Australia news LIVE: Australia records housing approval spike; calls for ‘new direction’ on Indigenous affairs

Key PostsThe top stories todayBy Here’s what’s making news today:Australia has recorded the largest number of building approvals in five years – but the improvements will struggle to make up for pent-up demand for housing. The Albanese government has been told to do more for Indigenous Australians after the Voice to parliament failed, as Coalition frontbencher Julian Lesser makes a speech today calling for a “new direction for Indigenous affairs”.Up to 400 Defence Force personnel will be tracked during weapons training as part of a sophisticated study that follows years of growing complaints about a lack of action on alarming reports of blast injuries among military veterans.One of Australia’s leading constitutional law experts says One Nation’s proposal to create a new ban on foreign fighters would do nothing to block Australians with terror links from returning to the country.And in breaking news, Australia has just won a gold and silver medal in Glasgow: Rose Davies and Jess Hull finished in the top two spots of the women’s 5000m race. Follow the latest here.Latest Posts7.51amGolf lessons on NDIS: Minister speaks on crackdownBy The federal government is trying to stop a loophole in the NDIS that allows providers to claim for unproven therapies including wellness treatments and animal therapy.Jenny McAllister, the federal minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, has just been speaking on ABC Radio National.She has told AM host Sally Sara that people had used the loophole to claim golf lessons.“This is totally inappropriate. We’re cracking down on this through a number of means: changing the price guide, increasing our analytic capability, and seeking support from the parliament for new powers so we can continue to investigate providers who are doing the wrong thing.“We made it very clear in 2024 that therapy needs to be delivered by a qualified practitioner, and that wellness supports or alternative therapies are not suitable.”The loophole has existed since 2019 – but McAllister said when Labor had come into government, they were told the body administering the NDIA had “essentially no compliance mechanisms built into the NDIA by the Liberals”.7.32ameSafety boss demands Telegram follows Australian lawsBy eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has just been speaking on Nine’s Today about her organisation’s new legal fight against encrypted messaging app Telegram.She says the app, which is run from the United Arab Emirates, has failed in its legal obligations to remove terror content, including that of the Christchurch shooting.“There are about 1.5 million visits by Australians each month onto Telegram,” she told Today’s Samantha Armytage.“We want them to clean up their act, first of all. If they’re going to be serving content into our market and gathering revenue, they need to be following our laws.”The esafety regulator is pushing for penalties in the Federal Court of up to $54.6 million per breach.“We’ve been engaging with Telegram for over two years, they failed to work with us for the first six months. We took them to court. We won, and they did not pay the infringement notice. So we’re upping the ante.”7.12amAttorney-General pressed over charged MP’s jobBy Attorney-General, Michelle Rowland, has refused to answer questions about whether Luke Gosling, the federal MP for Solomon who was yesterday charged with assault of the Northern Territory’s administrator, should be stood down.Rowland, who is in the NT today for a meeting with attorneys-general about reforming working with children checks, has been on ABC News Breakfast this morning and was just asked whether Gosling would retain his position as a special envoy for defence, veterans’ affairs, and Northern Australia.“I am aware of the charges that have been laid against Luke Gosling,” Rowland said. “However, I know you will appreciate that as attorney general, I’m limited in what I can say, considering this matter is currently before the courts. That will run its course. It is due for hearing before the court on 1st September. So I am applying the same principle that I apply to every other matter that I’m asked about, which is that I cannot comment on specific details or provide commentary around that.”She was asked twice whether Gosling should remain in government and whether she’d meet him while she was in Darwin today.She said she hasn’t seen him.6.54amThousands of migrants rush over Morocco borderBy David CroweThousands of migrants have rushed across the border from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in a startling move that was relayed on social media and triggered a political row about migration into Europe.One security official declared the border checkpoint had “totally collapsed” under pressure from the crowd, as young men spread instructions on social media on how to enter the Spanish territory on the northern coast of Africa. Authorities said at least nine people had died trying to reach Ceuta from Morocco.Read more here.The top stories todayBy Here’s what’s making news today:Australia has recorded the largest number of building approvals in five years – but the improvements will struggle to make up for pent-up demand for housing. The Albanese government has been told to do more for Indigenous Australians after the Voice to parliament failed, as Coalition frontbencher Julian Lesser makes a speech today calling for a “new direction for Indigenous affairs”.Up to 400 Defence Force personnel will be tracked during weapons training as part of a sophisticated study that follows years of growing complaints about a lack of action on alarming reports of blast injuries among military veterans.One of Australia’s leading constitutional law experts says One Nation’s proposal to create a new ban on foreign fighters would do nothing to block Australians with terror links from returning to the country.And in breaking news, Australia has just won a gold and silver medal in Glasgow: Rose Davies and Jess Hull finished in the top two spots of the women’s 5000m race. Follow the latest here.6.32amGood morningBy Hello and welcome to our national news live coverage for Friday, July 31. I’m Anthony Segaert, with you until the afternoon.1 of 1