TRANSCRIPT:
- An investigation underway after a grim discovery in the Blue Mountains;
- Experts criticise a plan to ban underage kids from social media;
- Canterbury's star winger Josh Addo-Carr steps aside after a positive roadside test for cocaine.
Two children have been found dead in a home in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.
A 42 year old woman has also been found in the property at Faulconbridge - and has been taken to hospital alive and in a stable condition, under police guard.
New South Wales Police say the boys aged 9 and 11 were discovered by a family member.
They say an investigation is now well underway into what happened.
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Ukraine has summoned a senior Iranian diplomat amid reports that Tehran has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles.
Ukraine's foreign ministry says it has warned the official there will be "devastating and irreparable consequences" if the report is true.
Senior authorities in Iran have already denied the reports, describing them as "psychological warfare".
But a European Union spokesperson has described the information as "credible".
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A leading psychologist says banning children from social media overlooks the Internet's fundamental problems and will not make the online space any safer.
Australian Association of Psychologists director Carly Dober says a ban distracts from the real issues at hand.
But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is pressing ahead, telling a Suicide Prevention Day event that the proposal is related to suicide data.
He says an age verification trial will be held to determine how the ban can be best delivered.
"We're having a debate in this country and my government is committed to introducing age restriction legislation by the end of this year. That is a response to the impact that social media is having as well. Social media companies don't seem to think they have a social responsibility, well they do. We as a parliament and government and nation should hold them to account."
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Nurses and midwives across New South Wales have walked off the job today in defiance of orders from the state industrial relations commission not to strike.
The stoppage has already led to cancelled surgeries, and is expected to increase emergency department wait times.
Speakers at rallies across the country have accused government figures of hollow praise, thanking them for their service throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, while not delivering pay rises and improved conditions.
"We don't strike lightly. We don't take industrial action lightly. We're overworked and underpaid."
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Key changes to the structure of the Reserve Bank appear to be in limbo, amid opposition from the Coalition who say they're worried about a new board being too political.
Opposition spokesman Angus Taylor remains unsatisfied with the concessions offered by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, saying there's still potential for the new rates board to be stacked with Labor appointees.
Dr Chalmers says his counterpart isn't making any sense.
"I have always tried to take the shadow treasurer seriously, even though nobody else appears to. We have always been hostage to the shadow treasurer's ability to carry an argument internally."
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A major Indigenous legal group says it's bracing for a dramatic increase in child incarceration across the country.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services body says that's because multiple state government have abandoned their commitments to raising the age of criminal responsibility.
N-A-T-S-I-L-S Chair Karly Warner says that's the wrong way to go.
"We all want to live in an environment where there is no crime and that should be the state and territory governments' responsibility to make sure that they are making investments, developing policies, that are going to actually reduce crime and support our families. What they're doing at the moment is law and order posturing that is only going to make crime worse."
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NASA has approved next month's launch to one of Jupiter's moons after reviewing the spacecraft's ability to withstand intense radiation.
Questions about the reliability of the transistors on the Europa Clipper spacecraft arose earlier this year after similar problems cropped up elsewhere.
But the space agency says testing has confirmed the electronic parts could survive the $5 billion mission to determine if the suspected ocean beneath the icy crust of Europa might be suitable for life.
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In N-R-L news,
Canterbury Bulldogs winger Josh Addo-Carr has stood himself down on the eve of the N-R-L finals after allegedly returning a positive roadside test for cocaine.
The club's general manager of football Phil Gould has confirmed the move at a snap press conference today.
Mr Gould says it was the winger's own decision.
And he says he's not worried about Sunday's elimination game against Manly, Canterbury's first finals appearance since 2016.
"It's a distraction for the media, it's not a distraction for us. We deal with this sort of thing all the time. We get thunderbolts, we get injuries, we get personal problems, we have all sorts of things that, a lot of the time, media don't even find out about. Our blokes are professionals, they'll get on and prepare for this week. I think Josh has done the noble thing by the team. He's put the team first and the club first."
