Weight-loss drugs being considered for inclusion on PBS, Butler says
World-leading weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic could soon become cheaper in Australia as the federal government considers subsidies for the medications, AAP reports.
The health minister, Mark Butler, has indicated the drugs could be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as soon as next year, paving the way for a significant reduction in price. He told Radio National earlier:
That is being considered, really.
Governments across the world are trying to work out how we tap into the benefits of this drug, but do it in an equitable way as well.
Novo Nordisk, the company which manufactures Wegovy, has lodged a bid for its product to be listed on the scheme so it can be available to more Australians.
In response the government has asked for advice from an expert panel on whether so-called GLP-1 drugs, which include Ozempic and Wegovy, should be subsidised for people who need them.
Boxes of Ozempic and Wegovy made by Novo Nordisk. Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersShare
Updated at 18.26 EST
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Patrick Commins
Chalmers clears way for Korean stake in Aussie shipbuilder
Jim Chalmers has cleared the way for a Korean defence firm, Hanwha, to up its stake in Australia’s only major shipbuilder, the WA-based Austal.
Austal holds major federal defence contracts, including billions of dollars worth with the US navy, and Hanwha’s investment proposal had been subject to a lengthy nine-month review by the Foreign Investment Review Board.
The treasurer this morning issued a statement that he had agreed to FIRB’s “clear recommendation” to not stand in the way of the Korean firm increasing its share of Austal from 9.9% to 19.9% – but “subject to strict conditions”.
Assuming the deal goes ahead, those conditions include limits to Hanwha’s access to sensitive information, and “stringent criteria” around board nominees.
“This decision and associated conditions will protect our sovereign interests in this capability and ensure the company can continue to grow, invest, and deliver continuous shipbuilding in Western Australia,” Chalmers said in a statement.
The ASX-listed Austal had previously rejected a takeover bid from Hanwha.
Updated at 19.10 EST
More on Reddit’s high court challenge over the social media ban
Our technology reporter Josh Taylor has a detailed piece on Reddit’s challenge to the social media ban for under-16s.
If you want to know more, take a look here:
Green group says Beetaloo basin fracking project will put ‘everything we love about the Territory at risk’
Back to the announcement that Beetaloo Energy had reached final sign-off for a major fracking project in the Northern Territory …
The group Environment Centre NT says the move will put “everything we love about the Territory at risk”. Senior climate campaigner Bree Ahrens said in a statement:
This is just the beginning of a fracking rush that puts our water supplies and everything we love about the Territory at risk.
Territorians are being gaslit. This has nothing to do with keeping the lights on and everything to do with helping fracking companies boost their bottom line.
The Finocchiaro Government has gutted environmental regulation and stripped back the fracking code of practice – we can’t trust them to protect the NT from the risks of fracking.
Updated at 19.11 EST
Weight-loss drugs being considered for inclusion on PBS, Butler says
World-leading weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic could soon become cheaper in Australia as the federal government considers subsidies for the medications, AAP reports.
The health minister, Mark Butler, has indicated the drugs could be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as soon as next year, paving the way for a significant reduction in price. He told Radio National earlier:
That is being considered, really.
Governments across the world are trying to work out how we tap into the benefits of this drug, but do it in an equitable way as well.
Novo Nordisk, the company which manufactures Wegovy, has lodged a bid for its product to be listed on the scheme so it can be available to more Australians.
In response the government has asked for advice from an expert panel on whether so-called GLP-1 drugs, which include Ozempic and Wegovy, should be subsidised for people who need them.
Boxes of Ozempic and Wegovy made by Novo Nordisk. Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersShare
Updated at 18.26 EST
Reddit seeks high court challenge for social media ban
Josh Taylor
Reddit is seeking to challenge the under-16s social media ban in the high court, filing its case on Friday morning, two days after implementing age restrictions on its website.
The company said in a post on Friday that while Reddit agrees with protecting people under 16 “this law has the unfortunate effect of forcing intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes on adults as well as minors, isolating teens from the ability to engage in age-appropriate community experiences (including political discussions), and creating an illogical patchwork of which platforms are included and which aren’t”. It added:
As the Australian Human Rights Commission put it, ‘There are less restrictive alternatives available that could achieve the aim of protecting children and young people from online harms, but without having such a significant negative impact on other human rights’.
Lastly, this law is applied to Reddit inaccurately, since we’re a forum primarily for adults and we don’t have the traditional social media features the government has taken issue with.
Reddit is challenging the law on the grounds it infringes on the implied freedom of political communication. It said it was not seeking to challenge the law to avoid compliance and has implemented age assurance measures since Wednesday. The company said the vast majority of Redditors are adults and advertising isn’t targeted to children under 18. The Apple app store age rating for Reddit is 17+.
Despite the best intentions, this law is missing the mark on actually protecting young people online. So, while we will comply with this law, we have a responsibility to share our perspective and see that it is reviewed by the courts.
The case sought is separate to the similar legal challenge on freedom of speech grounds filed by NSW Libertarian MP John Ruddick’s Digital Freedom Project group.
Updated at 18.08 EST
Social media ban sparks praise from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
While Australia’s social media ban has divided children and parents at home, high-profile international figures have come out in support of the new restrictions, AAP reports.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle say the ban is an “urgent intervention” that will help shield children from “unsafe and addictive platforms”, but argue it’s only a band-aid fix and does not tackle underlying issues with social media.
“This bold, decisive action to protect children at a critical moment in their development sends a strong signal that a child’s mind is not a commodity to be exploited,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a statement on their foundation’s website. The pair added:
The ban is an effective measure to stop imminent harm, but ultimately only works as a band-aid that does not address tech’s broken design and exploitative business incentives.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Photograph: Caitlin Ochs/ReutersShare
Tom McIlroy
Mark Butler signals Labor could consider changes to travel entitlement rules
Labor has signalled they could consider changes to travel entitlement rules for federal politicians, if they’re recommended by the independent watchdog.
The communications minister, Anika Wells, has referred her travel expense claims for review by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA), which oversees claims made by MPs and staff.
While the federal government and parliament set the rules for travel spending through legislation and regulation, the IPEA publishes data and sometimes requires politicians to repay or adjust their claims.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said all week it is appropriate that expense claims are handled at arm’s length from the government but has so far not called for a review of the rules or any changes to the provisions, including generous family reunion travel allowances.
Mark Butler and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
But on Friday, the health minister, Mark Butler, signalled the possibility of broader changes stemming from the Wells controversy and wider scrutiny of spending.
He told Channel Seven that the government might receive broader recommendations for changes from IPEA.
“I think the important thing now is that particularly Anika Wells’ claims have been referred to the independent parliamentary authority,” Butler said, adding:
That’s obviously an opportunity for them to have a look at those claims but also to provide any broader advice and recommendations about these rules.
I think these rules are important, these jobs place enormous pressure on our families, particularly on our partners who do so much of family work while we’re away for as much as 150 or 200 days a year, but they’ve got to be reasonable and they’ve got to be used in a sensible way.
Updated at 17.35 EST
Daisy Dumas
‘The whole thing disgusts me’: Australians ditch US travel as new rules require social media to be declared
Australians are abandoning travel to the US, and boycotting World Cup matches there next year, as the Trump administration flags new rules that will soon require visitors to hand over their social media history when applying to enter the country.
In a notice published on Tuesday, the US Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) said tourists to the US from 42 countries including Australia would have to reveal all of their social media activity over the past five years under the new rules, which are up for a 60-day review before coming into effect. It would be a part of the application for a visa waiver under the ESTA application process.
Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images
The rules were drawn up in response to an executive order made by Donald Trump on the day of his inauguration in January which purported to “protect” the US from visitors, instructing that visas should be denied to anyone with “hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles”.
Australian tourists have described the US mandate to sweep social media posts, as well as collect comprehensive “high-value data” on family members such as phone numbers, dates of birth and residencies, as “horrifying” and “draconian”.
Read more here:
ShareState Library of Victoria scraps controversial restructure plan after public outcry
Stephanie Convery
The State Library of Victoria has canned a controversial restructure proposal, saying it had “created unintended concerns” after public outrage.
Many of Australia’s most prominent writers, researchers and artists and thousands of members of the public had expressed alarm over the proposal, which would have cut jobs – including more than halving the number of public-facing reference librarians – and refocused the 171-year-old institution on tourist-oriented digital experiences that staff had described as “digital vanity projects”.
In a statement issued this morning, SLV management said:
After careful consideration of feedback received during the consultation period, the Library has decided to withdraw the Reorganisation Proposal, so that we can refine our approach and ensure it best supports our community, our staff and our long-term vision.
Any revised proposal will be informed by what we have heard throughout this consultation. Our focus will remain on strengthening services, modernising operations and ensuring the Library continues to thrive as a leading home for history, arts, culture and knowledge for the next generation.
The La Trobe Reading Room at the State Library of Victoria. Photograph: Jui-Chi Chan/Alamy
The turn-about comes after more than 220 writers, scholars and researchers – including Nick Cave, Helen Garner, Pulitzer, Booker and Nobel prize for literature winners – signed an open letter to the library’s board and executive expressing alarm about the proposal and calling for more public accountability, alongside a CPSU Victoria petition that had collected more than 4,600 signatures, and a separate public petition that had nearly 10,000 signatories as of Friday morning.
The reversal also comes just one day before a planned rally in support of State Library staff and against the proposed changes.
State Library management said in the statement that its “commitment to the people of this state has never been stronger”.
Updated at 16.57 EST
Officials investigating after Victoria police memorial vandalised overnight
Victoria police are investigating the vandalism of the Victoria Police Memorial in Melbourne this morning.
Officials said they believed unknown offenders used red paint to vandalise the memorial sometime overnight. Phrases such as “good cop, dead cop” and “shame” were spray-painted on the memorial, as well as the acronym “ACAB”.
The police are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Local council will attend to remove the graffiti.
Police are investigating the vandalism of the Victoria Police Memorial. Photograph: John McLaughlan/Victoria policeShare
Updated at 17.36 EST
NSW SES urges commuters to beware of waterlogged roads and flash flooding
The NSW State Emergency Service is warning commuters to use extra caution this morning amid heavy rainfall, urging caution around flooded roads.
The agency said the BoM is advising flash flooding remains a risk for parts of metropolitan Sydney, the Central Coast, the Hunter and central tablelands.
Nicole Hogan, the NSW SES assistant commissioner, said the heavy rain could overwhelm drainage systems and cause water over roads:
If you don’t need to be on the roads during heavy rainfall, we ask the community to delay their travel until the storm passes.
If you do come across flash flooding, the best thing to do is turn around and find another way – it’s not worth putting your life or your loved ones at risk. It doesn’t take much for vehicles to become stuck in water or washed away as you don’t know what damage has been done to the road surfaces.
Weather conditions are expected to ease later today but many areas in the state may face more thunderstorms over the weekend.
Photograph: SES/ FacebookShare
Updated at 16.28 EST
Beetaloo Energy reaches final sign-off for NT fracking project
Beetaloo Energy, a gas company operating in the NT’s Beetaloo basin, said it has reached a final investment decision (a developer’s formal approval to proceed with a specific project) for its Carpentaria fracking project after the Northern Territory government recently signed an agreement to see gas flow from mid-next year.
Earlier this week, the NT deputy chief minister, Gerard Maley, said the project would help “save the territory” and would “literally keep the lights on”.
In a letter to the ASX, Beetaloo Energy, formerly known as Empire Energy, said the investment decision was a “landmark moment” for the company. The managing director, Alex Underwood, said:
This is a landmark moment for Beetaloo Energy, allowing the Company to commence gas sales from EP187 in 2026.
This [final investment decision] follows the incredible efforts of the Beetaloo Energy team whose tireless work is bringing this project to life.
We deeply appreciate the support of our shareholders, financiers, the NT Government, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we operate, and our many supporters across the Northern Territory. They all understand the critical importance of the Beetaloo Basin to drive energy security and economic prosperity for the NT, Australia and the broader region for decades to come.
A map of the Beetaloo sub-basin, located 500km south-east of Darwin, Northern Territory. Composite: Guardian graphic/Department of Industry, Science and ResourcesShare
Updated at 16.14 EST
Mark Butler hopes additional billions for health deal will help strike agreement by Christmas
The health minister, Mark Butler, said the job of health ministers is to “narrow the points of difference” so the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the chief ministers of states and territories can reach a deal on hospital funding.
Butler is speaking to RN Breakfast this morning after Albanese pressed state and territory leaders to accept more than $20bn in extra spending for public hospitals to end a standoff over health funding.
Butler said:
[It is a] very substantial increase, first of all, on what they would have got under the longstanding existing agreements but also on the latest offer that had been made … So I hope that that’s going to lead the premiers and chief ministers to consider that position very seriously because we do want to strike an agreement before Christmas.
Butler also said states and territories did not make a mistake giving wage rises to healthcare workers.
Read more here:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the health minister, Mark Butler. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 15.52 EST
Summer heatwave conditions predicted for Great Barrier Reef
The northern stretches of Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef are tracking towards moderate marine heatwave conditions over summer, AAP reports.
While Australia might not experience as severe heatwaves as last summer, the outlook still poses coral bleaching risks for world heritage-listed reef if newly developed long-range forecasts are accurate.
Australia’s oceans clocked their warmest 12 months on record in 2024-25, with above-average sea temperatures hitting Western Australia particularly hard, causing unprecedented coral bleaching and fish kills.
The Great Barrier Reef in far north Queensland. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP
The Great Barrier Reef experienced its sixth mass bleaching event since 2016, with the northern region struck most acutely.
Marine heatwave conditions, characterised by the Bureau of Meteorology as the top 10% of above-average sea surface temperatures, are expected to be most prevalent in the Coral Sea from January to April.
Moderate heatwave conditions are also predicted for patches of south-east Tasmania this summer.
Updated at 15.31 EST
Good morning, and happy Friday. Nick Visser here to round out the week’s news. Let’s get to it.
South Australia’s corrections officers on strike
South Australia’s legal and prison systems remained in limbo overnight, AAP reports, as staff consider ending a strike that has shut down courts and forced a 96-hour lockdown for prisoners.
Corrections officers are striking over what they say is an inadequate pay offer, a surge in violence in prisons and a crisis in staffing levels caused by low wages.
More than 1,000 corrections officers across the state voted to strike on Monday and on Thursday voted to extend it to 96 hours.
The strike plunged the prison system into a four-day lockdown, with more than 2,000 inmates confined to their cells since 7.30am on Monday.
Union delegates were consulting members late on Thursday and striking staff will reconvene this morning to decide whether to take further action, or reach an agreement with the government.
– with AAP
Updated at 15.05 EST
Tom Silvagni to face court
Convicted rapist Tom Silvagni will face court today for the first time since a suppression over his identity was lifted.
The 23-year-old son of AFL great Stephen Silvagni and television personality Jo Silvagni was found guilty of two counts of rape on 5 December after a two-week trial in the Victorian county court.
He is due to face a pre-sentence hearing this morning.
There had been a suppression over his identity since he was first charged with rape in June 2024, with his lawyers arguing publication could lead to the deterioration of his mental health.
Read more here:
Updated at 14.52 EST
Tom McIlroy
You can read more on the context of Mark Butler’s meeting with state health ministers today here:
Butler and Anthony Albanese are pushing for a deal before the end of the year, ending a funding row dating back to December 2023 when states agreed to help address cost blowouts in the National Disability Insurance Scheme in exchange for more money for public hospitals.
Updated at 14.53 EST
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Nick Visser will take the controls.
State health ministers will meet their federal counterpart, Mark Butler, today as advocates for elderly Australians say shortages in aged care facilities are putting further pressure on overcrowded hospitals. The federal government is urging them to accept a $20bn boost.
More coming up.