Afternoon Update: Labor plans migration cuts; extent of bird flu disaster revealed; and the secret of immortality

As the home affairs minister’s National Press Club address is postponed, refugee advocates lament missed ‘opportunity to bring Australians together’. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Good afternoon. Tony Burke was all set to speak at the National Press Club tomorrow – until he wasn’t.

The home affairs minister’s address, which would have touched on “managing the migration program”, has now been delayed, reportedly amid political considerations inside the Albanese government. Despite this, the Guardian understands Labor will push ahead with new rules to cut net overseas migration and push temporary residents to leave Australia (figures last month showed net overseas migration numbers were at their lowest since 2022). It is believed the rescheduling of the address will allow Anthony Albanese to help sell any changes as the government seeks to push back on criticism of its record on migration by One Nation and the Coalition.

A Labor spokesperson told Guardian Australia the address would probably take place in the next fortnight and “deal with the migration system as a whole”.

Top news

• Penguins and dolphins among nearly 400 Australian species under threat from bird flu as ‘true extent of disaster’ revealed

• Icac: NSW Liberal leader defers decision on frontbencher Damien Tudehope following leak revelations

• ‘Won’t happen’: One Nation Victoria leader’s comments raise questions about Hanson’s mass deportations policy

• Daniel Andrews defends actions as opposition labels Labor ‘a gangster government’ after Ibac report released

• High court blocks plan to extract two Sydney Harbours’ worth of groundwater from the desert

• New Zealand capital delights in rare snowfall as southern city residents ski down world’s steepest street

In video

Meta glasses - they’re everywhere, and people have a lot of opinions. Mostly about their ability to take photos and videos.

Rafqa Touma speaks to Guardian Australia’s technology reporter, Josh Taylor, lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, and the Human Technology Institute’s responsible technology policy specialist, Lauren Perry.

What they said …

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A housing correction “would be a good thing for our country”. – David Pocock

As debate about how falling house prices will impact Australian home owners and first home buyers, Independent senator David Pocock took to the ABC to argue that: “Housing is so fundamental to functioning as a human, to flourishing families, communities – we have to actually ensure that we can keep house prices in check over the next couple of decades”.

Full Story

Decoding America: are the Democrats having their own Maga moment?

In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad take a look at a moment for the Democrats that could decide the future of the party - the Michigan senate primaries. You can listen to this episode here.

Before bed read

Immortality is generally considered the realm of the gods or science fiction, a fantasy that’s actively pursued by tech entrepreneurs in macabre experiments that include injecting “young blood”, cryopreservation, or resurrection in an AI afterlife.

But one ethereal, thimble-shaped jellyfish has already cracked the code.

Daily word game

Today’s starter word is: BANK . You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.

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