TRANSCRIPT:
- A final day of demonstrations in Melbourne as a controversial weapons expo comes to a close;
- Elon Musk hits back at government plans to curb misinformation on social media;
- Spanish footballer Hugo Mallo convicted of sexual assault.
A woman has chained herself to the back of a car on the final day of a protest outside a weapons expo in Melbourne this afternoon.
Police say the car was moved off the road before the woman was detached from the vehicle by officers.
The Spencer Street bridge in downtown Melbourne reportedly remains blockaded with dozens of police present.
Protest organiser Caroline Da Silva has said "there will be renewed vigour to protest because it's the last day".
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Billionaire Elon Musk has reacted furiously to Australian government plans to curb the spread of lies and misinformation online.
Social media companies could be fined up to five per cent of their annual turnover under the Federal Government's draft legislation, with the communications watchdog to be given the power to monitor and regulate content on digital platforms.
In response, Mr Musk has written on his social media platform X that the federal government were "fascists".
But Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has told Channel Nine the planned laws are needed.
"Elon Musk has more positions on our free speech than the Kama Sutra. He is the champion of free speech. When he doesn't like it, he's going to shut it all down."
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Meanwhile tech companies and the big banks could be made to reimburse victims of scams under new reforms being considered by the federal government.
The proposed Scams Prevention Framework would give the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission power to impose the full force of the law against businesses in designated sectors who fail to meet their obligations.
Finance Minister Stephen Jones says many companies in these sectors have the resources to help stop people from being ripped off.
"For the first time in over a decade, scam losses didn't double. They actually decreased. But at $2.75 billion, that's still far too much money and far too much damage, every one of those dollars has got a tragic story behind it about a person whose finances have been smashed, and all the old emotional and mental health anguish that goes with that as well."
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Lifesavers have prevented more than a thousand deaths by drowning over the past year, amid concern about behaviour in Australia's waterways this coming summer.
The annual report from Surf Life Saving Australia says the death toll could have been a lot higher were it not for the preventative actions of its volunteers - but it says those actions jumped a concerning 29 per cent, or almost a third, last swimming season.
It also shows coastal drowning deaths were 64 per cent higher in February and March, nearly a quarter above average through winter, and that men were far more likely to drown than women.
Men make up a whopping 86 per cent of drowning deaths.
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Government plans to make older Australians pay more for their aged care have been welcomed by providers.
New entrants to residential homes will face increased means-tested contributions, with some expected to pay thousands more per year.
Aged Care Minister Anika Wells has said it will make the new system more sustainable and improve the experiences of older Australians.
Chief Executive of the Aged and Community Care Providers Association Tom Symondson says it's the right move.
"Finally, we have an agreement to do something genuinely brave, to make older people confident that they can get the care and support they need, not just today, but 10 and 20 years into the future. And I think that's a fantastic achievement."
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An aviation expert says Australia has the potential to be a global green superpower in the sector, if there are major policy changes over the coming year.
Airbus Australia executive Stephen Forshaw says Brazil has already embraced the challenge to create an industry around green fuel, committing $US1 billion to its production.
He says Australia has a host of advantages to produce sustainable aviation fuel, including ready access to the agricultural waste needed to create it.
But Australia has yet to launch a refinery, despite efforts to investigate its production.
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In football news,
Spanish player Hugo Mallo has been convicted of sexual assault over an incident at a game five years ago.
He's been found guilty of inappropriately touching a woman dressed as a mascot before a La Liga game in 2019.
Mallo has been fined 6000 euros and ordered to pay 1000 euros in damages to the woman.
But the 33 year old has maintained his innocence, and says he plans to appeal the ruling.
