Australia news LIVE: Albanese to address Labor conference; Trump says US will ‘destroy’ Iranian civilian targets

Key PostsToday’s headlines at a glanceBy Mostafa RachwaniHello and welcome to our national news live coverage for Thursday, July 23. I’m Mostafa Rachwani, and I will be bringing you the news from around Australia and the world as it happens this morning.Here are our top stories so far today:Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will set up his bid for a third term with a promise of further expensive cost of living measures to address the financial stress fuelling One Nation’s ascension as he expands a program to pay health workers as they study, in a speech to Labor faithful when the party’s national conference begins this morning.The first witnesses to front the NSW sensational corruption investigation have been revealed, including publican, lawyer and developer Michael O’Hara, one-time Liberal staffer Dylan Whitelaw, and consultant Robert Assaf, who is being investigated for allegedly soliciting or accepting political donations from banned donors in amounts that were not declared and exceeded donation caps.Bulldozers will raze the Wentworth Park greyhound track by the end of the year under a surprise expedited deal which paves the way for an urban renewal project roughly the size of Darling Harbour.Thousands of Victorian students are facing a day of disrupted learning when up to 35,000 government school teachers walk off the job for a second time today, forcing the Labor government back to the negotiating table months before the state election.Latest Posts7.49amChalmers diplomatic about One Nation challengeBy Mostafa RachwaniTreasurer Jim Chalmers is on ABC’s Radio National this morning, and says Labor does not “lightly dismiss” the challenge posed by either One Nation or the Coalition. Chalmers was asked about the significance of the One Nation electoral challenge to Labor, and the treasurer was diplomatic in his response, saying Labor understands the “legitimate anxiety” people have around politics and the economy. “Well, we don’t lightly dismiss the challenge posed by whether it’s the Liberals and Nationals or One Nation in our political system. We don’t take the outcome of future elections for granted. It is the case that we’ve got a strong majority in the House of Representatives, but politics is volatile.““And at a time when we do have these intensifying pressures, at a time when there is accelerating change in our community, in our economy, and in and around the world, we understand that creates some legitimate anxiety about what the future holds for people, and sometimes that encourages people to consider political alternatives.““And so, we don’t lightly dismiss any of that. More than acknowledge that, we’re acting on those very real pressures, those very real anxieties that people feel, including in some of the areas we’ve already talked about, like AI, like the energy transformation, and some of these other economic challenges.”7.24amMinister defends govt’s approach on gambling adsBy Jack GramenzSticking with Jason Clare for a minute, he has responded to recent reporting in this masthead about the millions of dollars in donations Labor has received from gambling companies over the past five years.Clare says plans to ban gambling ads on TV and radio during school pick-up hours and prevent betting with credit cards show “we take this seriously”.“There’ll always be some people that say that we’ve done too much, or that we haven’t done enough, but I think the evidence is there in the reforms that we’re implementing,” he told ABC News Breakfast.“We’re taking more action than any government has ever done,” Clare says.The government’s approach drew criticism it did not go far enough by backing down on a full crackdown on betting ads. The issue may come up as Labor figures gather in Adelaide for the party’s national conference to decide on policies to take it through the next election.7.19amTeachers should be paid ‘what they deserve’, do less adminBy Jack GramenzFederal Education Minister Jason Clare says he hopes the issues motivating teachers to walk off the job in Victoria will be addressed.“Teachers do the most important job in the world. I want to see them being paid as good as they possibly can be,” Clare told ABC News Breakfast this morning.“The big pay rise for teachers in NSW has seen vacancies in classroom drop to a 12-year low ... the Victorian government’s got a big offer on the table here of a 28 per cent pay rise, which would be even bigger than NSW,” Clare said.Pressed on whether he thought Victorian teachers had been underpaid compared to other states, Clare said he was not getting involved in individual negotiations.Education Minister Jason Clare.Dominic Lorrimer“But the truth is we need more teachers, and we’ve got a shortage of teachers,” Clare said.“We’re seeing some really big jumps in the number of people enrolling in teaching, and that’s a good thing. But we also want to make sure that our teachers are paid what they deserve, as well as taking some of that unnecessary admin burden off them, so they get more time to teach,” Clare said.7.17amSenior students told stay home as Victorian school teachers strikeBy Alex CroweThousands of Victorian students are facing a day of disrupted learning when up to 35,000 government school teachers walk off the job for a second time on Thursday, forcing the Labor government back to the negotiating table months before an election.A sea of red is expected to shut down parts of the Melbourne CBD when Australian Education Union members march through the city, ignoring the government’s last-minute plea to call off statewide strikes.The union’s Victorian president, Justin Mullaly, said members would march together to send a “loud and clear message to the premier and education minister that they can’t ignore”.Victorian branch president Justin Mullaly speaking to the media on Tuesday.Ruby Alexander“Our message is this: you must fix your public school funding mess by fully funding our schools, and you must put a pay and conditions offer on the table that properly values and respects the work of AEU members,” he said.7.09amOne Nation not fit to lead but voters disappointed with major parties: RyanBy Jack GramenzLabor elder Wayne Swan is expected to warn party figures at its national conference about the rise of One Nation and the threat it poses to major established parties.Independent MP Monique Ryan says the major parties are getting it wrong, but Pauline Hanson and One Nation are not the answer.“We saw that yesterday with her statement around domestic violence,” Ryan says, referring to Hanson’s description of domestic violence as “a two-way street”, for which she drew swift condemnation.“One Nation is not in any shape or fit to lead this country, but Australian voters are deeply disappointed with the political parties who aren’t giving them the answers that they need.“Ryan listed transparency and integrity in government, housing and economic security among issues major parties were not delivering on.“They’re just obsessed with their own political prospects, and that’s deeply disappointing for Australians,” Ryan said.McKenzie said the Kooyong MP was listing “a lot of issues that she thinks Australians are concerned about”. Her own list differs.“They’re concerned about cost-of-living, one two and three, and then they’re concerned about high immigration,” McKenzie says.7.06amNationals senator brushes aside Labor’s planned declaration on One NationBy Mostafa RachwaniNationals Senator Bridget McKenzie has dismissed Labor’s plan to declare One Nation the government’s biggest political threat today.McKenzie was on the Today show earlier, and was asked what she makes of the planned declaration, to be made by outgoing Labor Party president Wayne Swan.But the senator refused to be drawn on the issue, at first dancing around the question by attacking Labor and the economy, before saying the only poll that mattered was the election.Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Senator Bridget McKenzie during a Senate estimates hearing at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday 25 May 2026. Alex Ellinghausen“We’ve got real wages going backwards. One of the highest inflation rates in the globe, and interest rates are causing pressure in every single mortgage household.”6.32amPractical or popular: Tensions to surface over PM’s approach as Labor gatherBy Paul Sakkal and Natassia ChrysanthosPrime Minister Anthony Albanese will set up his bid for a third term with a promise of further expensive cost of living measures to address financial stress fuelling One Nation’s ascension as he expands a program to pay health workers as they study.However, Labor ministers are downplaying the prospect of a tax on gas exports before a fight at its national conference on the popular proposal, signifying tension in Labor ranks over how aggressively Albanese is pursuing populist causes.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addresses the national Labor conference in 2023.Alex EllinghausenIn a speech to Labor faithful as the party’s national conference begins this morning, Albanese will frame the election’s battle lines. The prime minister will invoke 135 years of Labor tradition on practical responses to boost workers’ living standards rather than “raging against a system … without a plan to fix it”.Albanese will say that “people have been given every reason to feel like the economy is simply not working for them” as he seeks to boost the government’s political fortunes and meet pessimistic voters where they are.“That goes deeper than sentiment – it’s a reality people are up against,” he will say, according to an advance copy of his speech, noting he was riding “rough seas” after a series of economic shocks and an oil crisis sparked by the Middle East war.Read more: PM sets election battle lines with One Nation, pledges cost of living relief6.29amTrump says US will ‘destroy’ civilian targets if Iran strikes shipsBy Dubai: President Donald Trump warned that the US would destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.Trump’s latest threat to target civilian infrastructure came as the unpopular war spirals with no clear off-ramp, threatening further worldwide economic disruption and sending fuel prices up. Both sides have dug in on their dispute over the strait, a crucial waterway for global energy that remains largely closed.A new threat by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen to target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea puts another trade chokepoint at risk.President Donald Trump and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.AP Photo/Matt Rourke“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT,” Trump wrote on social media.Today’s headlines at a glanceBy Mostafa RachwaniHello and welcome to our national news live coverage for Thursday, July 23. I’m Mostafa Rachwani, and I will be bringing you the news from around Australia and the world as it happens this morning.Here are our top stories so far today:Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will set up his bid for a third term with a promise of further expensive cost of living measures to address the financial stress fuelling One Nation’s ascension as he expands a program to pay health workers as they study, in a speech to Labor faithful when the party’s national conference begins this morning.The first witnesses to front the NSW sensational corruption investigation have been revealed, including publican, lawyer and developer Michael O’Hara, one-time Liberal staffer Dylan Whitelaw, and consultant Robert Assaf, who is being investigated for allegedly soliciting or accepting political donations from banned donors in amounts that were not declared and exceeded donation caps.Bulldozers will raze the Wentworth Park greyhound track by the end of the year under a surprise expedited deal which paves the way for an urban renewal project roughly the size of Darling Harbour.Thousands of Victorian students are facing a day of disrupted learning when up to 35,000 government school teachers walk off the job for a second time today, forcing the Labor government back to the negotiating table months before the state election.1 of 1