Australia news live: AFL greats arrive for Neale Daniher’s state funeral; One Nation says it will ‘target Labor-held seats’

Key events

How do you like them apples?

Nicholas Jordan is back with a new taste test: this time, it’s Australian apples.

These are always controversial, so steel yourself to either be vindicated or frustrated.

Check out the results below:

Share

Jordyn Beazley

No indication yet of how alleged Bondi attacker will plead

Returning to news that the alleged Bondi attacker will officially face 19 fresh charges.

Outside court earlier today, Leonie Gittani, one of Naveed Akram’s lawyers, gave no indication of how her client will plead when she spoke to reporters.

Prosecutors are yet to file the brief of evidence which Akram’s lawyers will view and may inform how Akram pleads.

Deputy chief judge Michael Antrum approved a request by prosecutors on Wednesday to extend the deadline for the brief of evidence to 12 August, taking it two months beyond the usual six-month time limit for briefs to be served.

Antrum said:

double quotation markI’m sure there’s a significant volume of material.

Gittani said outside court the case was “unprecedented” and “there’s still a way to go”.

She also said it wasn’t unexpected that additional charges would be laid given the “magnitude” of the case.

Share

Updated at 23.25 EDT

Australia’s AI regulation to face scrutiny in new inquiry

Submissions have opened for a Senate inquiry into AI datacentres in Australia.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young will chair the body, which will look into the economic, environmental and social impacts of the surge in AI infrastructure, including questions around energy and water use and their effects on local communities.

Hanson-Young said in a statement today:

double quotation markAI is the new extractive industry and Australia’s regulations are lagging behind. Like the gas industry, these massive data miners want to extract Australia’s resources for free, paying very little for the data, water and energy all used to make their huge corporate profits …

If we don’t put the handbrakes on this rapid datacentre development our communities, energy and water resources will be at risk.

Share

Updated at 23.14 EDT

AFL greats arrive for Daniher state funeral

Benita Kolovos

There are a few AFL greats arriving at the MCG for the state funeral of Neale Daniher.

They include Essendon player and former Fremantle coach Mark Harvey, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan, and Daniher’s brothers, Terry and Anthony, who also played alongside him on the same Essendon team.

David Neitz and Paul Hopgood, former Melbourne players and close friends of Daniher have also arrived, as has former footballer and commentator, Rex Hunt, Scott Selwood, who played at West Coast when Daniher was the club’s football manager, and former Nationals MP Damian Drum, who also used to play and coach AFL.

According to the order of service, after the Welcome to Country and national anthem, we’ll hear from Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, the prime minister Anthony Albanese and then Daniher’s wife, Jan, and four children: Loz, Luke, Bec and Ben.

Anthony Daniher, Neitz, Hopgood and Fagan will also make a tribute, along with Daniher’s close friend, Cam Taylor.

Singer-songwriter Gary Pinto will perform between the tributes.

The back of the order of service booklet features a quote from Daniher himself:

double quotation markI hope to leave a legacy that says this: no matter the odds, no matter the diagnosis, we all have the power to fight, to smile, and to do. Because the mark of a person isn’t what they say; it’s what they do.

The funeral service begins at 1pm.

Share

Updated at 23.32 EDT

Funding lifeline saves Tasmanian and SA smelters, including more than 1,000 jobs

More than 1,000 workers at two major smelters have been given a lifeline after a metals producer received a $105m government boost, AAP reports.

The joint federal and state funding will keep Nyrstar’s Hobart and Port Pirie, South Australia plants running through 2026 while the international company weighs up major investments in critical minerals production.

The agreement follows the expiry of a $135m rescue package in May and weeks of tense talks over how much taxpayer money would be put on the table to secure the sites.

The new deal would keep workers in jobs and protect Australia’s ability to process minerals vital to defence, semiconductor, energy and automotive industries, industry and innovation minister, Tim Ayres, said.

Nyrstar, headquartered in the Netherlands, is a major producer of lead, silver, zinc and other critical minerals at the Port Pirie and Hobart smelters.

Share

Updated at 22.39 EDT

Luca Ittimani

Homeless man found dead with burn injuries in Melbourne’s east

A man believed to be homeless has been found dead with burn injuries in a park on a quiet street in Melbourne’s east.

Police said a passerby found the man in parkland in Donvale about 4.20pm on Tuesday. The man was yet to be identified this morning but it appeared he had no fixed address and may have been sleeping rough in the area.

Arson squad detectives attended the scene but not homicide detectives, a police spokesperson said. They declined to share further detail on the suspected burns.

An autopsy will be carried out and a report prepared for the coroner to determine whether the man’s death was suspicious, police said.

Officers are making further inquiries into the man’s identity. Police urged anyone who may have seen him in the area, knows the man’s identity or has other information to contact Crime Stoppers.

Share

Updated at 22.24 EDT

Crowds gather for Neale Daniher’s funeral at MCG

Here are some more images coming from Neale Daniher’s state funeral at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, as crowds continue to gather:

Share

Updated at 22.13 EDT

Mourners arrive at MCG for state funeral of Neale Daniher

Mourners have begun arriving at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the state funeral of AFL great and motor neurone disease crusader Neale Daniher, who died at home on 25 May, aged 65.

Daniher, the 2025 Australian of the Year, became the symbol of the fight against MND after his 2013 diagnosis with the incurable and fatal disease, which he dubbed “The Beast”.

He defied the odds, battling MND for 13 years when the average life expectancy is 27 months.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will lead tributes at the funeral – on the hallowed grounds where Daniher played for Essendon and coached Melbourne.

The state funeral comes just two days after the annual Big Freeze match between Collingwood and Melbourne, which raised $2.5m for FightMND. The governor-general, Sam Mostyn, was among the high-profile figures who slid into an ice bath as part of the festivities.

- Australian Associated Press

Share

Updated at 22.05 EDT

Caitlin Cassidy

Government R&D spending falls when adjusted for inflation

Government spending on research and development (R&D) has fallen in real terms in the latest financial year, new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows.

Spending was $4.4bn in 2024-25, up 1% from 2022-23 before adjusted for inflation.

The head of business statistics at the ABS, Tom Lay, said the increase was the “lowest since 2018-19, when it grew 2 per cent”.

double quotation markWhen adjusted for the impacts of inflation, government spending on R&D declined by 4 per cent in 2024-25 in real terms.

Government spending on R&D as a proportion of GDP fell from 0.17% in 2022-23 to 0.16% in 2024-25, the ABS data showed, well below the OECD average of 2.73%.

The largest rise was for environmental sciences, up $224m or 55%, followed by biomedical and clinical sciences.

University and science bodies have consistently lobbied governments to increase R&D spending to 3% of GDP in line with global competitors, arguing it drives productivity and economic growth.

Share

Updated at 21.57 EDT

One Nation says it will ‘target Labor held seats’ as rightwing party seeks supporter donations

Josh Butler

In a donation drive email today seeking contributions from supporters, Pauline Hanson’s party claims Labor is “destroying the Australia we know”, branding prime minister Anthony Albanese a “liar”.

“One Nation has proven we can win lower house seats – so it’s time to target Labor held seats,” the email says.

One Nation’s polling surge, now outperforming both Labor and Liberal on primary votes, has previously been seen as a threat to conservative parties – but outer suburban or regional Labor-held seats could also come under threat if current polling levels hold until the next election.

In a campaign they’re calling “fire the liar”, One Nation references a donation drive from Labor to its supporters, in which the government party sought funds from its backers to “prevent One Nation from turning polling momentum into seats”.

It is commonplace for politicians and parties of all stripes – Labor, Liberal, One Nation, independent and more – to regularly seek donations from supporters in email fundraising campaigns.

Hanson on Tuesday had claimed it was “disgusting” for Labor to seek donations:

double quotation markI just can’t believe that they are brave enough to ask poor Australians to give over their money to fund their campaigns. It’s just disgusting.

One Nation has sent at least weekly emails to subscribers, suggesting donation amounts of between $5 and $100 to “support our fight to challenge the two-party system – fund ads, materials, and campaigning on the ground”. The emails direct supporters to the party’s website, where a blurb states: “One Nation needs your help to break the party system.”

Share

Updated at 22.02 EDT

Click here to read article