A major cyber attack that exposed the data of millions of Qantas customers has raised serious concerns about the security of third-party systems amid concerns the airline was targeted by international hackers.

Australia’s largest carrier on Wednesday revealed details of the cyber incident involving one of its offshore call centres.

About six million customers were impacted, with some names, dates of births, email addresses, phone numbers and frequent flyer numbers exposed.

To date, no credit card details, financial data, passport numbers or frequent flyer account information had been compromised, Qantas said.

But experts warn there might be more details to come about the level of exposure of customers.

“It’s an unknown because it is an unfolding situation,” RMIT’s Centre for Cyber Security Research director Matthew Warren told AAP.

“We’re going to be informed sooner rather than later about the impact of this.”

Qantas first caught wind of the attack when it detected unusual activity on a third-party platform used by a call centre on Monday.

“There is no impact to Qantas’ operations or the safety of the airline,” the company said in a statement.

“We are continuing to investigate the proportion of the data that has been stolen, though we expect it will be significant.”

The hackers responsible for the attack have not been identified, but Professor Warren speculated it might be the work of a Russian gang looking to sell the data on the dark web.

But other cyber experts think the attack was launched by Scattered Spider, believed to be a group of young hackers living in the US and the UK.

America’s FBI warned the group had been targeting the airline sector by impersonating legitimate users to bypass multi-factor authentication and access systems.

It followed North America’s Hawaiian Airlines and WestJet being hit by similar attacks.

Scattered Spider most recently launched a ransomware attack on the UK’s retailer Marks & Spencer to knock out its contactless payment centre and online ordering.

Meanwhile, experts say the attack raises serious concerns about the security of third-party systems, given how many Australian companies outsource call centres overseas.

“Was there a security failure? Was there an insider risk?” Prof Warren said.

It is the latest major cyber attack affecting major Australian businesses in recent years.

Telco Optus was hit with a breach in which 10 million former and current customers’ names, dates of births, phone numbers, email addresses and for some, ID details, were leaked.

Health insurer Medibank also experienced a substantial breach when 9.7 million customers’ details were published on the dark web.

“This is the new normal, that we’re sitting in with these global issues,” Prof Warren said.

“Australia in this incident is the unfortunate victim of the attack.”

Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the company was working closely with the National Cyber Security Co-ordinator, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and independent specialised cyber security experts.

“We sincerely apologise to our customers and we recognise the uncertainty this will cause,” she said.

“Our customers trust us with their personal information and we take that responsibility seriously.

“We are contacting our customers today and our focus is on providing them with the necessary support.”

A dedicated customer support line had been established to provide customers with the latest information.

Frequent flyers were sent an email from Ms Hudson explaining that the attack exposed some customer data but reassuring them it was being taken seriously.

Customers have been urged to change their passwords and incorporate multi-factor authentication on accounts.

Qantas shares dropped about 3.6 per cent following the announcement, but they had recovered slightly to be about 2.4 per cent down by mid-afternoon.

Fiji’s leader is open to elevating the Pacific nation’s relationship with Australia to a treaty-level partnership and wants its citizens to fill the ranks of its neighbour’s defence forces.

In a keynote address at the National Press Club, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka spoke glowingly of bilateral ties between Suva and Canberra in a deteriorating world.

“Unfortunately for now, I contest the region’s outlook is more uncertain than at any time since Fiji’s independence in 1970,” he said.

“Perhaps we have reached a point in our Fiji-Australia relationship where a renewed and elevated Vuvale partnership needs a further step-up to an agreement for a treaty.”

Mr Rabuka’s address will be music to the ears of Australian diplomats, who are seeking to deepen ties in the region, and defence chiefs, who face a recruit shortfall.

The 76-year-old said a treaty, which would incorporate development assistance, would secure ties beyond “the political whims of winning parties” in elections in both countries.

Canberra is pursuing a defence treaty with Papua New Guinea that would lead to its citizens being eligible to serve in the Australian Defence Force.

PNG and Fiji are the biggest two Pacific island nations in terms of population and economy.

Mr Rabuka said he would embrace Fijians serving in an expanded Australian defence outfit, just as Fijians were able to do in British forces.

“I would like to see it happen,” he said.

“Whether Australia does it or not depends on your own policies, we will not push it.”

Mr Rabuka is on a week-long tour of Australia, which began with a welcome at Government House by Governor-General Sam Mostyn on Tuesday.

On Sunday, he will watch a rugby union Test match between the Wallabies and Flying Fijians in Newcastle with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.

In Mr Rabuka’s televised address in the capital, he spruiked his signature foreign policy: the Ocean of Peace.

Blake Johnson, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the prime minister was wanted regional challenges to be responded to by the region.

“It’s trying to unite the Pacific to push back against some of the competition that’s taking place,” he said.

Mr Rabuka said he hoped regional counterparts would adopt his 10-point peace plan at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ summit in Solomon Islands in September.

“Right now, we are having to cope with a China that is big – really big – and has gotten powerful and would probably like to spread its influence to the Pacific,” he said.

“Pacific leaders in all the recent discussions have tried to go for policies that are friendly to all and enemies to none.

“It is a fairly tough course to steer, but it is possible.

“We need to hold hands, we need to encourage each other to be able to maintain that view and that path.

“We do not want those superpower rivalries or big power rivalries playing out in the Pacific.”

Households and businesses could pay less for insurance under a Liberal plan for a government-owned provider, as cost-of-living issues continue to dominate ahead of a state election.

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff unveiled his party’s signature policy on Wednesday to support families and small businesses facing rising insurance costs.

TasInsure will offer affordable insurance for home, contents, small business, community groups and events, and regional insurance.

Under the Liberals’ “most significant” campaign announcement, households could expect to save $250 or more on insurance premiums annually, and small businesses to pay 20 per cent less, Mr Rockliff said.

The insurance industry made $6 billion in profits last year, while average Tasmanian premiums rose by 35 per cent over the past two years.

The premier said the national market had failed his state.

“In the absence of a national approach, we are going at it alone to protect Tasmanians from exorbitant increases in insurance premiums,” Mr Rockliff said.

“It’ll be cheaper, it’ll be fairer, and it will be ours.”

Any profits made by TasInsure will be reinvested to ensure premiums are kept low, he added.

Draft legislation will be presented for consultation by the end of the year, and the government will need to gain national accreditation.

The Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has welcomed the “game-changing” announcement after insurance costs were listed as a top-two concern for small businesses.

“There has been a market failure in the insurance industry caused by massive disasters in the mainland that throw the premiums out right across the nation,” chief executive Michael Bailey said.

But Labor leader Dean Winter said the policy was “dangerous, reckless and dodgy”, which puts Tasmania “on a pathway to bankruptcy”.

“It’s a premier who’s been saying he wants to privatise for the last six months, and now he says he wants to open a new public business,” he said.

“This is a desperate bid from the premier.”

The Opposition on Wednesday announced a policy to “stop bill shock” and allow Tasmanians to pay government bills monthly at no extra cost.

“We know that it’s really tough when you get bill shock – one big bill a quarter makes it really tough for people to make ends meet,” Mr Winter said.

The policy is part of a suite of proposals, including previously announced power price caps and a freeze on car registration costs, Labor said would help with household budgets.

The Greens also unveiled the second part of their budget repair plan, which they say would save the state $363 million by 2027/28.

The minor party will end $12 million in subsidies to the native forest logging industry and more than $37 million to TasRacing, while also reducing the Treasurer’s reserve back to $10 million from $40 million. 

The island state is heading to the polls on July 19, the second time in two years, after its parliament passed a no-confidence motion in Mr Rockliff in early June.

The Liberals have governed in minority since 2023, and collapsing relationships with the crossbench have triggered the past two elections.

A second man is facing child sex offences a day after it was revealed a former childcare worker was hit with more than 70 charges against babies and toddlers.

Joshua Dale Brown, 26, is accused of abusing eight young children aged between five months and two years at a childcare centre in Point Cook.

On Wednesday, it emerged another man, Michael Simon Wilson, appeared in court on the same day as Brown, charged with child abuse material, sex offences and bestiality.

Any alleged connection between the pair is not known and police have not commented on Wilson’s case.

Premier Jacinta Allan said she was not aware of the case.

“I’ve not been briefed and nor indeed would I comment on an active police investigation,” she told reporters.

Brown worked at about 20 childcare facilities since 2017, and health authorities have recommended 1200 children get  tested for unspecified infectious diseases as a precaution.

The allegations have prompted the Victorian government to order an urgent child safety review, the creation of a register of all early childhood educators and the bringing forward of a ban on phones in facilities.

The incoming federal ban will be fast-tracked in Victoria to September 26, with fines of $50,000 for childcare centres that don’t comply.

Families of children who need testing will be entitled to $5000 payments to cover the cost of parents taking time off, travel and other requirements.

Parents and carers have reported long wait times to access support and health information from a government hotline.

Chief Health Officer Christian McGrath acknowledged the delays but said 1300 families were supported over the phone on Tuesday.

The Victorian Government has ordered the child safety review, which must be completed by August 15, consider making CCTV mandatory in centres.

“It’s a deterrent, if nothing else,” Ms Allan said.

Brown was not known to Victoria Police until the start of the investigation, and there were no formal complaints against him. He had a valid working with children check.

The checks are in urgent need of an overhaul, according to advocates for sexual assault survivors and children.

Industry body Early Learning Association Australia, the Act for Kids charity and Scouts Australia are among those pushing for nationwide changes.

“We have found that a charge in one jurisdiction – even if it is dismissed – can prohibit an applicant from receiving a card there, but not in another,” Scouts Australia Chief Commissioner Brendan Watson said.

“There is little doubt that the protection of children would be enhanced if we had one national system with all jurisdictions’ information being shared.”

The checks only work if someone has already been found guilty of child abuse, Sexual Assault Services Victoria chief executive Kathleen Maltzahn explained.

“Evidence of abuse or concerning behaviour that hasn’t resulted in criminal charges or disciplinary action (should be) considered,” she told AAP.

Parent advocate group The Parenthood has ramped up calls for a national early childhood watchdog, while the Greens are pushing for a royal commission into the childcare sector.

State, territory and federal education ministers recently backed a national safety rules overhaul, including stricter conditions around photography and mandatory reporting.

But advocates want more, with Ms Maltzahn calling for a rethink of how centres secure children’s bathrooms and potentially introducing a national register for staff.

Federal Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh said the Labor government supported Victoria and NSW pushing ahead with reforms, while the commonwealth worked with all jurisdictions on changes, including nationwide registration.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

US Senate Republicans have passed President Donald Trump’s massive tax-cut and spending bill by the narrowest of margins, advancing a package that would slash taxes, reduce social safety net programs and boost military and immigration enforcement spending while adding $US3.3 trillion ($A5 trillion) to the national debt.

The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for possible final approval, though a handful of Republicans there have already voiced opposition to some of the Senate provisions.

Trump wants to sign it into law by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said he aimed to meet that deadline.

The measure would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, give new tax breaks for income from tips and overtime pay and increase spending on the military and immigration enforcement.

It also would cut about $US930 billion ($A1.4 trillion) of spending on the Medicaid health program and food aid for low-income Americans, and repeal many of Democratic former president Joe Biden’s green-energy incentives.

The legislation, which has exposed Republican divides over the nation’s fast-growing $US36.2 trillion debt, would raise the federal government’s self-imposed debt ceiling by $US5 trillion. Congress must raise the cap in the coming months or risk a devastating default.

The Senate passed the measure in a 51-50 vote with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie after three Republicans – Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky – joined all 47 Democrats in voting against the bill.

The vote followed an all-night debate in which Republicans grappled with the bill’s price tag and its impact on the US healthcare system.

The vote in the House, where Republicans hold a 220-212 majority, is likely to be close.

A White House official told reporters that Trump would be “deeply involved” in pushing House Republicans to approve the bill.

“It’s a great bill. There is something for everyone,” Trump said at an event in Florida on Tuesday. “And I think it’s going to go very nicely in the House.”

Republicans have struggled to balance conservatives’ demands for deeper spending cuts to reduce the impact on the deficit with moderate lawmakers’ concerns that the Medicaid cuts could hurt their constituents, including service cutbacks in rural areas.

A group of more moderate House Republicans, especially those who represent lower-income areas, have objected to the steeper Medicaid cuts in the Senate’s plan.

The legislation has also drawn criticism from billionaire Elon Musk, the former Trump ally who has railed against the bill’s enormous cost and vowed to back challengers to Republican lawmakers in next year’s midterm elections.

House Democrats are expected to remain unanimously opposed to the bill.

“This is the largest assault on American healthcare in history,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters. “It’s the largest assault on nutrition in American history.”

Cyber criminals have gained access to “significant” data belonging to six million Qantas customers after hacking a call centre with records including customers’ names, email addresses, phone numbers and birth dates.

The airline on Wednesday confirmed the cyber incident on a third-party platform but assured customers the system had since been contained.

Qantas first caught wind of the attack when it detected unusual activity on a third party platform used by a Qantas airline contact centre on Monday.

“The incident occurred when a cyber criminal targeted a call centre and gained access to a third-party customer servicing platform,” the company said in a statement.

“There is no impact to Qantas’ operations or the safety of the airline.

“We are continuing to investigate the proportion of the data that has been stolen, though we expect it will be significant. An initial review has confirmed the data includes some customers’ names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers.”

No credit card details, financial information or passport details were held in the system that had been compromised, Qantas said.

It also said no frequent flyer account details, including passwords, PIN numbers or log-in details had been accessed.

Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the company was working closely with the National Cyber Security Coordinator, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and independent specialised cyber security experts.

“We sincerely apologise to our customers and we recognise the uncertainty this will cause. Our customers trust us with their personal information and we take that responsibility seriously,” she said.

“”We are contacting our customers today and our focus is on providing them with the necessary support.”

A dedicated customer support line had been established to provide customers with the latest information.

Australia’s nuclear submarine agreement was the focus of the foreign minister’s talks with her US counterpart, as a Pentagon review of the partnership nears the pointy end.

Penny Wong held discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington DC overnight on tariffs, the US-Australia relationship the trilateral AUKUS agreement, which would provide Australia with nuclear submarines under a partnership with the US and UK.

Some have speculated AUKUS could be in the firing line after the US in early June launched a 30-day review into the agreement to ensure it aligned with President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.

Senator Wong said it was not an unusual step for a new US administration.

“We had a good discussion about the work that we do together, we had a good discussion about AUKUS and a good discussion about the positive benefits of AUKUS to Australia, to the United States and to the United Kingdom,” she told reporters in the US capital on Wednesday morning AEST.

The pair also spoke about deepening co-operation through AUKUS, critical minerals and regional security.

Some had expected Mr Rubio to touch on Australia’s military budget, after the US urged Canberra to lift spending to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product and allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation agreed to increase their spending to five per cent of GDP.

But Senator Wong said Mr Rubio did not raise Australia’s defence budget, and the discussions were on regional stability more broadly, with the two noting it was unfortunate to be meeting against a backdrop of global conflict.

“It has never been more important for us to harness our collective strength for peace, stability, for prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” she said.

Mr Rubio responded that the US and Australia had a “great partnership”, and while it was important to discuss ideas and concepts, the next steps were “concrete action”.

Their one-on-one was part of the Quad foreign leaders’ summit, which also included meetings with Japan’s foreign minister and India’s external affairs minister.

It’s the second time in six months the four-nation diplomatic partnership group has met for in-person talks.

Although Senator Wong has met with her US counterpart on several occasions, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has not and remains under pressure from the opposition to secure a meeting with Mr Trump to try and negotiate an exemption from his tariffs on Australian goods.

The two leaders were due to speak on the sidelines of the G7 summit in June in Canada, but the meeting was scrapped at the eleventh hour when Mr Trump left early due to instability in the Middle East.

Mr Rubio expressed regret over the missed opportunity, according to Senator Wong.

“I explained to him we perfectly understood why the president had to leave, given the circumstances, and we agree that we will reschedule this meeting,” she said.

A date is yet to be set for the meeting, but Mr Albanese has flagged there will be many chances to meet during the upcoming global “summit season”.

Senator Wong also said she had advocated “strongly” for the removal of Mr Trump’s baseline tariff of 10 per cent on all Australian goods sent to the US, and a 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off the billions of dollars in subsidies that Elon Musk’s companies receive from the federal government, in an escalation of the war of words between the president and the world’s richest man, one-time allies who have since fallen out.

The feud reignited on Monday when Musk, who spent hundreds of millions on Trump’s re-election, renewed his criticism of Trump’s tax-cut and spending bill, which would eliminate subsidies for electric vehicle purchases that have benefited Tesla, the leading American EV maker. That bill passed the Senate by a narrow margin at midday on Tuesday.

“He’s upset that he’s losing his EV mandate and … he’s very upset about things but he can lose a lot more than that,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

Though Musk has often said government subsidies should be eliminated, Tesla has historically benefited from billions of dollars in tax credits and other policy benefits because of its business in clean transportation and renewable energy.

The Trump administration has control over many of those programs, some of which are targeted in the tax bill, including a $US7500 consumer tax credit that has made buying or leasing EVs more attractive for consumers. Tesla shares dropped more than five per cent on Tuesday.

The Tesla CEO renewed threats to start a new political party and spend money to unseat lawmakers who support the tax bill, despite campaigning on limiting government spending.

Republicans have expressed concern that Musk’s on-again, off-again feud with Trump could hurt their chances to protect their majority in the 2026 midterm congressional elections.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushed back on Musk’s criticism that the bill would balloon the deficit, saying, “I’ll take care of” the country’s finances.

Musk spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aimed at cutting government spending, before he pulled back his involvement in late May.

Trump on Truth Social on Tuesday suggested Musk might receive more subsidies “than any human being in history, by far,” adding: “No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE.”

Trump later doubled down, telling reporters with a smile, “DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon.”

In response to Trump’s threats, Musk said on his own social media platform X, “I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now.” He later added that he could escalate the exchange with Trump but said, “I will refrain for now.”

The feud could create new challenges for Musk’s business empire, particularly as the electric automaker – his primary source of wealth – bets heavily on the success of its robotaxi program currently being tested in Austin, Texas. The speed of Tesla’s robotaxi expansion depends heavily on state and federal regulation of self-driving vehicles.

“The substance of Tesla’s valuation right now is based on progress towards autonomy. I don’t think anything is going to happen on that front, but that is the risk,” said Gene Munster, managing partner at Tesla investor Deepwater Asset Management.

Asked if he was going to deport Musk, a naturalised US citizen, Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Tuesday: “I don’t know. We’ll have to take a look.”

Fresh retail figures are tipped to show a rebound in consumer spending as falling interest rates encourage a recovery.

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday will indicate if there was a comeback in spending in May after further falls in inflation levels.

After spending went back by 0.1 per cent in April, because of hits to consumer sentiment and unseasonably warm weather making customers put off buying winter clothes, experts predict retail trade will be on the up.

The Commonwealth Bank has forecast spending to increase by 0.5 per cent for the month, with household expenditure also going up by the same amount.

ANZ has been more subdued in its predictions, saying a rise of 0.2 per cent for May is on the cards.

The May figures will also partly include the period following the Reserve Bank’s decision towards the month’s end to cut interest rates by 25 basis points to 3.85 per cent.

Another cut is predicted at the next meeting of the bank’s board on Tuesday, following better-than-expected inflation numbers.

Building approval figures for May will also be released on Wednesday.

Housing figures will come off the back of a 5.6 per cent drop in approvals during April, which was driven by a drop in the number of apartments approved for construction.

But private sector house approvals rose 3.1 per cent for the month.

One year on from the start of Australia’s national housing accord targets being rolled out, the number of new dwellings is expected to fall short.

The target was 1.2 million homes built in five years, but will likely come under the mark by 262,000 dwellings, according to the Property Council of Australia.

The low supply and falling interest rates have pushed up house prices further, with values going up for the fifth month in a row.

Australia’s foreign minister is making the case for an exemption from US tariffs in crucial talks with her American counterparts.

Penny Wong has a one-on-one meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday morning, Australian time, as negotiations continue in Australia’s hope of removing the economic measures.

The face-to-face discussions with Mr Rubio take place in Washington on the sidelines of a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which also includes Senator Wong’s counterparts from India and Japan.

It’s the second time in six months foreign ministers from Quad nations have met for in-person talks, with the grouping also holding formal discussions in Washington in the days following US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Defence, trade and stability in the Indo-Pacific have been high on the agenda during the discussions.

“The United States is our closest ally and principal strategic partner,” Senator Wong said in a statement.

“Our alliance contributes to the peace, prosperity and stability of our countries and the region we share.”

The meeting comes against a backdrop of tariffs due to apply to US trading partners from July 9.

Mr Trump’s administration has imposed the baseline tariff of 10 per cent on all Australian goods imported into the US, while a 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium has also been ordered.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been under pressure from the federal opposition to secure an in-person meeting with the president to argue for tariff removals.

The two leaders were due to speak on the sidelines of the G7 session held in June in Canada, but the meeting was scrapped at the eleventh hour when Mr Trump left the summit early due to instability in the Middle East.

A replacement meeting is yet to be scheduled.