The US said both leaders \u201cagreed to accelerate force posture initiatives at Australian bases, bolster cooperation in combined logistics, and build greater interoperability through joint exercises\u201d.<\/p>\n
They also discussed joint efforts to increase capacity for guided weapons and \u201cnext-generation capabilities\u201d. They also spoke about advancements surrounding the Aukus submarine deal.<\/p>\n
Updated at\u00a018.38 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Markets price in 80% chance of RBA hike this month<\/p>\n Financial markets are now pricing in an 80% chance that mortgage holders will get hit with a fourth RBA rate hike at the end of this month, as investors fret that soaring oil prices will reignite inflationary pressures.<\/p>\n Yesterday\u2019s national accounts confirmed Australia\u2019s economy is slowing, but suggested it may not be slowing fast enough to ease capacity constraints that are pushing up costs and prices.<\/p>\n Traders are even now pricing in a 25% chance of a second hike by the end of the year \u2013 what would be the fifth for 2026.<\/p>\n Gavin Friend, a senior markets strategist at NAB, said \u201coverall, the annual growth rate in GDP is tracking close to its trend rate and although household consumption has slowed, it appears to have been relatively resilient despite very weak consumer confidence\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the RBA, the data confirm that growth has slowed a little from [the second half of 2025] but also suggests that growth has tracked around its trend rate over the past year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n NAB expects the RBA to hike later this month.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Marles says US-Australia alliance as relevant as ever<\/p>\n Richard Marles just spoke to the ABC from Washington DC, saying Australia\u2019s alliance with the US remains as relevant today \u201cas it ever has\u201d in a \u201cvery challenging\u201d environment.<\/p>\n Marles has been meeting with his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth. He was asked if he believes president Donald Trump\u2019s ongoing conflict with Iran and the US\u2019s posturing towards other countries had affected Australian\u2019s trust in the two country\u2019s relationship. He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markOur alliance with the United States is something that\u2019s been built over decades. It really does transcend governments of the day.<\/p>\n Our collaboration as two defence forces is really central to providing deterrence and building peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, which is ultimately what underwrites every Australians\u2019 safety.<\/p>\n The alliance is as relevant today in a very challenging and difficult world as it has ever been, and it\u2019s profoundly important that we are making sure that it continues to evolve and to grow and to meet the circumstances of the moment. And that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n The Australian deputy prime minister and minister of defence, Richard Marles, during a meeting with the US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Photograph: Shawn Thew\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.13 EDT<\/p>\n Taylor says degree of balance \u2018always a good thing\u2019 after Canavan\u2019s comments on \u2018feminisation\u2019 of school curriculum<\/p>\n Angus Taylor was also asked on the ABC this morning about the Nationals leader, Matt Canavan, who said yesterday the \u201cfeminisation\u201d of school curriculum had led to the rise of \u201cmanosphere\u201d content.<\/p>\n The opposition leader said he was \u201cworried\u201d about politicisation in schools, which he didn\u2019t want to see in curriculums. When asked about Canavan\u2019s suggestion that there should be more male teachers to give young boys more \u201crole models\u201d in school, Taylor said:<\/p>\n double quotation markI think having a degree of balance is always a good thing. And that\u2019s true, that\u2019s true in everything.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.13 EDT<\/p>\n Marles meets US counterpart Pete Hegseth in Washington<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s defence minister, Richard Marles, met with his US counterpart, secretary of war Pete Hegseth, at the Pentagon in Washington DC overnight.<\/p>\n A readout of the meeting<\/a> released by the US says the pair spoke about the 75th anniversary of the Anzus treaty and \u201chow both nations will continue to advance the alliance and strengthen deterrence in the Pacific\u201d.<\/p>\n The US said both leaders \u201cagreed to accelerate force posture initiatives at Australian bases, bolster cooperation in combined logistics, and build greater interoperability through joint exercises\u201d.<\/p>\n They also discussed joint efforts to increase capacity for guided weapons and \u201cnext-generation capabilities\u201d. They also spoke about advancements surrounding the Aukus submarine deal.<\/p>\n Pete Hegseth, right, meets with Richard Marles, left, at the Pentagon. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.38 EDT<\/p>\n Taylor \u2018very confident\u2019 tobacco excise cut would destroy model enriching organised crime<\/p>\n Angus Taylor, the opposition leader, is also out stumping the new Coalition tobacco policies.<\/p>\n He said the opposition is \u201cvery confident\u201d that a significant, 80% cut in the tobacco excise would \u201cdestroy the business model\u201d of organised crime.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand business and this is sadly a bad business that we have to destroy,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n He went on to say the \u201chorse has bolted\u201d already and Australia\u2019s the \u201cworst of all worlds right now\u201d with rising smoking rates and rising crime.<\/p>\n Angus Taylor. Photograph: Pip Farquharson\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Shadow treasurer says tobacco plans would bring in extra billions and stop people buying from the \u2018black market\u2019<\/p>\n Tim Wilson, the shadow treasurer, said the tobacco proposal would bring in an extra $2bn a year as it would stop people \u201cbuying products from the black market\u201d.<\/p>\n When asked if the Coalition initially planned to use the same 75% tobacco excise cut figure as One Nation, Wilson said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe\u2019ve been looking at this policy for a long time, but what we\u2019ve been looking at is how do you break it down for the different parts of the market so that we can actually break the illegal tobacco trade? \u2026<\/p>\n We\u2019ve got a government, we\u2019ve got a One Nation position which is focused solely on tax cuts. What we\u2019re looking at is how do we stop the black market, both with enforcement and with reduction in the excise, so that we actually get the outcome Australians want.<\/p>\n Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.08 EDT<\/p>\n Teen charged after \u2018near-complete amputation\u2019 of boy\u2019s hand<\/p>\n A teenage boy will face court today after a \u201cnear-complete amputation\u201d of a boy\u2019s hand during an alleged assault in Sydney on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n NSW police were called to Redfern about 6pm last night and found a 17-year-old with a partially severed hand.<\/p>\n Police allege the 17-year-old was assaulted by another boy with a knife in a car park on Morehead Road.<\/p>\n NSW paramedics attended to the injured boy \u2013 it is not clear yet whether the hand was reattached.<\/p>\n Early Thursday morning after inquiries, police stopped a car travelling on Redfern Street in Redfern.<\/p>\n They arrested and charged a 15-year-old boy with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and breach of bail.<\/p>\n He was refused bail to appear before a children\u2019s court today.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.02 EDT<\/p>\n Hume says Coalition\u2019s plan isn\u2019t a copy of One Nation and is \u2018fully costed\u2019 and \u2018fully modelled\u2019 to tackle organised crime<\/p>\n The deputy opposition leader, Jane Hume, said a new Coalition plan to tackle the illegal tobacco market isn\u2019t a copy of the one touted by One Nation.<\/p>\n Hume spoke to Channel Nine\u2019s Today show this morning, where she spoke about the plan to \u201ccrush the organised crime gangs that are making billions from illegal cigarettes and vapes\u201d. The plan has a central tenet of slashing the tobacco excise by 80%, as well as a $200m law enforcement surge to shut illegal shops and stop illegal shipments.<\/p>\n Pauline Hanson recently said One Nation would cut the excise by 75%<\/a> if it were elected to government.<\/p>\n Hume said the policies were \u201cnot at all alike\u201d, saying the Coalition\u2019s was \u201cfully costed, fully modelled\u201d and would \u201cgenuinely disrupt the organised crime that has taken over the market\u201d. She told Today:<\/p>\n double quotation markThis is not a slogan. This is not a headline. This is a solution to a policy problem, a failure of this government. \u2026 We have no time to waste. We have a solution. We\u2019ve done the work. Now let\u2019s see if we can get it adopted \u2026<\/p>\n This is not a perfect solution, but it is the only solution because the alternative, maintaining the same thing, means that criminals take over.<\/p>\n Jane Hume. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.47 EDT<\/p>\n AI to be greatest change \u2018since electricity\u2019, Paul Keating says<\/p>\n Artificial intelligence is set to be the \u201cgreatest agency for change\u201d since the introduction of electricity, former prime minister Paul Keating said.<\/p>\n AAP reports Keating made the comments at a sold-out Sydney writers\u2019 festival event on Wednesday evening. He said Australia needed to boldly take on the challenges posed by AI.<\/p>\n \u201c[Artificial intelligence] I think is going to be \u2026 certainly since the discovery of electricity, the greatest agency for change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He also commended the federal Labor government\u2019s recent changes to the capital gains tax to make housing more affordable as an example of the kind of change needed in the future.<\/p>\n double quotation markAnd if we\u2019ve lost 10 or 15% [of] house values, so what?<\/p>\n Paul Keating. Photograph: Sitthixay Ditthavong\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.29 EDT<\/p>\n Good morning, Nick Visser here, welcome to Thursday. Let\u2019s see what the day holds.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Australia pledges $3m additional aid<\/p>\n Australia will deploy a team of specialist drone operators to help the search and rescue effort in the deadly Nepal-Tibet floods.<\/p>\n Operators, including those from Fire and Rescue New South Wales and the Queensland fire department, will head to the disaster-struck region in the coming days.<\/p>\n It comes as the Albanese government has announced a further $3m in aid, bringing its total figure pledged to $11m.<\/p>\n The number of Australians unaccounted for remains at 38.<\/p>\n It comes as a RAAF plane arrived yesterday with humanitaian aid.<\/p>\n As of Thursday, Nepal\u2019s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Agency reported 1,204 confirmed deaths and 4,216 missing persons (including 583 foreigners).<\/p>\n Residents pull a newly installed zipline to help people commute across the Trishuli River in the aftermath of flash floods at Bidur in Nepal\u2019s Nuwakot district on Wednesday. Photograph: Rajesh Kumar Singh\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.06 EDT<\/p>\n $2m for Indigenous racism register<\/p>\n An online register of racism and discrimination against First Nations people is receiving up to $2m in Commonwealth funding to help inform anti-racism action, AAP reports.<\/p>\n The federal government has announced the funding before the final report by a parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.<\/p>\n The minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, said the parliamentary inquiry had heard confronting stories from Indigenous people about the hurt and harm they had experienced.<\/p>\n double quotation markWhile we await the committee\u2019s final report, we are not waiting to act.<\/p>\n This investment will strengthen the important work of Call It Out and support efforts to collate rigorous data.<\/p>\n Callitout.com.au is a culturally safe, trauma-informed website that collects data for analysis by the Jumbunna Institute to help raise awareness and drive systematic change.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.58 EDT<\/p>\n Chalmers weighs in on One Nation WA byelection win Jim Chalmers says he has reflected on the key takeaways after One Nation candidate Luke Herdegen secured 57%of the vote after preferences at the Secret Harbour byelection.<\/p>\n Speaking on ABC\u2019s 7.30, Chalmers said he acknowledged that concerns about inflation, the cost of living and real wages were on voters\u2019 minds before the poll.<\/p>\n double quotation markI have thought very deeply about the legitimate concerns and anxieties and frustrations that people have. About how the economy works, or doesn\u2019t work for people. That\u2019s the thing I\u2019m most focused on. It\u2019s the whole reason for our efforts to get inflation down, to make the economy more productive.<\/p>\n Chalmers added he believes the \u201cfaultline in our politics\u201d is now changing.<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019s not necessarily between the centre left and the far right, it\u2019s not necessarily the old distinctions. The distinction in our politics right now is a Labor government working to address the very real concerns that people have, versus the Liberals and Nationals and One Nation who just want to prey on that, and pick on that.<\/p>\n One Nation\u2019s Luke Herdegen. Photograph: Richard Wainwright\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.13 EDT<\/p>\n Chalmers defends house prices forecast Jim Chalmers has defended Treasury\u2019s forecast on the impact of the government\u2019s recent tax changes on housing, after the Commonwealth Bank predicted prices could fall by almost 10% across capital cities.<\/p>\n Treasury modelling said the changes would reduce house price growth by just 2% over the next couple of years.<\/p>\n Speaking on ABC\u2019s 7.30, the treasurer said the new data did not fairly challenge the government\u2019s forecast.<\/p>\n double quotation markThat Commonwealth Bank forecast that you reference in your question has house prices recovering next year, and so it\u2019s a really important reminder that we need to compare \u2018like with like\u2019.<\/p>\n The assumptions in the budget are over the next couple of years, not the first couple of months since the budget \u2026 and the Commonwealth Bank says they expect house price growth as soon as next year.<\/p>\n Chalmers pointed to several factors unrelated to the recent tax changes that he said would contribute to the dip in prices.<\/p>\n double quotation markThere is softness in the housing market, prices have come off a bit, auction clearance rates have come off a bit, but that was beginning before the budget, and that\u2019s because, as a number of experts have pointed out, one of the big influences is interest rates.<\/p>\n We have very substantial advantages in the face of some serious economic challenges. Productivity is one of them. Inflation is another. Extreme global volatility, turbocharged by a war on the other side of the world.<\/p>\n Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Photograph: Lukas Coch\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.15 EDT<\/p>\n Welcome<\/p>\n Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I\u2019m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s begin.<\/p>\n![\"Pete](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/5119.jpg\")
Pete Hegseth, right, meets with Richard Marles, left, at the Pentagon. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788391813_476_Patrick_Commins.png\")
Patrick Commins<\/p>\n![\"Achol](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788391813_364_Achol_Arok,_L.png\")
Achol Arok<\/p>\nAchol Arok<\/p>\n