s episode, out on Saturday.
Updated
Tobacco sales fell a fifth in 2024-25: IGA owner
Tobacco revenue fell by a fifth in the year to April at IGA’s parent company, Metcash, with the slump in legal tobacco sales accelerating as the illicit cigarette trade takes over the market.
Tobacco was still a major pillar of grocery store sales, Metcash’s financial report revealed, accounting for $1.8bn of the companies’ $10.6bn in food segment revenue in the 12 months to April. But sales fell $450m annually, after making Metcash nearly $2.3bn the previous year and $3bn back in 2021.
The company said the decline was due to a continued sharp rise in illicit tobacco sales and a “largely ineffective” police response, in a presentation to investors on Monday. Changing government regulations had seen tobacco sales fall a further 30% in May and June 2025 compared with the same period the previous year, it said.
As the legal market for tobacco shrinks, Metcash said its control has increased, now accounting for about fifth of legal sales and third of grocery store tobacco sales – an outsized share of the market given its IGA and other supermarkets represent less than a tenth of general grocery sales.
Experts have warned Australia’s “de facto war on nicotine” has fired up the illicit tobacco trade. You can read more from our economics editor, Patrick Commins, here:
Growing supermarket sales offset the decline in cigarette sales for Metcash, which saw its market capitalisation rise $100m on Monday after releasing the year’s financial results. The company also owns wholesale distributors and other independent store networks including Cellarbrations and Mitre 10.
Updated
Anthony Albanese responds to Iran crisis: ‘We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war’ – video
Customers are missing out on bonus savings rates – and banks don’t have to actively warn you
One of Australia’s most popular savings account operators, ING, has ignored regulatory advice to tell customers when they are about to lose bonus rates on promotional accounts, leaving savers at risk of missing out.
The practice has helped ING and other banks access customers’ money at little or no cost to finance other parts of their businesses, including profitable mortgage books.
Savers can be disqualified from earning the advertised rates if they do not make a required number of transactions, deposit a certain amount, grow their balance or otherwise miss their bank’s list of monthly requirements. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found in 2023 that two in three savers were missing out on bonus rates.
It recommended banks be forced to warn customers at risk of breaching bonus conditions with real-time alerts and prompt savers to consider their bonus eligibility and whether other products may better suit their needs with annual notifications.
Read more here:
Postage prices set to go up after watchdog gives the OK
The cost of sending a letter is set to rise as the consumer watchdog waves through a price bump to reflect the decline in snail mail, AAP reports.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission approved the 13.3% price increase, allowing Australia Post to nudge stamps for ordinary small letters up to $1.70 from $1.50.
The final hurdle for the fee change is the communications minister, Anika Wells, who still has an opportunity to reject the change. If finalised, the new stamp fees will kick in on 17 July.
Under the fee changes, ordinary large letters between 125 and 250 grams will jump from $4.50 to $5.10. Stamps for large letters lighter than 125g will tick higher from $3 to $3.40. Charities will still be offered discount rates.
Updated
Former Labor senator takes swipe at Albanese over support for US strikes on Iran
The former Labor senator and union leader Doug Cameron has unleashed on the Albanese government over its support for the US strikes on Iran.
Speaking as national patron for Labor Against War, Cameron said if the federal government was committed to the rules-based order it would condemn the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, which international law experts have described as unlawful under the UN charter.
Cameron told Guardian Australia:
We [Labor Against War] condemn the Australian government’s support for the aggression that Trump is using against Iran. We believe it is illegal, and we believe it’s inconsistent with the long-held Labor party’s support for the United Nations and for the United Nations charters.
It [the government’s position] is inconsistent with the long history of Labor support for peace and nuclear disarmament. It is inconsistent with actions of previous leaders like [John] Curtin, like [Gough Whitlam] and like Simon Crean.
A vocal critic of the Aukus submarine deal, Cameron said it was “inconceivable” the government would have supported the strikes had it not locked itself into a security pact that “subjugated” Australian foreign policy to US interests.
The former NSW senator and left-faction heavyweight also took a swipe at his own wing of the party, accusing it being “mute” on the issue.
It’s about time voices for peace, once again, dominated the Labor party … not this appeasement of the US and Israel.
Updated
Albanese says Iran suffering ‘consequences’ of pursuing its nuclear ambitions
Anthony Albanese was questioned about intelligence that led to Australia’s support for action to stop Iran from pursuing its nuclear ambitions.
The PM said there was “no other explanation” for Iran to have sought an increase in the grade of uranium stocks “other than engaging in a program that wasn’t about civilian nuclear power”.
He said Iran had been given an opportunity to comply but chose not to – “and there have been consequences of that”.
He also said:
The United States have made clear their position and we continue to call for dialogue. Had Iran complied with the very reasonable requests that were made, including by the IAEA, then circumstances would have been different.
Updated
Australia trying to evacuate Australians from Iran via Azerbaijani border, Wong says
Penny Wong has told reporters that the decision to withdraw staff from Australia’s embassy in Tehran was “difficult” to make and that Dfat is working on ways to assist the thousands of Australians who remain in Iran.
The foreign affairs minister said:
We were very conscious of the history in Iran, which I think is people well know, and the advice to me – which I discussed with the prime minister and the deputy prime minister – was to ensure we got our people out.
Obviously, the situation in Iran is very distressing for Australians. We have … over 3,000 Australians and their families who have registered with us as seeking to leave. And obviously, airspace remains closed. We have deployed people to the Azerbaijani border in the event that more Australians are able to exit through that border.
Updated
Australia considering changing travel advice as Middle East conflict escalates
In a press conference with the PM just now, Penny Wong said that with the US’s involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict come risks for Australians – and that she is considering any changes to travel advice.
The foreign affairs minister said:
There are always risks, not only from escalation in the region, but also potential for risk more broadly.
I’ve indicated publicly this morning that I have asked my department to consider whether there are any if there’s any alteration to travel advice more broadly.
Anthony Albanese then said that Australia’s security agency, Asio, is constantly monitoring terror threat levels and there has been no change in any advice that has been issued.
Updated
‘This was a unilateral action by the United States,’ Albanese says
Anthony Albanese is being pushed by reporters on whether Australia was briefed before the US bombed Iran’s nuclear site at Fordow and whether Australia provided any military support via US bases in Australia and the region.
The PM told reporters:
We don’t talk about intelligence matters, but we confirm, of course, that this was a unilateral action by the United States.
He then repeated himself: “We’ve made it very clear this was unilateral action taken by the United States.”
Updated
PM responds to Iran crisis: 'We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war'
Anthony Albanese says the government supports action to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon – while underlining the need for a diplomatic end to the Israel-Iran conflict.
Speaking with reporters just now, the prime minister said:
The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and we support action to prevent that – that is what this is. The US action was directed at specific sites central to Iran’s nuclear program. We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war.
We continue to call for dialogue and for diplomacy. As I have said for many days now, we are deeply concerned about any escalation in the region and we want to see diplomacy, dialogue and de-escalation.
We have been upfront about the challenge facing the international community – that is, dealing with the threat posed by any Iranian nuclear weapons program and dealing with the risk of regional escalation. That’s why Australia called upon Iran to come to the table and abandon any nuclear weapons program. Iran didn’t come to the table just as it has repeatedly failed to comply with its international obligations.
Updated
More than 75% of Victorian students going on to further study
New data released by the Victorian government shows more than 75% of students who complete year 12 go on to further education and training, with one in five entering the workforce.
More than half of those students who continue education will pursue a bachelor’s degree at university, according to data published in the On Track 2024 Destinations of Victorian School Leavers report. The most likely jobs for those who move straight into employment are in the food, hospitality and tourism sectors. Ben Carroll, the state’s deputy premier and minister for education, said in a statement:
Senior secondary education in Victoria prepares students for post school options no matter what their pathway.
Victoria is proud to be the Education State and a place where students can get an education that gives them the skills to pursue their dream careers.
Updated
More on the Australian government’s stance after the US strikes Iran
Australia supports the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and maintains the latter nation must not be allowed to possess atomic weapons, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has said, calling for Tehran to return to negotiations.
But while Wong has refused to say whether the communications facility at Pine Gap was used in the American bombing of three Iranian sites, she said it was a “unilateral strike” from the Trump administration, and that the US has not asked Australia to get involved in any future military engagement. She said earlier today:
The world has long understood we cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. This action is being taken to prevent that. So, we support action to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon.
Nearly 24 hours after US president Donald Trump said American strikes had “totally obliterated” key Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, the Albanese government on Monday gave its first endorsement of the action, after a statement on Sunday from an unnamed government spokesperson noted the strikes.
Read more here:
Updated
Road deaths hit 15-year high, Australian Automobile Association says
Australian road deaths have hit a 15-year high, driven by a large increase in the deaths of cyclists and pedestrians, according to the Australian Automobile Associations (AAA).
There were 1,337 road deaths across Australia in the 12-month period ending 31 May, up 4.8% from a year earlier. Those figures represent a 36.7% increase in the deaths of cyclists and a 15.7% increase in pedestrian deaths. Michael Bradley, AAA’s managing director, said in a statement the National Road Safety Strategy – a 10-year plan to improve safety on Australian roads – needs updating:
Far from halving roads deaths as planned, this latest data shows this Strategy has seen fatalities increase 21.9% since its inception … This strategy saw governments commit to road safety interventions that are either not working or not being delivered.
The upcoming review needs to urgently clarify what’s working, what’s not, and how we need to change the way we’re managing road trauma across Australia.
Road deaths were highest in NSW (350), Queensland (303) and Victoria (299).
Updated
ASX plummets more than $10bn after US Iran strikes
More than $10bn has been wiped from the Australian share market on opening after the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, as traders react to worsening economic growth prospects.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 fell below 8,460 points, back to near where it was at the start of June after holding above 8,500 points on Friday. It had closed at an all-time high of 8,592 on 11 June, days before Israel began its military strikes on Iran, but has fallen in six of the subsequent seven trading days.
Energy companies including Woodside, Origin and Santos rose in value after predictions the widening conflict in the Middle East would drive up global oil and gas prices.
But those higher prices would restrict economic activity in Australia, which saw traders sell down the big banks as well as consumer-facing companies from Flight Centre and Qantas to Breville and gambling company Tabcorp. Furniture retailer Temple and Webster shed more than $100m in value.
Worsening prospects for global economic growth mean a poorer outlook for Australian commodity prices, pushing down share prices for Mineral Resources, Pilbara Minerals and Champion Iron.
Updated
First legal challenge to fracking under federal water trigger begins today
The first legal challenge to fracking under the federal water trigger begins in the federal court today. Anti-mining group Lock the Gate has challenged gas company Tamboran’s Shenandoah South pilot project in the Northern Territory.
The pilot project in the Beetaloo basin is a 15-well exploration project, with the company planning to sell so-called appraisal gas – which is gas extracted during the exploration phase.
Environment groups last year, concerned about the pilot project’s potential impacts on water including nearby Lake Woods, had called for the project to be assessed under the water trigger in Australia’s environmental laws. The federal government expanded the water trigger in 2023 to include all forms of unconventional gas.
The Lock the Gate Alliance said the project should be referred to the federal environment minister for assessment and a decision under national environment laws designed to protect water from significant impacts.
Georgina Woods, Lock the Gate’s head of research and investigations, said:
We are pursuing this case because we believe Tamboran’s fracking project is likely to contaminate precious groundwater in the Northern Territory and we want Australia’s national environmental law applied.
We believe the expanded water trigger should be used to assess this fracking project for its impacts on water resources. Since neither Tamboran nor the federal environment minister have chosen to do this we have stepped in to take action ourselves.
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NZ foreign minister looking for evidence that justified US strikes on Iran
Winston Peters, New Zealand’s foreign minister, said this morning he was looking for “evidence to do with” Iran’s nuclear program that was “way outside the negotiated position they’ve been taking all this time” to justify the US strikes on sites across the country. Peters told Radio NZ that Iran had “been marvellously good at negotiating their way out of things and the question is, have they kept to their commitments, have they breached their international obligations”.
He said the world needed to “find that out before we rush to judgment”.
Yesterday, Peters said he found the strikes “extremely worrying” and said it was “critical” further escalation was avoided. He said:
New Zealand strongly supports efforts towards diplomacy. We urge all parties to return to talks. Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action.
The NZ prime minister, Chris Luxon, said the right response “cannot be more military action” saying politics needed to take precedent, the AAP reports.
Updated
Petrol prices expected to rise after US bombs Iran
Petrol prices are expected to rise at least 5c a litre after the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities, with analysts predicting severe retaliation from Iran would see prices spike by a further 20c a litre.
Australian consumers have already been paying more at the bowser since Israel first struck Iran earlier in June. Prices have already climbed 15c/L higher over the last month, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission data shows. Sydney and Melbourne prices barely moving below $1.75/L when they had been bottoming out near $1.60/L in May and similar rises elsewhere.
AMP economist Shane Oliver, speaking before the US strike, said every US$1 change in the international price for a barrel of oil translates to a 1c rise or fall at the bowser, so the extra US$5 rise could see peak petrol prices surpass A$2/L in the capital cities.
Oil prices were below US$65 a barrel a month ago but markets now expect they’ll surpass US$80, if you take the Brent oil global price benchmark for Atlantic basin crude oils.
They could rise further beyond $US100 per barrel, adding about another 20c per litre to petrol prices, if Iran disrupts shipping through the strait of Hormuz, Commonwealth Bank analyst Vivek Dhar said on Monday. Dhar wrote:
Iran needs to first consider whether it wants a symbolic or substantial retaliation. … Oil and gas tankers don’t have an alternative to bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
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Dfat updates travel advice for Australians over Israel-Iran conflict
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Smartraveller website has once again updated its guidance for Australians in the Middle East or considering travel to the region, warning the local security situation could “get worse with little notice” after the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday.
Australians are encouraged to stay up to date with advice as flights may be cancelled amid an ongoing risk of reprisal attacks and further escalation across the region. Dfat has also encouraged travellers to see its general advice on staying safe during armed conflict.
The US has conducted strikes on Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan.
— Smartraveller (@Smartraveller) June 22, 2025
There is a risk of reprisal attacks and further escalation across the region.
See our general advice on protecting your safety during an armed conflict https://t.co/UD67CF8UYO (1/2) pic.twitter.com/c9oZXJcL4g
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Qantas and Virgin Australia partner flights unaffected by Iran conflict so far
Qantas flights to Europe and Virgin Australia wet lease flights with Qatar Airways remain unaffected by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. Airspace over the two countries remains closed after the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites yesterday.
Both airlines say they are monitoring airspace around the region closely and will communicate with travellers if any changes are required. Qantas uses a number of flight paths en route to Europe that are reviewed regularly based on weather and security concerns, and they are proactively changed as needed, while Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways also monitor for safe alternatives if needed.
Flight maps show many commercial planes in the sky in the region, although they are flying around Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel.
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Australia’s Minjee Lee wins historic third major at Women’s PGA Championship
Australian golf superstar Minjee Lee has cemented her greatness, claiming a historic third career major with a steely victory at the big-money Women’s PGA Championship in Texas, AAP reports.
Lee had her four-shot overnight lead slashed in half early in the final round before hanging on, then surging gamely for a three-shot triumph in more extremely trying conditions at PGA Frisco’s windswept Fields Ranch East course.
The 29-year-old bogeyed three of the first six holes in an anxious start before steadying to close with a sufficiently sound two-over-par 74 on championship Sunday (Monday AEST).
She said of her final-round approach:
Just stick to my gameplan. It’s a battle against myself pretty much, especially with how tough the conditions were this whole week.
Read more here:
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Australia risks losing ‘war on nicotine’ in same way as war on drugs as illegal tobacco sales explode
Australia is now waging a “de facto war on nicotine” that is doomed to fail in the same way as previous prohibition-style policies, experts say, amid a growing debate about how to respond to an explosion in the illicit tobacco trade.
As health experts warn against changes that would undermine decades of fighting to bring down smoking rates, James Martin, a criminology lecturer at Deakin University, and Edward Jegasothy, an epidemiologist at the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health, have called for a major overhaul in how we tax tobacco and regulate vaping products.
They argue that unaffordable legal cigarettes and an effective ban on retail e-cigarette sales are responsible for the explosion in black-market trade for both products. Martin and Jegasothy wrote recently in Harm Reduction Journal:
Australia’s current strategy may be creating more harm than it mitigates, mirroring many of the unintended consequences historically associated with drug prohibition.
Read more here:
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Former ambassador to US says ‘no way’ Australia would put boots on the ground
Amid questions over whether Australia should do more to support its major ally, former Australian ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos says combat troops are not the way forward.
Sinodinos, who served in the role from 2020 to 2023, told AAP after the US strikes on Iran:
There’s no way we would put troops on the ground. I don’t think the government or the political establishment here are suggesting that we just follow whatever the US is going to do.
I’d be very surprised if there’s anybody saying that we, automatically as a result of what the US has done, are now part of that conflict.
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Wong says US has not asked Australia to get involved in Iran attacks
Penny Wong was on every major network this morning to address the US strikes in Iran. On Channel 9, the foreign minister was asked how Australia would respond if the US asked the country to get more involved in the Middle East conflict. She said the White House had made “no such request”, but added she wouldn’t speculate about what could happen in the future.
I again would say we are concerned, as are so many people around the world, about continued escalation. No one wants to see full-scale war in the Middle East.
Australia runs a joint intelligence surveillance base with the US at Pine Gap in the Northern Territory. Wong did not say if that facility played any role this weekend when asked, although she noted the US made “clear” this was a unilateral strike.
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NSW budget to include $80m to jump start new investment and innovation
The Minns government will allocate nearly $80m in the upcoming NSW budget to a new investment and innovation authority meant to accelerate approvals for major projects across industry. The program, called the Investment Delivery Authority, is modelled after a similar effort for housing and is expected to assist about 30 large projects each year that could result in billions worth of investment in the state each year.
The authority will be tasked with identifying reforms to “remove hurdles for private investment” and offer government support if a project is chosen for assistance. The body will accept expressions of interest from projects valued over $1bn from all sectors, coming into effect in the 2025-26 financial year.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said in a statement:
The fact is major projects from the private sector are getting bogged down in red tape, which is making it harder to do business in NSW when we should be doing everything we can to get things moving.
Our state is open for business and this change will encourage more people to bring their best ideas to life in NSW, all backed by our government.
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More than two-thirds of Tasmanians want government to rip up AFL stadium deal, survey finds
A new poll of Tasmanian voters reveals more than two-thirds of respondents believe the state’s stadium deal with the AFL is unfair and should be renegotiated. The poll, conducted by YouGov for the Australia Institute, found 69% of those questioned agreed that the AFL was “treating Tasmania unfairly” in the deal, and the same percentage found the state’s parliament should “renegotiate with the AFL to avoid building a new stadium”.
Leanne Minshull, strategy director for the Australia Institute, said in a statement:
This state deserves to have a team in the AFL, but Tassie taxpayers don’t want to be on the hook for a billion-dollar indoor stadium they don’t want.
Read more about the stadium deal here:
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About 1,300 Australians looking to leave Israel, 2,900 in Iran
Penny Wong said earlier there are more than 4,000 people registered with the Australian government as wanting to leave the Middle East: 1,300 in Israel and 2,900 in Iran.
Hastie says Coalition supports strikes, but want a ‘peaceful settlement from here’
The acting shadow foreign affairs minister, Andrew Hastie, reiterated this morning the Coalition supported the US strikes on Iran, but called for diplomacy moving forward. He told RN Breakfast:
I’m glad to see that Penny Wong has essentially endorsed our position and I’m glad we have bipartisanship on this, that the world, as she said, has agreed Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. …
We support those strikes, and now we want to see dialogue and diplomacy. We want to see a peaceful settlement from here. And I’m just not going to speculate on what steps might be taken next.
RN Breakfast host Sally Sara pressed Hastie on the legality of the strikes and if there was any concern there. Hastie said those things would be debated in the coming days, but added:
What’s happened has happened, and the question is: Do we support the US in their strikes? Yes, we do. Why? Because we don’t want to see Iran getting a nuclear weapon.
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Nearly 70% of renters fear asking for repairs, study finds
Almost seven in 10 renters worry about asking for repairs in case it prompts a rent increase, AAP reports. A survey of more than 1,000 renters across Australia has also found a third would be unable to afford a 5% increase on what they’re currently paying.
Half the respondents lived in homes that need repairs and one in 10 needed them carried out urgently. The survey found 31% of rental homes have cockroach, ant or other pest problems, almost a quarter are leaky and one in five have issues with hot water, while almost as many feature mouldy bathrooms.
Rents, meanwhile, have surged a staggering 47% in the past five years amid calls for nationwide rental increase limits.
Researchers found 68% of tenants feared asking their landlord to repair their residence would mean upping the rent, 56% suspected it would get them evicted and 52% worried that they would be placed on a blacklist stopping them renting another property.
The study was conducted by the Australian Council of Social Services, University of NSW, Sydney-led Poverty and Inequality Partnership, National Shelter and the National Association of Renter Organisations.
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Wong says it is ‘right’ to call for diplomacy and de-escalation now
Wong also spoke to ABC News this morning, saying:
It is right to call for diplomacy and de-escalation at this point because we do not want to see escalation and a full-scale war in the Middle East. That would be devastating for the people of the region and it would be a bad thing, it would be obviously highly disruptive to global stability.
The foreign minister said Iran had long flouted its obligations when it came to nuclear material, adding:
I think it is important to remember that the facilities that were struck only existed for the purpose of Iran’s nuclear program. That’s what we are talking about.
The world has long agreed Iran is not in compliance with its international obligations when it comes to nuclear material and the world long agreed it’s not in the interests of collective peace and security for Iran to gain access to a nuclear weapon.
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Wong says government remains focused on supporting Australians in Middle East
Wong said the government remains “very focused” on doing “whatever we can” to support Australians in Iran, but called the situation there “extremely difficult”. She said:
The airspace remains closed in both countries we have deployed Australian officials to the border with Azerbaijan so if people are able to make their way to that which is a obviously highly people have to make a judgment about how risky that is but we urge them to move if they believe they can do so safely.
Wong said airspace in Israel also remained closed and represented a complex situation, too.
There is some prospect of a window of airspace opening [in Israel]. Obviously, that is highly dependent on the situation on the ground, and we are seeking to try and arrange a facilitated flight in the event that the airspace opens.
Penny Wong says Albanese government supports US strikes on Iran
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong said the government supported the US strikes against Iranian nuclear targets yesterday, but remained deeply concerned about what happens next, calling for diplomacy and de-escalation in the Middle East. Wong spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying:
We have all agreed, the world has agreed, Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. So, yes, we support action to prevent that, and that is what this is. But I would make this point: the big question is now what? We do not want escalation in a full-scale war and we continue to call for dialogue and diplomacy. …
We’re deeply concerned about continued escalation in a full-scale war with all of the consequences, not just for Australians in the region, but all the peoples of the region and the risk to global instability.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Nick Visser. Here’s what we’ll be looking at this morning.
The Australian government is calling for a “de-escalation” after the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites yesterday, with almost 4,000 Australian citizens attempting to flee the conflict zone. The federal Coalition backed the attacks and have accused Labor of being “too ambiguous” in its response, while the Greens called the strikes a “blatant breach of international law” and urged Australia to distance itself from the US. The Albanese government has maintained the Iranian nuclear program threatens the “stability of the world”.
Australia risks losing a “war on nicotine” as illegal tobacco sales explode. Experts have warned against changes that could undermine decades of fighting to bring down smoking rates, with some calling for a major overhaul in how we tax tobacco and regulate vaping products.
Nearly seven in 10 renters say they are fearful of asking for repairs out of fear they could face a rent increase, according to a new survey of more than 1,000 people across the country. The survey also found one-third of respondents would not be able to afford a 5% increase on their current rent.
Stick with us.
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