TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
- The Federal government's Help to Buy housing bill passes in the Senate;
- Russian missiles and drones wreak havoc on Ukraine;
- And in sport, Matildas star Caitlin Foord praises a greater demand for women's soccer.
A key piece of the Albanese government's housing policy agenda has cleared another hurdle with the Help to Buy scheme passing in the Senate.
The shared equity scheme will allow 10,000 first-home buyers each year over four years to co-purchase their home with the government with a much smaller deposit.
The bill passed after the Greens gave up on winning concessions from the government in the Help to Buy and Build to Rent schemes that would have included funding for an extra 25,000 social and affordable homes.
Housing Minister Clare O'Neil thanked the Greens for their support during Question Time and condemned the coalition's lack of support for the policies.
"Now we appreciate the support of those who've voted in favour of this bill including the Australian Greens. I've had a little bit of constructive criticism to offer the Greens in recent days. But let's all all agree that at least the Greens are showing a modicum of interest in housing policy in this country because the people who have really tapped out of this debate, the people who have gone completely missing are those opposite. We see barely a flicker of interest in those opposite in housing policy."
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Ukrainian officials say a flurry of Russian missiles and drones have wreaked havoc on the cities of Kharkiv, Odesa and the capital Kyiv.
Russia, which is making territorial gains in Ukraine's east, is conducting nightly attacks on faraway cities using missiles as well as cheaply produced drones.
The Ukrainians say the missiles have damaged residential buildings in the east and south with a fleet of drones causing temporary power cuts in the Mykolaiv region.
Residents of the capital could hear the buzzing engines of attack drones flying over the city for several hours overnight.
Meanwhile, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has confirmed Europe will be escalating their military support to Ukraine after a meeting with a number of European counterparts.
"We will continue to provide increased support to the Ukrainian defence industry and assist in its development, as this will increase the speed at which material is made available to the Ukrainian armed forces. And we will do this, as a first step, with income from windfall profits. An important first step that will contribute precisely to this."
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Economists are weighing in on how US president-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China will impact Australian exporters.
Trump has threatened today to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office, imposing a 25 per cent tax on products from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10 per cent tariff on goods from China.
The United States currently has a significant trade deficit with all three countries.
Dr Susan Stone, Chair of Economics at Credit Union SA, says - as it stands - these tariffs wouldn't significantly impact Australia.
But she warns there may be more to come if Trump follows through on campaign promises.
"I mean China, Japan and South Korea are our three largest trading partners. If the tariffs that a Trump administration imposes significantly affects their growth that will affect our ability to export to those markets. So, it's really a matter of degrees. If Trump goes ahead with a 10 per cent tariff on China it's not going to have as big an impact and therefore probably won't have a very large impact on Australian exports but if he went through with a 60 per cent that would have a more significant affect."
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And to sport,
Star Matildas forward Caitlin Foord admits there's a much greater demand for women's soccer, but says any opportunity to play more frequently is a positive direction for the game.
This comes as teammate Mary Fowler announced she was stepping down from the Matilda's upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Taiwan, citing mental and physical fatigue.
The side will also be without striker and captain Sam Kerr, who is still rehabilitating after a serious knee injury, as well as winger Cortnee Vine who has taken a mental health break from football.
Foord didn't comment directly on Fowler's absence but did say the matches have become more frequent and demanding as the female divisions have become more popular.
"Yeah, I mean, that's the way the game's going. There's a lot more games, there's a lot more demand on us to play, and I mean, this is where every female footballers wanted the game to go. And yeah, the scheduling, that's obviously up to the leagues and the federations to discuss on how that should be. But for us to play and to play games is all we've ever wanted."
