With droughts on one side of the country, floods on the other, and political volatility overseas, Australia’s agriculture industry has been right in the thick of it.

But there is reason for “cautious optimism” in the $90.7 billion sector as uncertain conditions create both threats and opportunities for the nation’s producers, according to Bendigo Bank’s mid-year agriculture outlook.

Cropping, horticulture and cattle were forecast to be on the up in the second half of 2025, while prices for sheep and wool would remain stable, the report released on Tuesday showed.

Aussie beef will continue to be on the menu in the US, where herd numbers are in decline due to drought and increased costs of agricultural inputs

“Demand for beef is set to remain firm as the US reduction in supply continues to favour Australian producers,” Bendigo Bank executive Neil Burgess said.

Weather conditions have both helped and hindered production, as rainfall in NSW and Queensland improved soil moisture, boosted summer crop yields and gave winter sowing a strong start.

However, heavy rainfall and flooding in both states has damaged farm infrastructure and reduced livestock numbers in some regions.

At the same time, severe drought in parts of South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria has stifled production, upped the cost of feed and created a poor cropping outlook.

With varying long-term rainfall forecasts across the nation, weather will be key to performance in the final half of the year, the report said.

“The season so far underscores the growing unpredictability of Australia’s agricultural climate, demanding resilience and adaptability across the sector from producers and the broader supply chain.”

The environmental challenges have been exacerbated by uncertainty in global conditions, with tariff announcements from the US and China creating volatility in trade.

But those moves could improve the chances of a deal with the EU, which would be positive news for beef and lamb exports.

“Overall, the outlook for Australian agriculture is cautiously optimistic amidst the potential for improved seasonal conditions combined with rising consumer demand and lower interest rates,” the report said.

“While the heightened uncertainty within the global trade environment remains a headwind for producers, processors and exporters alike, favourable trade terms and strong demand is expected to provide ongoing support.”

Australia has been urged to push for free markets, avoid a trade war and reduce its own “nuisance” levies as the world braces for the resumption of US tariffs.

While President Donald Trump’s tariffs are unlikely to have a significant direct impact on Australia when he lifts a pause on reciprocal levies on August 1, the uncertainty they create could wreak havoc on living standards across the globe.

Were it not for that, modelling from the Productivity Commission has found Australia could receive some benefits from US tariffs.

But the federal government’s independent research and advisory body has recommended Australia mitigate impacts by committing to free trade agreements, reducing some of its own tariffs and working towards open markets – offering much-needed certainty for exporters.

Any retaliatory tariffs could escalate into a broader trade war, potentially exacerbating uncertainty, which the commission warned would bring “serious consequences”.

In 2025, economic uncertainty in Australia and across the world reached its highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The speed, frequency and varying scope of Mr Trump’s tariffs created an environment where world trade could be transformed at any time and without warning, creating uncertainty that could slow economic activity, household consumption and investment.

Of the scenarios modelled by the commission, Australia would do better under a “Liberation Day” situation where – much like the real event – Australia’s exports face only the baseline tariff of 10 per cent while other countries’ goods are hit with higher rates.

Since Australian items are impacted by a lower rate, they would be comparatively cheaper, meaning American consumers would shift demand to Australia.

Lower US demand for other countries’ imports would decrease their price, reducing the cost of import inputs used in Australian production.

The US tariffs would also likely lead capital to flow out of America and high-tariffed countries, benefiting other economies like Australia.

This means Liberation Day tariffs, alongside Mr Trump’s levies on steel and aluminium, could lead to a 0.37 per cent increase in Australia’s real gross domestic product and a 30.9 per cent increase in US demand for Australian exports.

While it is unclear whether Australia could negotiate a tariff exemption, the government could take things into its own hands by removing more of its own “nuisance” levies.

It has already abolished almost 500 of these tariffs, which impose high costs on businesses and generate little revenue, but the commission identified another 315 that could be urgently removed.

“Australia is best served by continuing to advocate for free and fair trade – and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers said in response to the report.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is odds on to confirm another cash rate cut and buyers are scrambling to get a foothold in the property market before prices rise even further.

As he scoured the market for his dream home, construction worker Joel Pirotta noticed prices rising once interest rates started to fall in February.

With more rate cuts on the horizon, Mr Pirotta heard the clock ticking and pounced on an apartment in Richmond, in Melbourne’s inner-east.

“When I started looking, prices were a lot cheaper for houses. I think there was a rate drop while I was looking and once the interest rates went down, house prices sort of inflated a little bit,” he told AAP.

“I think if anything, it made me want to secure a property quickly, because I knew that I wanted to find a place and I think sooner was more beneficial for me, because I could only see interest rates going down and prices going up.”

Most economists agree.

The consensus view is the RBA will deliver its third interest rate cut in five months when the central bank board emerges from its meeting at 2.30pm AEST on Tuesday.

Economists at Commonwealth Bank, ANZ and NAB predict the the RBA will deliver another cut in August, while Westpac predicts a pause before another cut in November and two more in 2026.

That would send the cash rate to 2.85 per cent and amount to 150 basis points worth of cuts in the space of about 12 months, shaving more than $500 a month in repayments off a typical $600,000 mortgage from before February.

With homebuyers armed with much more purchasing power, demand and prices are set to surge.

Home values rose 1.4 per cent in the June quarter, according to property analytics company Cotality, while auction clearance rates have held above 70 per cent for the past four weeks.

Affordability constraints should keep a lid on growth, but online property marketplace Domain still expects the median house price in Australia will grow six per cent to $1.26 million in 2025/26.

Having bought his new apartment on July 1, Mr Pirotta opted to fix his rate for the first few years of the loan, but will look to refinance once he switches to a variable rate.

But most variable mortgage holders have not decided to lower their repayments, instead opting to pay off more of their loan.

Just one in 10 customers with CommBank, which holds about a quarter of the mortgage market, reduced repayments after the May cut, the bank revealed.

“It shows only a small percentage of customers are freeing up their cash, while most are maintaining higher repayments to get ahead on their loans,” said Tess Sutherland, general manager of the bank’s home buying team.

“We also found that those in their 30s and 40s were the most likely age group to reduce their repayments – perhaps not surprising, given many in this cohort may be juggling school-aged kids and high household costs.”

The nation’s longest-running coronial inquest has exposed “deeply disturbing” racism within an Australian police force, the human rights commission says.

Kumanjayi Walker was fatally shot by then-constable Zachary Rolfe during an attempted arrest at a home in Yuendumu, 300km northwest of Alice Springs, in November 2019.

Handing down her findings into the 19-year-old’s death, Coroner Elisabeth Armitage found Mr Rolfe was racist, and could not rule out that these attitudes contributed to Mr Walker’s death.

Mr Walker’s family briefly addressed the media after the 600-page findings were handed down but said they would take some time before commenting further on Tuesday.

“We’re all feeling really exhausted and quite overwhelmed and there is so much that we need to go through,” Mr Walker’s cousin Samara Fernandez-Brown said.

In delivering her findings on Monday, Judge Armitage said Mr Walker’s death was avoidable.

But Mr Rolfe was not just “a bad apple”, she said, he worked in an organisation with “the hallmarks of institutionalised racism”.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss said her heart was breaking for the family of Kumanjayi Walker and the community of Yuendumu.

“Racism is running rife in our institutions, and it lies at the heart of these shocking injustices,” Ms Kiss said.

“These findings, delivered on the lands of Yuendumu people – Kumanjayi Walker’s people – not only outline who, and what, is to blame, but offer a clear pathway for reform.”

Ms Kiss said she hoped the coroner’s findings would help prevent further tragedies.

“Without an evidence and human rights based approach to justice and corrections, the unacceptable over representation of our peoples in custody, and dying in custody, will remain a national shame,” she said.

“(Judge Armitage’s) findings must be the final alarm. This must end.”

The NT Police force said it would “carefully consider” the coroner’s 32 recommendations, which included consulting with Yuendumu community leadership about when it may be appropriate for police not to carry firearms.

A draft anti-racism strategy developed with the assistance of NT Aboriginal organisations will soon be released for broader consultation.

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Australia’s Jewish community is pushing the federal government to set up a national task force to curb anti-Semitism.

A Victorian task force will examine police powers after a spate of anti-Semitic incidents in Melbourne in recent days, including an alleged arson on the East Melbourne Synagogue that forced 20 worshippers inside to flee.

Sydney man Angelo Loras, 34, has been charged over the fire, which occurred seven months after the city’s Adass Israel Synagogue was damaged in what authorities have alleged was arson.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, an umbrella group for the nation’s Jews, feared further anti-Semitic attacks and said more than state-based action was needed.

It urged the federal government to adopt a 15-point action plan including the establishment of a national task force to clamp down on anti-Semitism.

“I don’t know where the next attack will be or when or how, all I can say is that it is statistically likely that it will occur,” the council’s president Daniel Aghion said.

“So far, we have been lucky in that no one has died.”

He urged Victorian authorities to disallow weekly pro-Palestine protests in their current form and bring in protest zones, after a group on Friday night damaged an Israeli restaurant following a rally.

In that incident, a restaurant window was smashed, tables flipped and chairs thrown as police directed the group to leave the area. 

One person was arrested for hindering police.

The Jewish Council of Australia denounced the synagogue attack but said it was “irresponsible and inflammatory to link this anti-Semitic act with separate protest actions”.

“Such language inaccurately conflates Jewishness with support for Israel, and undermines the fight against real anti-Semitism,” executive council member Ohad Kozminsky said.

Late on Friday, a group spray-painted cars with anti-Semitic “inferences” then set them alight in the city’s northeast.

A fourth incident involved stencils used to spray paint offensive images on pillars and walls near a Holocaust museum in the suburb of Elsternwick.

Victorian police have not declared the incidents as related to terrorism but are working alongside counter-terrorism officers.

The attacks, which have draw the ire of Israel, were condemned by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said those responsible must face the full force of the law.

President Donald Trump on Monday placed a 25 per cent tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, citing persistent trade imbalances with the two US allies in Asia.

Trump provided notice of the tariffs to begin on August 1 by posting letters on Truth Social that were addressed to the leaders of both countries. 

The letters warned both countries to not retaliate by increasing their own import taxes, or else the Trump administration would increase import taxes that could damage the auto and electronics sectors of Japan and South Korea, two crucial partners for the US in countering China’s influence.

“If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25% that we charge,” Trump wrote in the letters to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

The letters, issued on White House stationery, have Trump’s typical flourishes and capitalisation.”We invite you to participate in the extraordinary Economy of the United States, the Number One Market in the World, by far,” he wrote.

He ends both of the letters by saying, “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Trump has been eager to escalate tariffs on American trading partners after pausing his plans earlier this year.

with AP

Qantas has revealed it has been contacted by a hacker claiming to be behind the theft of details of millions of the airline’s customers.

The hack potentially compromised the names, dates of birth, email addresses and frequent flyer numbers of six million customers, although their financial information remained secure.

“A potential cyber criminal has made contact and we are currently working to validate this,” a Qantas spokesperson said.

“There is no evidence that any personal data stolen from Qantas has been released but, with the support of specialist cyber security experts, we continue to actively monitor.”

Qantas has remained tight-lipped about who it believes is behind the attack and no cyber criminal groups have taken responsibility but has engaged the Australian Federal Police.

The airline said earlier in July a third-party system used by an offshore call centre had been attacked two days earlier.

It said it has added security measures for its frequent flyer accounts, including requiring extra identification for any changes.

Since the attack was revealed, Qantas has received more than 5000 customer inquiries.

“I want to apologise again for the uncertainty this has caused,” chief executive Vanessa Hudson said.

“We know that data breaches can feel deeply personal and understand the genuine concern this creates for our customers. Right now we’re focused on providing the answers and transparency they deserve.

Legal experts suggest the incident could lead to a class action against Qantas after compensation claims were made against Optus and Medibank following major breaches in 2022.

Australia’s Jewish community is bracing for more anti-Semitic attacks as a task force is charged with doing whatever it takes to tackle hate.

Calls for action have sharpened after four incidents in Victoria over the weekend, including a fire at East Melbourne Synagogue which forced worshippers to flee.

“It’s terrifying,” Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion told AAP.

“I don’t know where the next attack will be or when or how, all I can say is that it is statistically likely that it will occur. 

“So far, we have been lucky in that no one has died.”

He welcomed Victoria’s new task force to tackle hate which will examine police powers, but said the state government took too long to act.

He urged authorities to disallow weekly pro-Palestine protests in their current form and introduce changes such as protest zones.

Some demonstrators at Sunday’s rally in Melbourne reportedly chanted “Death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces).

Australia’s anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal said the synagogue attack was not a random incident because hatred and intimidation had been allowed to fester, calling for stronger policing and punishments.

“Violent or intimidating protest activity which targets the Jewish community is not protest, it is anti-Semitism,” she said in a statement.

Sydney man Angelo Loras, 34, has been charged with setting fire to the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation’s front doors on Friday night, forcing about 20 people inside to flee.

The attack came seven months after part of the Adass Israel Synagogue was destroyed.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan met with synagogue leaders on Monday, pledging mental health support.

She said there were no plans to ban the weekly pro-Palestine demonstrations because freedom of protest was a central tenant of democracy, while hitting out at the protesters’ chanting as “odious, hateful behaviour”.

She was confident anti-vilification laws coming into force in September would give police more powers to crack down on extremist behaviour, as would future legislation to ban masks at protests.

Rally organisers hit back at criticism, stressing they were opposed to the Israeli occupation of Gaza.

“To combat anti-Semitism, Jacinta Allen needs to learn to distinguish between the IDF which is responsible for war crimes, and Australian Jews,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Soon after the synagogue fire, Israeli restaurant Miznon was targeted by masked pro-Palestinian protesters.

A window was smashed, tables flipped and chairs thrown as police directed them to leave the area, with one person arrested.

Later the same night in the city’s northeast, a group spray-painted cars with anti-Semitic “inferences” and set them alight.

CCTV footage released by police shows figures in black hooded jumpers lighting the fires outside a Greensborough business, with detectives looking for five people seen fleeing on e-bikes.

A fourth incident involved stencils used to spray paint offensive images on pillars and walls near a Holocaust museum in Elsternwick.

The incidents have not been declared terrorist attacks, but Victoria Police is working with counter-terrorism officers to examine any links.

The Jewish Council of Australia denounced the synagogue attack but said it was “irresponsible and inflammatory to link this anti-Semitic act with separate protest actions”.

“Such language inaccurately conflates Jewishness with support for Israel, and undermines the fight against real anti-Semitism,” executive council member Ohad Kozminsky said.

Opposition Leader Brad Battin said hate speech was the “root cause” of Jewish people feeling unsafe, as he pushed for police to review ‘move on’ laws and potentially recommend changes to the premier. 

“It is vital now that we stop these crimes in their tracks, we stop the violent speeches happening across the state and that will actually stop the actions that are happening and protect people,” he said.

The attacks drew international condemnation, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding action against “rioters”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said those responsible must face the full force of the law and federal opposition frontbencher Melissa McIntosh called for an urgent national cabinet meeting to discuss what happened.

A “shock jock” who made a prank call to a UK hospital caring for Princess Catherine claims he was not supported by his employer in the fall-out of a nurse’s death by suicide.

Mike Christian and Mel Greig were presenting on 2Day FM on December 4, 2012 when they made the phone call to the King Edward VII Hospital in London.

The then-Duchess of Cambridge had been admitted to the hospital for severe morning sickness ahead of her first child’s birth.

Christian alleges he was ordered by 2Day FM’s production team to make a prank call to the hospital and impersonate Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth to try to gain access to the duchess.

Nurse Jacintha Saldanha died by suicide days after the prank call, leading to widespread backlash against the radio hosts and broadcaster.

Almost 13 years later, Christian has sued 2Day FM’s broadcaster Southern Cross Austereo in the Federal Court, claiming the firm promised to provide support if the content put out by its “shock jocks” ever went too far.

The former radio host – who was made redundant in February – says he believed these claims, but was let down by the organisation.

The broadcaster did not “step in” but rather let its radio presenters take the blame, negatively impacting their careers, court documents seen by AAP allege.

Christian and Greig called out Southern Cross Austereo and tried to prevent the company from crossing the line but were left in the cold after the suicide, the documents say.

“SCA did not immediately take public accountability for the incident, but rather allowed Mr Christian and Ms Greig to be left exposed to relentless public vitriol, harassment and abuse, including death threats,” his lawyers wrote.

“The radio presenters were left by SCA as the convenient fall guys and scapegoats for SCA management decisions and non-compliance.”

Greig made a tearful apology to Ms Saldanha’s family at an inquest into the nurse’s death in 2014, placing the blame on the radio station and commercial radio culture.

Rhys Holleran, SCA’s chief executive at the time of the incident, told the ABC in 2024 he suffers anxiety about it.

“I have always felt completely and utterly responsible for this,” he said.

Christian says he started as a 2Day FM presenter just two days before the prank call, which he alleges breached the Australian Communications and Media Authority code of practice.

He claims he was told in early 2013 the broadcaster would help restore his reputation and rebuild his career.

He remained working for 2Day FM and did not pursue legal proceedings against them because of this promise, court documents say.

However, the firm failed to provide meaningful health support, did not start a public relations campaign to rebuild his brand, and failed to offer meaningful opportunities or pay rises to reward his loyalty, he alleges. 

Instead, he claims he was “gradually marginalised” within the organisation.

Christian did not sign a release preventing him from speaking publicly about his time at the broadcaster, instead retaining lawyers after learning of his impending redundancy in February.

“Mr Christian claims that the redundancy was not genuine, particularly in circumstances where SCA still requires Mr Christian’s former role to be performed,” court documents allege.

Christian is seeking penalties, compensation for economic loss and damages.

The matter is yet to appear before the Federal Court.

Southern Cross Austereo has been contacted for comment.

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A man who crawled out of a shallow grave with a bullet lodged in his brain is among the victims of a criminal gang who went on a six-day rampage spanning multiple states.

The incidents include the kidnapping and torture of one man and the murder of another in NSW, along with the attempted murder in Queensland.

Investigators believe the incidents, occurring in July 2024, are linked to a Victorian drug-trafficking syndicate.

In one incident, a 23-year-old man attended a service station in a small Queensland town covered in dirt.

Despite suffering a gunshot wound, he asked staff not to call for help before he collapsed.

A trip to hospital confirmed he had been shot through the eye and had a bullet lodged in his brain.

Police believe he was shot and buried alive, with his attackers unaware he was still breathing.

“It’s absolutely surprising that he did survive,” NSW Police Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi told reporters on Monday.

“The bullet lodged in his brain and for someone to survive that is a miracle.”

But the unlikely story of survival was just one event in a six-day string of carnage, which included the killing of Rich Choup.

Trail bike riders found the 32-year-old’s remains on August 21, 2024 at Lucas Heights, in Sydney’s south.

He had been shot and had the top of one ear severed, an autopsy found.

Police believe Mr Choup was a member of the drug-trafficking syndicate but had fallen foul of its higher-ups.

CCTV footage released by police showed a man slap the victim across the face, but he did not resist or attempt to flee.

Mr Choup was reported missing days later.

His body was not found for weeks, but police believe he was murdered shortly after his disappearance.

In a third incident, a 31-year-old was allegedly kidnapped from southwest Sydney.

He also had part of his ear cut off before being released.

He did not report the matter to police, but months later officers raided the Canley Vale property where the alleged torture took place.

“Unfortunately, it’s been seen quite often now that part of their torturing technique is to sever ears and fingers and toes,” Det Supt Doueihi said.

While the exact nature of the dispute was yet to be determined, it might relate to missing drugs or money.

“If I was a betting man, that’s what I would say the situation was,” Det Supt Doueihi said.

Police have released CCTV of three cars allegedly involved in the incidents, including a grey Audi they think might have been used in the Sydney kidnapping along with the killing of Mr Choup.

NSW Premier Chris Minns called the attackers “animals” and said the public was horrified by the crimes.

“There is absolutely no tolerance for this kind of shocking violent behaviour (but) police have got a good record of smashing up organised crime and violent gangs,” he said.