Australia's top spy has delivered a bleak snap-shot of threats to national security and democracy in what he's described as his most "significant, serious, and sober" threat assessment to date.

According to the Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), we are living in a world where radicalisation can take just days, antisemitic attacks on home soil are yet to plateau, and multiple nations have plotted to physically harm people living in Australia.

Also, Parliament may not have been sitting, and the election may not have been called yet but could the Government have steeled itself for the ballot box after the events of this week?

And "reckless indifference" or "wilful bastardry".

They're the only things that former treasury secretary Ken Henry believes can explain the economic challenges and environmental catastrophe facing young Australians, thanks to successive governments and the voters who've supported them.

South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas is spearheading a rescue package with the federal government that will pump more than $2 billion into the Whyalla steelworks, a facility that has struggled to remain online for the past 12 months.

The Premier says the steelworks is critical to Australia's future with its steel being used to build critical infrastructure across the country.

Also, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has confirmed he's yet to receive an apology from Michael Sukkar, after the Manager of Opposition Business moved a gag motion to silence him. 

During Question Time last week,  the attempt to silence Mr Dreyfus came as he spoke on the efforts to tackle antisemitism. 

And US President Donald Trump has incorrectly labeled Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator without elections".

The pair have been trading criticisms after Ukraine was left out of talks between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia. 

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Australian mortgage payers will get their first relief in more than four years after the Reserve Bank agreed to cut the cash rate by 25 basis points.

While the federal government will be cheering as it prepares to call an election, Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock has made clear households shouldn't get too excited about the prospect of further cuts this year.

Also, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned two separate Islamophobic attacks on two women at a shopping centre in Melbourne's north, saying no one deserves to feel unsafe in Australia or be attacked because of their race or religion.

Victoria Police have confirmed they're investigating the incidents as "prejudice-motivated" attacks, with the state's Premier Jacinta Allan labelling it an act of "evil".

And Russia and the US have agreed to start working towards ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties, with more talks to come.

In a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Saudi Arabia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two sides agreed broadly to pursue three goals.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Britain and Europe need to "step up" and spend more on defence, warning his country's national security is facing a "generational challenge."

Mr Stamer made the comments ahead of an emergency meeting in Paris, where leaders discussed Europe's role in any ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Also, there's uproar in the Australian arts community over the decision to drop a Lebanese-Australian artist as Australia's selection for one of the world's most prestigious cultural events, the Venice Biennale.

Thousands of creatives have signed a petition calling for artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino to be reinstated by the board of Creative Australia.

And, the Australian Speaker of the House, Milton Dick, believes the Parliament shouldn't be treated as a "ballet recital or cathedral" but it is crucial politicians treat each other with respect. 

It comes after the Coalition's Michael Sukkar sparked controversy during Question Time by attempting to shut down Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus Dreyfus as he spoke about his personal connection to the Holocaust.

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Australia's home for the best coverage of the biggest breaking news events with specialised analysis of politics, business and sport and agenda-setting interviews with some of the world's leading experts, and change makers.

Australia's official arts council has announced it has commissioned an "immediate, independent and external review" into its artistic selection process following its decision to withdraw the artistic team from the 2026 Venice Biennale.

Creative Australia last week dropped its selection of Lebanese Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino as Australia's representatives to the major event.

Also, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced an emergency “working meeting” of European leaders on Ukraine’s next steps.

It comes as America's top diplomat — Marco Rubio — played down European concerns about being cut out of the opening peace talks between Russia and the United States.

And a former Director General of Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry says the 'intent' of genocide could soon be proven if Gazans 'disappear' or are forcibly removed from the strip.

It comes as the Israeli prime minister says Israel and the United States are working together to make US President Donald Trump's vision for Gaza "a reality".   

Meanwhile the Coalition will consider divestiture powers to break up Australia's insurance giants, to help increase competition. 

The plan is in the same vein as laws the opposition has pledged to tackle price-gouging in the supermarket sector. 

Correction: This podcast reports that multiple Creative Australia board members have resigned. At point of publishing, one board member and multiple senior employees had resigned. 

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There's been a furious response from crossbench independents to the major parties' deal on political donations.

Some say they'd likely demand the changes be scrapped if they wound up holding the balance of power in a hung parliament.

But the changes could also face trouble outside parliament where legal experts saying they're vulnerable to a High Court challenge.

Also, the influence of independents and minor parties is growing and for some on the crossbench, there are high hopes they'll be king-makers in a potential hung parliament.

But while a lot of focus has been on the city-based independents, including the teals, regional independents are urging the country's leaders to not forget about the bush.

And, the sitting fortnight in Parliament House Canberra has come to a close, but not before some of the government's key legislation was passed through.

Childcare reforms sailed through, but also came off the back of controversial electoral reforms. 

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The trade minister was holding a doorstop, right as independent MP Zali Steggall was passing by - leading to an explosive moment in the halls of parliament. 

The Greens and Independents have bitterly condemned the deal between Labor and the Coalition to ram the political donations changes through parliament by last night.

They reject the government's claim that there was lengthy consultation on the changes and say it bakes in an unfair advantage for the major parties and incumbents.

Also, US President Donald Trump says he's spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about starting negotiations "immediately" to end the war in Ukraine.

In a post on social media, he described the phone call as "lengthy and highly productive", and says the two leaders agreed to work together "very closely".

And, Australia's largest home loan provider, Commbank, has been going from strength to strength, yesterday unveiling a $5.1b half year cash profit.

Meanwhile, it's predicting good news for mortgage payers next week.

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A jury in London has found Matilda's soccer star Sam Kerr not guilty of racial harassment of a police officer, after calling him "stupid and white".

Kerr was cleared of the 2023 incident, where she was taken to a police station by a taxi driver following a dispute.

Also, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire deal with Hamas and resume fighting in Gaza after the militant group announced plans to delay the release of three more hostages this Saturday. 

It comes as Jordan's King Abdullah has been meeting US President Donald Trump in Washington, to discuss the ceasefire deal and Mr Trump's Gaza proposal to take in hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

And the federal government's announcement of an extended moratorium on bank closures until 2027 has been welcomed by some regional and rural areas.

But the Financial Sector Union — which represents workers across the banking, insurance, superannuation, brokering and general finance sectors — says this won't be enough to protect regional and rural bankers.

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