Key events
Another 29 Australians helped to leave Tel Aviv overnight
Josh Butler
More on that latest group of Australians evacuated from Tel Aviv:
Another 29 Australians and family members have been helped to leave Israel as the Australian defence force assists on further departure flights from Israel.
Government sources said Australian defence personnel and diplomats supported the departure. More than 300 people who were registered as wanting to leave the region were spoken to by consular staff.
The government is trying to take advantage of windows that open, to safely help people depart the Middle East. Israeli airspace is open, and the government is urging people to investigate commercial options or keep speaking with airlines if they’ve had flights cancelled – which may be the fastest way to leave.
The government will keep talking to Australians who’ve registered as seeking help.
Australians in need of urgent consular assistance should contact DFAT’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas) or 1300 555 135 (within Australia).
More Australians land in Sydney after evacuation from Israel
Overnight, a group of Australians landed in Sydney after getting out of Tel Aviv on a RAAF jet.
Sky News aired images of passengers running into the arms of their families in the airport arrivals area. Another group is expected to arrive later on Thursday.
A total of 119 Australians were taken out of Israel by the Australian government on the first flight on Tuesday and travelled to Dubai and then to Sydney.
About 1,000 Australians have registered with the government for help to leave Israel, and 3,000 have asked for assistance to leave Iran.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is still trying to help Australians trapped in Iran, but has advised them to head to the border with Azerbaijan if they can.
– Australian Associated Press
Caitlin Cassidy
KPMG reviewing Australian Education Research Organisation
KPMG is undertaking an independent review of Australia’s leading education evidence body, the federal government has confirmed.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said the “independent performance evaluation” of the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) was under way at the request of the commonwealth, state and territory education ministers.
AERO was publicly launched in December 2020 by all Australian governments as one of the policy initiates under a review into education. It was tasked with conducting research to improve learning outcomes for Australian children and young people, which have been lagging or going backwards in national and international tests.
The government-funded body has been a strong backer of evidenced-based teaching models including explicit instruction, which has now been rolled out in most jurisdictions in Australia.
The spokesperson said it was “best practice” that government bodies be periodically assessed “to determine whether they are achieving their intended purpose”.
This process ensures accountability, promotes good governance, and is a normal part of continuous improvement. KPMG has been commissioned through a competitive procurement process to conduct the evaluation.
Rafqa Touma
Thank you Martin Farrer for kicking off the blog this morning. I’ll be rolling it from here – let’s go.
Social media report has nuanced findings for teens
Our technology reporter Josh Taylor has an exclusive report today on a large survey of 17,480 young people across Australia aged between 15 and 19.
The survey, carried out by Mission Australia, comes amid the public debate over restricting access to social media for people aged under 16.
The findings are nuanced with a link between excessive use of phones and poorer mental health outcomes. But moderate users report being in better shape than those using their devices for only one hour a day.
Read Josh’s full report here:
Banks predict July interest rate cuts
Half of Australia’s big four banks are predicting a cut in interest rates when the Reserve Bank next meets following better-than-expected inflation numbers, Australian Associated Press reports.
Despite predictions of inflation remaining steady, headline inflation for May fell to 2.1% from 2.4% the previous month.
The fall was driven largely by a drop in the cost of fuel as well as rental prices.
Trimmed mean inflation, which removes volatile price movements, also dropped from 2.8% to 2.4%.
The figures have bolstered predictions of a cut when the Reserve Bank hands down its next cash rate decision on 8 July.
The Commonwealth Bank has joined with NAB in forecasting the next cut to be in July, while Westpac and ANZ predict a lowering of the cash rate in August.
Commonwealth Bank economist Harry Ottley said the May data had made a rate cut in July all but certain, with both inflation sets being in the Reserve Bank’s target range of between two and three per cent.
Calls for urgent action on rising energy debt
Cait Kelly
Anglicare Australia is calling for urgent action to address rising energy debt as a new report shows a full-time minimum wage worker has just $33 left after paying for rent, food and transport.
Anglicare Australia’s 2025 cost of living index also found that a single parent on the minimum wage has just $1 left, even with government assistance. A family with two full-time workers and two children has only $5 remaining each week.
Anglicare Australia’s executive director, Kasy Chambers, said the results were “bleak” and many were left with nothing for energy bills.
We’re seeing more people trapped in energy debt. They are skipping meals, going without heating, and falling behind on bills they’ll never be able to repay.
Too many households are falling behind and staying behind. Over 330,000 people are struggling to pay back more than $300 million in energy debt – and the number of people with debts over $3,000 is surging.
Chambers said people were forced into payment plans they could not sustain.
They carry energy debt from one bill to the next with no chance of catching up, even though energy retailers are making record profits.
That’s why we’re calling for energy debt relief for people in hardship, and better regulation to stop the gauging of energy costs and helps people to start afresh.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best of the overnight stories and then Rafqa Touma will take the helm.
Half of Australia’s big four banks are predicting a cut in interest rates when the Reserve Bank meets a week from Tuesday, following better-than-expected inflation numbers yesterday. It would ease pressure on household budgets and comes as Anglicare calls for action to stop the poorest slipping into more debt. More coming up.
Plus: Australian teenagers who spend between one and three hours on social media a day report similar or better mental health outcomes compared with those on for less time, a new survey shows. Those who spent more than three hours said they had less control over their lives, suggesting that moderate use is the key to wellbeing. More coming up.
