Good afternoon.
Richard Marles has confirmed Australia is tracking a Chinese navy flotilla in the Philippines Sea, amid concerns it may be heading towards Australian waters. The defence minister said it was too early to tell if the ships were headed towards Australia and officials would continue to track its progress.
It comes as Labor announced a new independent delivery agency will manage billions of dollars of complex defence and military projects, merging organisations responsible for overseeing nearly 40% of the department’s current functions.
Top news
Drug regulator issues mental health warning for weight-loss drugs including Ozempic
Who are the activists in Newcastle trying to shut down the world’s biggest coal port?
Sydney police charge four men over alleged ‘international satanic child sex abuse material ring’
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris voice frustration at McLaren’s F1 strategy
‘Albo said how much he loved them’: prime minister jumps on personalised nuptial drinks trend
In pictures
Beer? Yes. Crocs? No … The Walkabout Creek hotel (AKA the Crocodile Dundee pub) has entered a new era in Queensland’s Gulf Country – just don’t expect crocodiles.
What they said …
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“It’s been acrimonious, and there’s no end point if a decision is made that the stadium is to be built.” – Roland Browne
The Tasmanian lawyer who helped organise a rally against the state’s proposed AFL stadium says the debate has been a stain on the state. Jack Snape took the temperature in Hobart ahead of a state parliament vote on the stadium’s fate.
Full Story
Bringing Indigenous languages back from the brink
More than 250 languages were spoken across Australia before British colonisation. Now only half are still in use as a result of policies that suppressed and prevented First Nations people from speaking their mother tongues.
Indigenous affairs reporter Ella Archibald-Binge travels to two communities including her country to hear from elders, teachers and students about efforts to revive native languages and close the education gap
Before bed read
We all know people with very different levels of drive. But does “laziness” start in the brain? Neurology professor Masud Husain suggests that understanding the surprising mechanism behind apathy can help unlock scientific ways to boost your motivation.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: UNI. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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