There are a few AFL greats arriving at the MCG for the state funeral of Neale Daniher.
They include Essendon player. former Fremantle coach Mark Harvey, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan, and Daniher’s brothers, Terry and Anthony, who also played alongside him on the same Essendon team.
David Neitz. Paul Hopgood, former Melbourne players and close friends of Daniher have also arrived, as has former footballer and commentator, Rex Hunt, Scott Selwood, who played at West Coast when Daniher was the club’s football manager, and former Nationals MP Damian Drum, who also used to play and coach AFL.
According to the order of service, after the Welcome to Country. national anthem, we’ll hear from Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, the prime minister Anthony Albanese and then Daniher’s wife, Jan, and four children: Loz, Luke, Bec and Ben.
Anthony Daniher, Neitz, Hopgood and Fagan will also make a tribute, along with Daniher’s close friend, Cam Taylor.
Singer-songwriter Gary Pinto will perform between the tributes.
The back of the order of service booklet features a quote from Daniher himself:
double quotation mark I hope to leave a legacy that says this: no matter the odds, no matter the diagnosis, we all have the power to fight, to smile,. to do. Because the mark of a person isn’t what they say; it’s what they do.
The funeral service begins at 1pm.
How do you like them apples?
Nicholas Jordan is back with a new taste test: this time, it’s Australian apples.
These are always controversial, so steel yourself to either be vindicated or frustrated.
Check out the results below:
No indication yet of how alleged Bondi attacker will plead Returning to news. the alleged Bondi attacker will officially face 19 fresh charges. Outside court earlier today. Leonie Gittani, one of Naveed Akram’s lawyers, gave no indication of how her client will plead when she spoke to reporters. Prosecutors are yet to file the brief of evidence which Akram’s lawyers will view and may inform how Akram pleads. Deputy chief judge Michael Antrum approved a request by prosecutors on Wednesday to extend the deadline for the brief of evidence to 12 August. taking it two months beyond the usual six-month time limit for briefs to be served. Antrum said:
double quotation mark I’m sure there’s a significant volume of material.
Gittani said outside court the case was “unprecedented” and “there’s still a way to go”. She also said it wasn’t unexpected that additional charges would be laid given the “magnitude” of the case.
Australia’s AI regulation to face scrutiny in new inquiry
Submissions have opened for a Senate inquiry into AI datacentres in Australia.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young will chair the body, which will look into the economic, environmental. social impacts of the surge in AI infrastructure, including questions around energy and water use and their effects on local communities.
Hanson-Young said in a statement today:
double quotation mark AI is the new extractive industry and Australia’s regulations are lagging behind. Like the gas industry, these massive data miners want to extract Australia’s resources for free, paying very little for the data, water. energy all used to make their huge corporate profits …
If we don’t put the handbrakes on this rapid datacentre development our communities, energy. water resources will be at risk.
There are a few AFL greats arriving at the MCG for the state funeral of Neale Daniher.
They include Essendon player. former Fremantle coach Mark Harvey, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan, and Daniher’s brothers, Terry and Anthony, who also played alongside him on the same Essendon team.
David Neitz. Paul Hopgood, former Melbourne players and close friends of Daniher have also arrived, as has former footballer and commentator, Rex Hunt, Scott Selwood, who played at West Coast when Daniher was the club’s football manager, and former Nationals MP Damian Drum, who also used to play and coach AFL.
According to the order of service, after the Welcome to Country. national anthem, we’ll hear from Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, the prime minister Anthony Albanese and then Daniher’s wife, Jan, and four children: Loz, Luke, Bec and Ben.
Anthony Daniher, Neitz, Hopgood and Fagan will also make a tribute, along with Daniher’s close friend, Cam Taylor.
Singer-songwriter Gary Pinto will perform between the tributes.
The back of the order of service booklet features a quote from Daniher himself:
double quotation mark I hope to leave a legacy that says this: no matter the odds, no matter the diagnosis, we all have the power to fight, to smile,. to do. Because the mark of a person isn’t what they say; it’s what they do.
The funeral service begins at 1pm.
Funding lifeline saves Tasmanian and SA smelters, including more than 1,000 jobs
More than 1,000 workers at two major smelters have been given a lifeline after a metals producer received a $105m government boost. AAP reports.
The joint federal. state funding will keep Nyrstar’s Hobart and Port Pirie, South Australia plants running through 2026 while the international company weighs up major investments in critical minerals production.
The agreement follows the expiry of a $135m rescue package in May. weeks of tense talks over how much taxpayer money would be put on the table to secure the sites.
The new deal would keep workers in jobs. protect Australia’s ability to process minerals vital to defence, semiconductor, energy and automotive industries, industry and innovation minister, Tim Ayres, said.
Nyrstar, headquartered in the Netherlands, is a major producer of lead, silver, zinc. other critical minerals at the Port Pirie and Hobart smelters.
Homeless man found dead with burn injuries in Melbourne’s east
A man believed to be homeless has been found dead with burn injuries in a park on a quiet street in Melbourne’s east.
Police said a passerby found the man in parkland in Donvale about 4.20pm on Tuesday. The man was yet to be identified this morning but it appeared he had no fixed address. may have been sleeping rough in the area.
Arson squad detectives attended the scene but not homicide detectives, a police spokesperson said. They declined to share further detail on the suspected burns.
An autopsy will be carried out. a report prepared for the coroner to determine whether the man’s death was suspicious, police said.
Officers are making further inquiries into the man’s identity. Police urged anyone who may have seen him in the area. knows the man’s identity or has other information to contact Crime Stoppers.
Crowds gather for Neale Daniher’s funeral at MCG
Here are some more images coming from Neale Daniher’s state funeral at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. as crowds continue to gather:
Mourners have begun arriving at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the state funeral of AFL great. motor neurone disease crusader Neale Daniher, who died at home on 25 May, aged 65.
Daniher, the 2025 Australian of the Year, became the symbol of the fight against MND after his 2013 diagnosis with the incurable. fatal disease, which he dubbed “The Beast”.
He defied the odds, battling MND for 13 years when the average life expectancy is 27 months.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will lead tributes at the funeral – on the hallowed grounds where Daniher played for Essendon. coached Melbourne.
The state funeral comes just two days after the annual Big Freeze match between Collingwood. Melbourne, which raised $2.5m for FightMND. The governor-general, Sam Mostyn, was among the high-profile figures who slid into an ice bath as part of the festivities.
- Australian Associated Press
Government R&D spending falls when adjusted for inflation
Government spending on research. development (R&D) has fallen in real terms in the latest financial year, new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows.
Spending was $4.4bn in 2024-25, up 1% from 2022-23 before adjusted for inflation.
The head of business statistics at the ABS. Tom Lay, said the increase was the “lowest since 2018-19, when it grew 2 per cent”.
double quotation mark When adjusted for the impacts of inflation. government spending on R&D declined by 4 per cent in 2024-25 in real terms.
Government spending on R&D as a proportion of GDP fell from 0.17% in 2022-23 to 0.16% in 2024-25. the ABS data showed, well below the OECD average of 2.73%.
The largest rise was for environmental sciences, up $224m or 55%, followed by biomedical and clinical sciences.
University. science bodies have consistently lobbied governments to increase R&D spending to 3% of GDP in line with global competitors, arguing it drives productivity and economic growth.
In a donation drive email today seeking contributions from supporters. Pauline Hanson’s party claims Labor is “destroying the Australia we know”, branding prime minister Anthony Albanese a “liar”.
“One Nation has proven we can win lower house seats – so it’s time to target Labor held seats,” the email says.
One Nation’s polling surge, now outperforming both Labor. Liberal on primary votes, has previously been seen as a threat to conservative parties – but outer suburban or regional Labor-held seats could also come under threat if current polling levels hold until the next election.
In a campaign they’re calling “fire the liar”. One Nation references a donation drive from Labor to its supporters, in which the government party sought funds from its backers to “prevent One Nation from turning polling momentum into seats”.
It is commonplace for politicians. parties of all stripes – Labor, Liberal, One Nation, independent and more – to regularly seek donations from supporters in email fundraising campaigns.
Hanson on Tuesday had claimed it was “disgusting” for Labor to seek donations:
double quotation mark I just can’t believe. they are brave enough to ask poor Australians to give over their money to fund their campaigns. It’s just disgusting.
One Nation has sent at least weekly emails to subscribers, suggesting donation amounts of between $5. $100 to “support our fight to challenge the two-party system – fund ads, materials, and campaigning on the ground”. The emails direct supporters to the party’s website. where a blurb states: “One Nation needs your help to break the party system.”
The Australian government is liable for paying damages to a man it unlawfully held in immigration detention for 18 months because he could not be removed to another country. the high court has ruled.
The case of Safwat Abdel-Hady could be a watershed moment on whether the government could be liable for damages for more than 350 unlawful non-citizens released after the high court ruled against indefinite detention in 2023.
The Austrian citizen was unlawfully held in immigration detention for a period of 18 months because his health conditions restricted his travel,. meant he had no real prospect of removal to another country.
The high court’s ruling this morning means the government cannot defend against damages claims on the basis that it relied on the high court’s previous 2004 ruling in Al-Kateb –. was overruled in 2023 – allowing non-citizens without a visa who cannot be removed to another country to remain in indefinite detention.
Abdel-Hady’s matter will now be heard in the federal circuit court, which will determine whether he is liable for damages.
We’ll bring you more once we work through the reasons.
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