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Police are investigating a fire in Melbourne that has seriously hurt three children.
The children, all believed to be under five, were rescued from the blaze in Sydenham in Melbourne's northwest and rushed to the Royal Children's Hospital in critical conditions.
Victoria Police's arson and explosives squad has confirmed it is investigating what sparked the blaze.
It is believed to have occurred after a large bang was heard by local residents.
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The search continues for a man suspected of pouring hot coffee over a baby boy in a Brisbane park three weeks ago.
Queensland Police say their search has now widened to include interstate and international partner agencies.
Police have been searching for the man since he poured a thermos of hot coffee on the boy on August 27, leaving the nine month old with significant burns to his face, arms and legs.
Detective Inspector Paul Dalton has previously described the incident as deliberate and unprovoked.
"In 35 years of being a police officer, I've never come across a job where a child this young in these circumstances has been attacked."
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Australians on income support are cutting back on meat, fresh fruit and vegetables because of the rising cost of living.
An Australian Council of Social Service [[ACOSS]] survey [[of 760 people living on JobSeeker, Youth Allowance and the Parenting Payment in July and August]] found that most [[71 per cent]] were cutting back on certain foods.
It has also found three in four were struggling to afford the medication they needed, while 51 per cent said they skipped meals altogether.
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South Australia has proposed a new law to ban children under 14 from using social media.
Under the proposal, social media giants will be given "harsh" fines if they allow underage children to create accounts.
If approved, the SA Children (Social Media Safety) Bill 2024 would be the first of its kind in Australia.
South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas says the plan follows a report by former High Court chief Justice Robert French.
"The proposed legislative framework from the report suggests this model... exempting social media services that have a positive impact on young people, facilitate healthy engagement in an educational context or a social support context, but at the same time banning social media platforms that we know are doing great harm."
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A new report says families in regional and rural Australia are struggling to access childcare.
The report has been produced by advocacy group The Parenthood, drawing on the experiences of 162 parents, carers, educators and an online poll of 855 parents.
It says 86 per cent of families in regional, rural and remote communities are finding it a challenge, a situation that is creating financial stress.
Campaign Director Maddy Butler says essential workers such as nurses, teachers, early childhood educators and psychologists are reducing working hours or quitting because there were no care options for their children.
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The Opposition is calling for powers to split up QANTAS and Jetstar following the failure of several airlines in Australia.
The government has committed to introducing an airline industry ombudsman to improve treatment of customers.
But the opposition says divestiture powers are needed to improve competition in the sector.
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie says the aviation sector isn't meeting community expectations.
"The Australian travelling public doesn't expect much. It expects its planes to take off and land safely on time, their bags to arrive in the same place that they do, and for them to be able to afford a ticket. And right now, the aviation sector is in crisis."
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The final Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide report has been handed to Governor-General Sam Mostyn.
It will be tabled in parliament and made public later this afternoon.
Chair of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, Nick Kaldas, says it's now up to the government to utilise the report's findings.
"The problems are clear. They're not new, but they're clear. And we hope that the Royal Commission has achieved one thing, which is to make the problems undeniable. It's really up to the government and our parliament now, we will hand down our recommendations and findings today. We hope they're approached in a bipartisan manner. It should not be a political issue uniting to help and support our veterans and our serving members."
