Data released today show that retail spending is the worst it's been in 30 years; the Disability RC chairman has used his opening address at the inquiry's first hearing to warn dissenters not to discourage people from participating; and a SA politician has now won bipartisan support for a Bill to ban the sale of Nitrous Oxide to anyone under 18-years-old.

The Prime Minister wants to force banks and insurers to do business with mining companies, with Scott Morrison taking aim at radical activism; And Qantas in damage control, with aircraft grounded and the union making claims about its maintenance program.

The aged care royal commission releases an interim report highly critical of Australia's aged care system; and just one day after the Government reboots efforts to inject an Indigenous voice into the political process, a Coalition senator undermines it.

The Coalition Government announces plans for an Indigenous voice to government; and the Federal Government's big tax on backpackers' earnings is partly struck out in court, causing yet more upheaval for farmers trying to navigate the system.

A British tourist has foot bitten off and another is badly injured after a Whitsunday shark attack; Labor leader Anthony Albanese promises jobs and climate action at a policy speech in Perth; And after another high profile restaurant group is accused of underpayment, unions call for wage theft to be criminalised.

Big banks are up to their old tricks, selling superannuation products that might not be in consumer's best interests; Racing Victoria has released details of a $25 million plan on equine welfare; and despite the death of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, experts say it will make little difference.

Hundreds queued since before dawn to be among the last to ascend Uluru; The discovery of dozens of bodies in the back of a truck in England draws attention to human trafficking and people smuggling; And a new book documents 43 new allegations of sexual abuse against US President Donald Trump.

Security intelligence legislation rejected by a parliamentary committee; the NSW Government to make maths compulsory for year 12 students; and small business owners fear their livelihoods could be derailed by fake or malicious online reviews.

How Russia's deal with Turkey about the future of Syria could imperil tens of thousands of Syrians who sheltered in the country's north-west; And a little-known South Australian politician urges the Japanese Government to ban the manufacture of so-called 'child sex dolls'.

Some economists are warning there's a real risk that the Government's coveted surplus is at risk of turning into a sizeable deficit; The Senior Constable accused of conducting an illegal strip search of a child says she can't remember the incident; And another term for Canada's Justin Trudeau, but with a weakened position in government.