High in the mountains of Victoria’s vast Alps, the ongoing impact of Desmond Freeman’s alleged shooting of two police officers looms large.

For heartbroken and weary locals, it’s been three very long weeks since conspiracy theorist and experienced bushman Freeman allegedly launched a deadly ambush on police.

Freeman is accused of fatally shooting Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart at Porepunkah before fleeing into the bush.

The tragedy has left the idyllic region, 300 kilometres northeast of Melbourne, deserted by its typical tourists. 

Government grants to support businesses hit by the search for Freeman, 56, are worth a fraction of revenues lost to travel restrictions and tourist fears, operators say. 

A number of businesses on its main street remain closed despite Victoria Police easing severe travel restrictions.

Many locals were fatigued from media attention and declined to be interviewed, but said they were grateful for news of $5000 grants from the Victorian government for impacted businesses.

In nearby Bright, Cherry Walk Cafe owner Leanne Boyd was likewise happy for the support, but said the grant would only amount to just over a tenth of lost revenue.

“Up until August 26 we were really busy, very busy,” she told AAP.

“We were actually having probably the best winter we’ve had for maybe six years.”

Bright is usually a tourist hub and a last stop for many snow seekers en route to Mount Hotham and Falls Creek snow resorts.

“The other problem is it’s going to take another two weeks for people to actually come back so then we’re into five or six weeks with no real income,” Ms Boyd said.

“It starts to hurt a lot.”

Over the weekend, police conducted the largest tactical operation in Australia’s history. It included emergency services volunteers and specialist tactical members from all states and New Zealand, who combed rugged tracks, caves and mineshafts but were unable to find Freeman.

Mount Buffalo National Park remains closed to the public and there is still a $1 million reward for information leading to Freeman’s arrest. 

Police Minister Anthony Carbines spoke with Chief Commissioner Mike Bush on Monday and reaffirmed the force had licence to deploy any resource to bring a “significantly dangerous and armed offender to justice”.

“We’ve been very clear to the chief that anything he needs, he will have,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

The minister said the force was effectively managing the potential for fatigue among officers on the ground, but the task hadn’t been helped by the need for extra police at recent protests in Melbourne’s CBD.

“There’s no doubt this is hard work,” Mr Carbines said.

Opposition Leader Brad Battin said the search for Freeman must go on to give past and present officers “closure”.

“The community needs to know that the police are safe,” the former policeman said.

“An attack on Victoria Police is an attack on every single member of the community.”

The state Liberal leader backed the government’s $5000 grants but said the money would “barely touch the edges” for some businesses, including one that he said had lost more than $30,000.

Home searches by the Special Operations Command were causing tension among locals, a resident who asked not to be named told AAP.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Russell Barrett confirmed on Sunday hundreds of properties had been searched, “with and without warrant”. 

“We’re incredibly conscious of the impact the operation has on local community, and we talk to them about that all the time,” Mr Barrett told reporters.

“We’re trying to find that balance, and it’s a really difficult balance to find.” 

The search for Freeman continues.

The national colours of red, black and yellow have been embraced by jubilant Papua New Guineans as they celebrate a landmark Independence Day.

People have filled the streets draped in the beloved colours as PNG marks 50 years since Australia’s colonial rule ended, highlighting its culture, dance and music.

Celebrations officially began with a packed flag-raising ceremony at Independence Hill in Port Moresby on Tuesday morning with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in attendance.

Proud Papua New Guineans gathered in front of a statue of the nation’s first prime minister and founding father Michael Somare, where Prime Minister James Marape spoke.

“Out of many, we became one, united under a single flag that was hoisted for the first time,” he said.

Dignitaries from around the world are in Port Moresby for the celebrations, including Prince Edward, representing the British royal family, and leaders from across the Pacific.

Mr Albanese said democracy in PNG had “not only survived but thrived” 50 years after the Australian flag was lowered.

“It wasn’t torn down, this was a peaceful transition,” he said.

At the original independence ceremony held in Port Moresby on September 16, 1975, then prime minister Gough Whitlam said: “Australia could never be truly free until Papua New Guinea was truly free”.

Half a century later, Mr Albanese echoed his predecessor’s PNG support, saying the nation of more than 1000 tribes and 800 languages had overcome great difficulties.

“That is a great credit to the foresight of people like Mr Somare and other independence advocates,” he told Nine’s Today show.

“And also, a credit to the legacy of Australia (and) Gough Whitlam’s vision in supporting independence for PNG. It’s been a very important and significant day.”

Mr Marape addressed the country’s ills, saying “we still have many pockets of poverty, many pockets of isolation, many pockets of communities that aren’t connected with each other”.

“The country will stand on firm ground and fix these problems,” he said.

Mr Albanese walked part of the Kokoda Track with Mr Marape in 2024 and said he was in awe of the sacrifice Australian soldiers had made to protect their nation and its democracy.

They could not have done that without the support of PNG, creating a close bond between the two countries, he said.

The two nations are due to sign a landmark defence pact on Wednesday that will bring them even closer together, elevating the relationship to the same level as key Australian allies the US and New Zealand.

As a gift to mark their golden jubilee, Australia will help PNG build a new ministerial wing at its parliament.

Mr Albanese announced the support after a well-attended state dinner on Monday night, with former prime minister Scott Morrison among the guests.

“Our support for the expansion of parliament house is an investment in Papua New Guinea’s democracy and sovereignty that will benefit future generations,” he said.

On Tuesday afternoon Mr Albanese was set to attend a flag-lowering ceremony at Port Moresby’s Sir Hubert Murray Stadium to mark the conclusion of formal celebrations.

In September 1975 the Australian flag was lowered there to mark the end of 70 years of Australia’s colonial rule, with the PNG flag raised in its place. 

Festivities conclude on Tuesday evening with a “PNG50 Spectacular” at the capital’s Sir John Guise Stadium, a celebration of PNG culture and the nation’s journey to independence through music and dance.

On Wednesday, the two leaders will sign the “Pukpuk treaty”, named after the pidgin word for crocodile, which will ensure greater integration of the nations’ defence forces and set out mutual obligations in the case of either country being attacked.

A coalition bitterly divided over climate policy may need to find a hasty resolution as MPs tussle internally over whether to back Labor’s emissions reduction target.

A Liberal heavyweight has threatened to abandon his post if the coalition remains committed to a net-zero emissions by 2050 target, declaring his position before a policy review after the party’s heavy defeat at the federal election in May.

Coalition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie, who has declared himself as an aspirant for the Liberal leadership in the future, said he would resign from the front bench if a net-zero policy was adopted. 

Cabinet and shadow cabinet ministers are bound by solidarity and must toe the party line on policy or forfeit their positions.

Mr Hastie said he had “nailed my colours to the mast” over the climate policy.

His comments came mere hours after a landmark National Climate Risk Assessment laid out a catastrophic vision of Australia’s future if climate change runs unchecked.

It included a concerning uptick in heat-related deaths and ballooning risks for coastal towns as sea levels rise.

The prominent conservative’s comments ratchets up pressure on Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, who has consistently said she wants to let the post-election review process play out before a decision is reached on net zero.

The government is likely to release the 2035 target in coming days after receiving advice from the Climate Change Authority, reigniting a long-running climate policy debate within the opposition.

The coalition will review the target and associated policy pathway before committing to a position, including whether an associated cost will be released, what the modelling is based on and how it compares to similar countries.

Nationals senator Ross Cadell, who sits in shadow cabinet, played down the likelihood of a massive blow up.

“I don’t think it will be a brouhaha,” he told AAP.

“It will be a wide-ranging and happy discussion in which we try and find a general consensus.”

Nationals senator Matt Canavan, a net-zero sceptic, and Senator Cadell are leading the Nationals’ review into its net-zero policy but the report has been delayed as the pair await data from external organisations. 

The Liberals are conducting their own policy review.

Former Liberal MP and moderate Fiona Martin said there were so many aspects about Labor’s transition plan the coalition could fight against rather than opposing net zero.

“You can’t win an election in Australia without net zero,” the former member for Reid told AAP.

Other moderate Liberals have branded any move away from net zero a death wish, saying the party was bleeding votes in metropolitan seats where voters cared about climate action.

Moderate Liberal Tim Wilson played down the need to reduce emissions, saying “I don’t think people are stressed about us having emissions reduction”.

The messaging from some Liberals looking to strike a balance has been around a commitment to net zero not coming at any cost, with frontbencher Jonno Duniam saying it was “something that only stupid people would pursue”.

“If we just said net zero, at any cost, by 2050 I think you would find there would be a mass exodus,” he said in reference to shadow cabinet members.

Ms Ley and her deputy Ted O’Brien appear on the same page, issuing a joint statement advocating for “credible” targets that didn’t overburden households and businesses.

A nurse sacked over her alleged inflammatory rhetoric is no longer accused of threatening to kill Israeli patients after prosecutors dropped a charge.

Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 27, and Ahmad Rashad Nadir, 28, sparked national condemnation when they were recorded saying they would refuse to treat Israelis and appeared to threaten violence towards them.

The pair made the alleged threats on an online video chat platform in February, while they were working a night shift at southwest Sydney’s Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.

Charges were laid after Israeli influencer Max Veifer shared footage of his conversation with the two nurses.

Abu Lebdeh was charged with threatening violence to a group and using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence.

A third charge, of using a carriage service to threaten to kill, was withdrawn by prosecutors on Tuesday in Downing Centre Local Court.

Abu Lebdeh is yet to enter pleas to the remaining two charges, which will proceed with the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

She is on bail under strict conditions, barring her from using social media or leaving the country.

Her former colleague Nadir was hospitalised after the video emerged. But he was charged in March with using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence and possession of a prohibited drug.

He pleaded not guilty to possessing morphine and will fight the charge at a hearing at Bankstown Local Court later this year.

Nadir is yet to enter pleas to the charge related to the video, which will proceed with the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

He previously apologised through his lawyer Zemarai Khatiz for the comments in the video.

The legality of the video – allegedly captured without Nadir’s consent – will be challenged, Mr Khatiz previously said.

Outside court, he said the matter would take “a long time” to resolve.

Both nurses remain on bail and were excused from attending court on Tuesday.

They will return to court in November.

They have been prohibited from working as nurses nationwide by Australia’s health practitioner watchdog and their registrations have been suspended in NSW.

Their comments attracted widespread criticism – including from the prime minister and NSW premier – amid community concerns at the time about anti-Semitic acts in Sydney and Melbourne.

Many of the highest-profile incidents in Sydney have since been revealed to have been concocted by criminal networks with no clear ideological motivations.

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Australia’s 2035 climate target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions could be a single figure, rather than a range, treasury officials have revealed.

The hotly anticipated number is expected to be released later this week and will help the Labor government and industry better plan the nation’s shift towards net zero emissions.

Early advice provided to the federal government by the Climate Change Authority suggested a reduction in emissions of between 65 and 75 per cent by 2035, leading to speculation that a range would be set in place as the target.

But Treasury officials fronting a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday said they had only been asked to analyse the economic impacts of one number as a climate target, rather than multiple options.

“The modelling that we have done has a point estimate for 2035,” senior official Alex Heath told the hearing.

“That’s a function of the model that we have, and the difficulty of dealing with ranges,” she said.

Dr Heath said she knew the figure the government had asked Treasury to model, but declined to share it, instead taking the question on notice.

She also said her department had been conducting the modelling for some time, but wouldn’t say whether work started before the election.

Other nations, including the United States, have also submitted a range for their 2035 climate goals.

The inquiry comes after the federal government on Monday released its first National Climate Risk Assessment, which laid out a catastrophic vision of Australia’s future if global warming continues to run unchecked.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the climate risk assessment as a wake-up call for anyone who denied global warming existed, as his government prepares to release the 2035 emissions target before the end of the week.

The cost of disaster recovery payments could rise by $40 billion a year as climate hazards compounded, the report warned.

It painted a sobering picture of Australia’s ecosystems, economy and way of life under global warming above pre-industrial levels.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen acknowledged many Australians would find the climate impacts “confronting” but a vital reminder to keep cutting emissions.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and her deputy Ted O’Brien have advocated for “credible” targets that don’t overburden households and businesses.

“We need to reduce emissions, but not at any cost,” they said in a joint statement.

A sharp increase in deaths due to heatwaves was among the most concerning findings of the climate risk assessment.

In addition, as many as 1.5 million people could be impacted by coastal extremes, such as flooding and cyclones, by 2050.

The vulnerabilities of coral reefs to higher ocean temperatures have been well-documented.

But broad-based ecosystem changes can also be expected, with about half the native plant species found in any location anticipated to be different at 3C of warming.

Forcing all Australians to verify their age under the federal government’s world-leading social media ban would be “unreasonable”, the online safety watchdog says.

As Australia prepares to ban children under 16 from creating social media accounts, the federal government and eSafety Commissioner have unveiled new guidelines for tech giants.

Platforms will no longer be able to rely on users self-declaring their age.

Instead, they are expected to find and deactivate or remove underage accounts, in addition to preventing users under 16 from circumventing the rules.

While the Labor government has claimed this will be a major change that bolsters kids’ safety, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant assured adults their user experiences should remain largely unaffected.

“One of the scare tactics we’ve already seen one of the platforms use is every Australia is going to have to age verify,” she told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

“They, of course, don’t want to do that because that is going to create a lot of friction and a lot of inconvenience.

“We think it would be unreasonable if platforms re-verified everyone’s age, we want them to focus on the under-16s.”

About 95 per cent of 10- to 15-year-olds hold at least one social media account, according to Ms Inman Grant.

But under the laws, social media companies would be prohibited from forcing users to hand over their government ID to prove their age.

This will likely force platforms to use age assurance technologies.

Popular kids game platform Roblox has announced it will expand age estimation to all users who access its communication features and similar moves were under way at Apple and dating app Tinder, Ms Inman Grant said.

While many have been found to be “fairly robust”, an independent trial that informed government decision-making found many of these technologies could not be considered infallible.

Experts have raised concerns kids could use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) or help from older siblings to bypass restrictions.

Unnecessary data retention could also take place if tech giants anticipated future regulation, fuelling worries over an increased risk of privacy breaches.

But Communications Minister Anika Wells maintained the ban would improve the online space.

“We are not anticipating perfection here,” she told reporters.

“We cannot control the ocean, but we can police the sharks.”

Tech giants could be fined up to $49.5 million for failing to prevent people younger than 16 from having an account on an age-restricted social media platform.

Sites such as TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and more will be forced to fall in line.

Ms Wells and the eSafety commissioner are expected to meet heads of some of these companies in coming weeks during a trip to the United States.

Comment is being sought from the affected platforms.

A defence treaty with Papua New Guinea would bring the relationship with Australia’s closest neighbour even closer, the prime minister says, despite delays in putting pen to paper.

Anthony Albanese is in Port Moresby as PNG marks its 50th anniversary, with more celebrations to take place on Tuesday.

The anniversary is set to coincide with Australia and PNG agreeing to a new landmark security agreement, although it has yet to be formally signed off.

The prime minister said the treaty would be significant.

“This agreement, that’s going through the processes here in PNG, will just take that partnership to the next level,” he told ABC TV on Tuesday.

“It will be a treaty similar to the relationship that we have with the United States.”

Mr Albanese said PNG’s cabinet had not signed off on the agreement as there were’nt enough members present to do so, due to the celebrations.

But he is confident the deal would go through.

“This will be seminal in our relationship with Papua New Guinea, our closest neighbour and one of our dearest friends,” he said.

“We’re respecting the processes of Papua New Guinea and letting them go through their processes. That’s really important, that we respect their sovereignty.”

Pacific Minister Pat Conroy said discussions on the treaty would take place on Wednesday, once anniversary celebrations have concluded.

“This is an important affair and we’ll get to it,” he told ABC Radio.

“We’re not like other countries. We don’t come in and try and close our will on the Pacific family.”

Mr Albanese told Nine’s Today program neighbouring countries in the region, such as Indonesia, had been consulted on the security agreement.

Australia will help PNG build a new ministerial wing onto its parliament, as a gift to mark 50 years of the nation’s independence.

Mr Albanese announced the support after attending a state dinner in Port Moresby with other country representatives, including Prince Edward, on Monday.

“Our support for the expansion of Parliament House is an investment in Papua New Guinea’s democracy and sovereignty that will benefit future generations,” he said.

The government said the construction of the wing will follow a PNG-led design and consultation process, drawing on local craftsmanship and expertise.

“As close neighbours and warm friends, the future prosperity of our two nations are bound together,” the prime minister said.

A range of Pacific leaders and former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison are in Port Moresby for the commemorations.

“What better time to reassert close ties,” Monash University’s Nicholas Ferns told AAP, noting the defence pact would be of interest to Australians given concerns over growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The longer historical ties with Australia were “pretty powerful” in the Pacific nation, he said.

That meant Australia had more sway over security decisions in PNG than in the Solomon Islands or Vanuatu.

Dr Ferns said the challenges recognised at PNG’s independence 50 years ago were still there, including regional and tribal differences and corruption.

“This is a place still trying to find its way in the world to make the most effective use of its natural and human resources,” he said.

“The optimism of 50 years ago might be more tempered today.”

Australia will help Papua New Guinea build a new ministerial wing onto its parliament, as a gift to mark 50 years of the nation’s independence.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the support after attending a state dinner in Port Moresby with other country representatives, including Prince Edward, on Monday.

“Our support for the expansion of Parliament House is an investment in Papua New Guinea’s democracy and sovereignty that will benefit future generations,” he said on Tuesday.

The government said the construction of the wing will follow a PNG-led design and consultation process, drawing on local craftsmanship and expertise.

“As close neighbours and warm friends, the future prosperity of our two nations are bound together,” the prime minister said.

Meanwhile, many contemporary teachers have expressed surprise to learn Australia was PNG’s colonial power to 1974, according to an historian who says everyday Australians should pay more attention to their closest neighbour.

PNG’s independence anniversary celebrations and an upcoming new defence pact between the two nations are opportunities to learn more about the colonial relationship up to 1975, Monash University’s Nicholas Ferns says. 

The historian of Australia’s colonial relationship with PNG told AAP the school curriculum did not focus on Australia as a colonial power.

“When I speak to teachers and I spend time harping on about Australia governing PNG I’m often met with surprise,” he said.

“If the teachers are a bit surprised, I can only imagine how much is getting passed on to students.” 

The World War II history of Australians fighting along the Kokoda Track and elsewhere in PNG all happened on what was then deemed to be Australian territory.

Mr Albanese – who’s expected to co-sign the defence pact with Prime Minister James Marape this week – says he would welcome a new generation being told of the two nations’ shared history.

“There were polite terms used, but essentially it was a territory of Australia … and Papua New Guinea quite rightly fought for its independence,” he told Sky News on Monday.

Mr Albanese walked part of the Kokoda Trail with his counterpart Mr Marape in his first term.

“When you walk that sacred site, you really are in awe of how these young Australians are fighting in very dense jungle, suffering from malaria and a range of tropical diseases in a very unfamiliar territory survived at all,” he said.

“We should give thanks to them each and every day (and) to the people of PNG who gave them support at that time. 

“As they were called, the ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’ at that time, they provided a great deal of support.”

On the 50th anniversary, the pair are remaking the relationship with the landmark defence treaty, which Mr Albanese said would elevate the Australia-PNG relationship to the same level as its partnerships with the US and New Zealand.

A range of Pacific leaders and former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison are in Port Moresby for the commemorations.

“What better time to reassert close ties,” Dr Ferns told AAP, noting the defence pact would be of interest to Australians given concerns over growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The longer historical ties with Australia were “pretty powerful” in the Pacific nation, he said. 

That meant Australia had more sway over security decisions in PNG than in the Solomon Islands or Vanuatu.

Dr Ferns said the challenges recognised at PNG’s independence 50 years ago were still there, including regional and tribal differences and corruption.

“This is a place still trying to find its way in the world to make the most effective use of its natural and human resources,” he said.

“The optimism of 50 years ago might be more tempered today.”

Australia’s “confronting” climate future will be explored in parliament as a bombshell report lays bare the risks ahead.

The National Climate Risk Assessment, which canvasses a concerning uptick in expected heat-related deaths and ballooning risks for coastal towns as sea levels rise, is to be scrutinised.

At a crunch moment for climate policy, the report authors will be grilled about Australia’s vulnerabilities to weather hazards and the government’s plan to manage them.

Anthony Albanese’s government is considering its 2035 emissions target, which is due to be released later in September.

The prime minister described the risk assessment as a wake-up call for anyone who denied climate change existed.

The cost of disaster recovery payments could rise by $40 billion a year as climate hazards compounded, the report warned.

It painted a sobering picture of Australia’s ecosystems, economy and way of life under global warming above pre-industrial levels.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen acknowledged many Australians would find the climate impacts “confronting” but a vital reminder to keep cutting emissions.

“At a time when the political debate is focused on the cost of action, both real and imagined, this report is a reminder that the cost of inaction will always outweigh the cost of action,” he said.

Federal Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie indicated he would quit or be dumped if the coalition did not abandon its 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and her deputy Ted O’Brien have advocated for “credible” targets that do not overburden households and businesses.

“We need to reduce emissions, but not at any cost,” they said.

A sharp increase in deaths due to heatwaves was among the most concerning findings of the climate risk assessment.

In addition, as many as 1.5 million people could be impacted by coastal extremes, such as flooding and cyclones, by 2050.

The vulnerabilities of coral reefs to higher ocean temperatures have been well-documented but broad-based ecosystem changes can also be expected, with roughly half the native plant species found in any location anticipated to be different at 3C of warming.

Taxpayers are also expected to pick up a bigger bill for disaster response and home owners could experience significant losses in property values.

Northern Australia was singled out as the most vulnerable to worsening weather hazards, with the outer suburbs of cities, the regions, and lower socio-economic areas also predicted to suffer more as average temperatures trend higher.

Social media companies will have to detect and deactivate underage accounts and prevent children re-registering under Australia’s world-first ban for kids.

Guidelines for social media platforms to comply with the age restriction laws will be released by Communications Minister Anika Wells and e-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant on Tuesday. 

Platforms will be expected to find and deactivate or remove underage accounts, in addition to preventing users under the age of 16 circumventing the rules. 

Reliance on self-declaration alone will not be considered sufficient to meet the legal obligation. 

Social media sites will not be expected to verify the age of all users as blanket checks might be considered unreasonable.

The guidance is also considered “principles-based”, meaning platforms are not required to use specific technologies, including those tested in the age assurance trial.

Under the laws, social media companies are prohibited from forcing users to hand over government ID to prove their age online.

Failure by platforms to take “reasonable steps” to comply with the laws from December 10 will risk fines up to $49.5 million.

The Australian community was relying on social media companies to keep young people safe online, Ms Wells said.

“This industry guidance makes clear our strong expectations that social media platforms step up to the plate to implement the minimum age in a way that is effective, private, and fair on Australian users,” she said.

“The government has done the work to ensure that platforms have the information they need to comply with the new laws, and it’s now on them to take the necessary steps.”

Ms Wells said eSafety’s guidance made clear platforms must provide “transparent and accessible information to their users about their age assurance systems”.

The trial evaluated more than 60 tools which found technology could be used to successfully prevent children from accessing explicit and inappropriate content.

Available technologies could ensure the laws were enforced “privately, efficiently and effectively”.

But the report warned unnecessary data retention could take place if tech giants anticipated future regulation.

This raised concerns about an increased risk of privacy breaches due to collection and retention of data.