TRANSCRIPT:
- Federal Labor cuts ties with the embattled C-F-M-E-U;
- Mental health groups urge the government not to ban social media for under 16s;
- The EuroGames - Europe's largest LGBTIQ plus sporting event - gets underway in Austria.
Labor's national executive is freezing ties with the CFMEU, as corruption accusations continue to chase the disgraced union.
The party's national secretary Paul Erickson has confirmed it will be suspending the CFMEU's construction branch's affiliation to the New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmanian party branches.
This means the Labor Party will not accept affiliation fees or political donations from those branches.
Several state Labor governments have already moved against the union with Queensland freezing talks, and NSW and Victoria pausing donations from the organisation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says it's only fitting the federal party do the same.
"National Executive had to have a meeting. They had a meeting, they made a decision, today. It's been very swift. There hasn't been any donations or anything else in this week."
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Mental health organisations say young people could be put at risk of unintended harms if the government bans social media for those under 16.
Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have come under fire for fuelling cyberbullying, body image issues and mental health concerns and profiting at the expense of young Australians.
But in a submission to a parliamentary committee on social media, mental health organisations ReachOut, Beyond Blue and the Black Dog Institute have said teenagers often use social media to discover their identities, build connections and access wellbeing resources.
Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman says cutting off young people from that would be counter-productive - and do nothing to force better behaviour from the platforms themselves.
"We've got to keep educating and supporting people - whether they're parents or young people - to use online environments with confidence, and safely. But right now the conversation is focused completely on users, and limiting users use. We think that's wrong. We think that's letting social media companies off the hook."
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Foreign Minister Penny Wong has condemned Israel's killing of innocent civilians as part of operations in Gaza, branding the deaths unacceptable.
The condemnation follows a series of Israeli operations in the last week, including many near schools - and a report from Oxfam Australia accusing Israel of using water "as a weapon of war", saying supply to Gaza had been cut by 94 per cent.
The Minister has urged both Israel and Hamas to agree to a US-led, United Nations Security Council-backed ceasefire proposal, and increase access to humanitarian aid.
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Australia's unemployment rate has risen higher, despite market figures suggesting thousands of new jobs have been created.
The rate has gone up to 4.1 per cent in June, even though just over 50,000 jobs were added to the economy in the same period.
Bjorn Jarvis from the Australian Bureau of Statistics says the numbers - combined with the continued high level of job vacancies - suggest a tight labour market.
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Mining magnate Andrew Forrest has announced his Fortescue Group is axing 700 jobs.
The boss of the iron ore miner turned energy company says the cuts aren't a sign that he's pulling back from a green energy future.
He says it's the result of a tough operating environment, caused by higher costs and the uncertainty created by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
But opposition energy spokesperson Ted O'Brien says the job losses are an indication the federal government needs to look at more options for Australian energy.
"This is the problem when you put all your eggs in one basket. Labor isn't interested in hydrogen. They want only green hydrogen. They're only interested in one colour, which basically means all eggs in one basket and what we have yet again, is a decision being made, that is going to punch an enormous hole in Labor's energy plan."
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The fossilised remains of a nearly complete steggosaurus have been sold for almost $45 million [[$66.3 million AUS]] at a New York auction.
The price is far greater than the pre-sale estimate of $US4-6 million, and also overshadows the last auction record for dinosaur fossils — a $31.8 million purchase for the remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex nicknamed Stan in 2020.
The auction has stirred some frustration among academic paleontologists who feel the specimens belong in museums or research centres that can't afford huge auction prices.
But Sotheby's Global Head of Science, Cassandra Hatton, says this fossil is unique.
"Apex is the largest, most complete Stegosaurus ever found... I mean, who wouldn't be excited about these massive creatures?"
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Europe's largest LGBTIQ plus sporting event has gotten underway in Austria, with the opening ceremony in Vienna's Karlsplatz square.
It's the first time the EuroGames are being held in Austria since the event began in 1992.
Around 4000 athletes from 50 nations will compete in 31 different sports.
