News you need today: Security funding gaps and terror plot
Today’s briefing covers a report on significant funding gaps for community security, a foiled terror plot targeting political figures, and the confirmation of El Niño weather patterns. We also look at major court verdicts and the federal opposition’s visit to Alice Springs.
A new report has highlighted a major disparity in government security funding between religious communities. Australia’s Jewish community reportedly received 49 times more funding per person for security than Muslim Australians. The federal government and pro-Israel lobby groups have not provided specific details regarding the distribution of these grants.
In Queensland, a teenager is facing court for allegedly planning a terror attack in Brisbane. Prosecutors claim the youth originally planned to target a Labour Day event but changed his target to the Liberal National Party (LNP) after researching their nuclear energy policies. The LNP is one of Australia's two main political groups.
Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor visited Alice Springs to meet the family of Kumanjayi Little Baby, a five-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted and murdered in April. During the visit, Taylor renewed calls for the government to implement deeper measures to address safety and crime in the Northern Territory.
A third man has been found guilty of the 2023 murder of 14-year-old Ethan Hoac in Melbourne. The court heard the man used a car to deliberately crash into the boy before others attacked him with machetes. The verdict concludes the trial for the unprovoked attack that occurred in the suburb of St Albans.
Australia’s meteorological agency has confirmed an El Niño event is underway, which typically brings drier and hotter weather to the country. While this phase often leads to drought conditions, experts noted that climate change is making it more difficult to use past patterns to predict exactly how this season will unfold.
In the mining sector, BHP and Rio Tinto are shifting their growth strategies toward India and Southeast Asia. The companies expect rising steel demand in these regions to offset a slowing market in China, which has long been the primary buyer of Australian iron ore.
Finally, two major criminal trials continue this week. In Canberra, a jury heard testimony regarding a man accused of attempting to murder his wife with a knife. In a separate case, a woman accused of murdering her elderly parents with insulin injections has argued through her lawyers that her father may have injected himself.
For more on these stories and other news, visit the app’s News section. Read about Tunisia’s sudden coaching change before the World Cup and the latest roster moves for the upcoming State of Origin rugby league match.