The World Today

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has claimed this week's Four Corners program on water being diverted from the Murray Darling environmental flows is of being part of a campaign to deprive irrigators of water. The Minister made his comments in Shepparton, but they are at odds with what he was telling journalists in Canberra.

Australia's meat industry is trying to allay concerns about China's temporary export ban. China has suspended beef imports from six Australian processing plants citing labelling errors. But the industry says the problems have already been fixed, and now it's up to diplomats to get the ban reversed.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission says it is carefully monitoring the use of prescription painkillers in Australia amid concerns they are being abused. The ACIC's latest analysis of waste water at 37 different sites shows the use of the opioid oxycodone in regional areas is, on average, almost double that seen in the capital cities. The report shows a small decrease in the use of 'ice' or methamphetamine, but it is still the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia.

Australian cities are ranked for the first time on who will fare best in the new knowledge economy. Professor Lawrence Pratchett, who ranked them says he wants the mayors of all 25 cities to argue the point with him, saying some really shouldn't be bothering to strive to be knowledge cities.

Many of us would probably like to spend less time at work and more time at play, and in the United States one demographic seems to be doing just that. American researchers studying the labour market say men aged between 21 and 30 are working fewer hours now than they did a decade ago. And while being under-employed generally makes people unhappy, for this group the opposite seems to be true. And video games might be the secret.

Arnotts has defended downsizing some of its products, while it leaves the price on hold. The company has been copping it on social media for cutting the number of tiny teddy and shapes snack packs it sells in some family bundles. While it's only a small change, consumer advocates warn downsizing is not an isolated problem.

Cameleering could be considered an antiquated profession but in Central Australia, it's still going strong. Every year, 96 year old John Wilkinson makes the journey from the New South Wales Riverina to the Simpson Desert where he works with camels, proving he's as hardy as the animals.

Cardinal George Pell has appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates Court, arriving accompanied only by his lawyers, in relation to multiple charges relating to historical sexual offences. As the third-highest ranking official at the Vatican, Cardinal Pell is the most senior Catholic in the world to face such charges. He strenuously denies any wrongdoing and has returned to Australia to defend the charges. The matter will return to court on 6th October.

If ever the phrase mamma mia was warranted in Canberra, Queensland Senator Matt Canavan would probably argue it's now. It's splashed across the front pages of several newspapers after Senator Canavan's shock revelation yesterday he'd discovered his mother had signed him up for Italian citizenship. The serious question of whether he will have to quit Parliament will be decided by the High Court. But the Greens Leader Richard Di Natale says it's an open and shut case and he must resign.

The Federal Government is refusing to step in to investigate the allegations of water theft and corruption in the northern reaches of the Murray-Darling river. The South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill is adamant that the Commonwealth must take responsibility and has written to the Prime Minister demanding an urgent COAG meeting to order a judicial inquiry. But the Federal Water Minister Barnaby Joyce says New South Wales is handling the matter and the Commonwealth will not step in.