Radio National Breakfast

A long-awaited overhaul of federal environment laws passed the Senate yesterday, after the government struck a deal with the Greens. 

The bill is expected to be approved in the House of Representatives this morning.

As the Opposition Leader Sussan Ley slams the deal as "dirty," Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt says the Coalition could "not be clear with what they wanted."

• Guest: Murray Watt, Minister for the Environment and Water
• Producer: Isadora Bogle   

There's broad consensus in the business community that reforms to environmental protections passed in the Senate yesterday are a substantial improvement on the existing regime.

But some have called it a missed opportunity for longer-term reform, and there's disappointment in the Coalition for not working harder to reach a bipartisan position.

So what does the head of the Australian Industry Group think? 

• Guest: Innes Willox, CEO of the Australian Industry Group 
• Producers: Lexie Jeuniewic and Jason Whittaker 

For years, Australian writers have warned local content is being drowned out by international streaming giants.

The federal government has this week passed laws that will force platforms like Netflix, Disney, and Amazon to invest in Australian programs.

Under the legislation, streamers will have to commit at least 10 per cent of local expenditure — or 7-point-5 per cent of revenue  — on Australian content.

• Guest: Claire Pullen, CEO of the Australian Writers Guild

Banking regulator APRA has fired warning shots at major lenders this week, following an up-tick in riskier forms of lending as interest rates fall.

From February next year, Australia's banks will soon get new rules that will limit how many "high-risk" large home loans they can issue to customers.

It comes after the total value of new investment loans rose almost 18 per cent to $39.8 billion in the September quarter alone.

• Guest: Simon Birmingham, CEO of the Australian Banking Association and former federal Coalition minister
• Producer: Grace Stranger

The Lebanese prime minister has criticised Hezbollah overnight for failing to disarm, saying that its refusal to do so is hurting his country.

It comes as Israel carried out more strikes in Lebanon this week, killing civilians; the United Naitons has now confirmed at least 127 deaths since last year's ceasefire.

The attacks are fuelling fears of another, wider war. Hezbollah warns the recent strikes have "crossed a red line", while thousands of displaced civilians are yet to return to their homes. 

• Guest: Anchal Vohra, international affairs columnist at Foreign Policy Magazine, and a geopolitics analyst 
• Producer: Anne Barker 

As US negotiators prepare to travel to Moscow next week, there are growing questions over what Russia is prepared to agree to in any Ukraine peace plan. New reports suggest the US peace proposal conflict with key Russian demands, while a leaked phone call showing envoy Steve Witkoff advising a top Kremlin official, has sparked political criticism in Washington.

Guest: Professor Volodymyr Dubovyk, Director of the Center for International Studies at Odessa Mechnikov National University

Producer: Anne Barker

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Labor has struck a deal to overhaul the nation's outdated environmental protection laws.

Mr Albanese says the laws will pass the Senate today, more than five years after Graeme Samuel handed down a review into the legislation.

Then, a massive high-rise apartment fire in Hong Kong's Tai Po district has killed at least 44 people and left hundreds more missing, with firefighters continuing to battle the blaze, which has spread across multiple buildings.

Also, Optus crews spent hours repairing a mobile phone outage for more than 14,000 services yesterday. We hear from the former boss of the consumer watchdog. 

And Tasmania's fiscal future is back in the spotlight, after the state's credit rating dropped to the lowest in the country, alongside the Northern Territory.

Recap the morning's news, politics and global affairs with the Breakfast Wrap.

More than 50 years since man first set foot on the moon, a new space race is on, as NASA prepares to put astronauts back on the lunar surface in 2027.

Scientists are already preparing the next steps - how to live, grow food and thrive beyond earth.

A new paper published today in the journal 'New Phytologist' proposes a roadmap for that research.

At least 44 people are dead and others remain trapped after a massive fire that engulfed multiple high-rise towers at a residential complex in Hong Kong, with police arresting three people on suspicion of manslaughter.

Guest: Ryan Chang, reporter

Calls for repairs going unanswered, mould in the walls, or landlords withholding bond.

These are just some of the stories being told by some of the millions of renters in Australia.

But for some it can be be difficult to challenge a landlord and know all your legal rights.

In Victoria lawyer Noel Lim saw this gap in the system and decided to build a solution.

Guest: Noel Lim, founding CEO of Anika Legal