Australian news LIVE: Everything you need to know today

The ASX200 was on track for its fifth straight day of losses and had fallen to its lowest level since June 3 after the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities.

The local share market has sunk to a 20-day low as traders brace for retaliation after the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

At noon AEDT on Monday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 68.6 points, or 0.81 per cent, to 8,436.9, while the broader All Ordinaries was down 76.5 points, or 0.88 per cent, to 8,647.0.

IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said that the mood was one of caution as traders wait for further details on what Iran’s response would be after three B-2 stealth bombers struck three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council following what he described as ‘blatant aggression’ against the peace-seeking people of Iran.

At midday, nine of the ASX’s 11 sectors were lower, with utilities flat and energy up 0.3 per cent following a jump in oil prices.

Santos had climbed one per cent and Beach Energy had risen 3.7 per cent as Brent crude rose $US2 to $US78.60 a barrel, near its highest level since late January.

In the heavyweight mining sector, BHP was down 1.5 per cent, Fortescue had retreated 1.7 per cent and Rio Tinto had dropped 0.8 per cent.

The tech sector was the biggest loser, down 1.6 per cent as WiseTech Global dipped 2.2 per cent and TechnologyOne declined 2.7 per cent.

All of the big four banks were in the red as well, with ANZ dropping 1.5 per cent, Westpac and NAB both retreating 1.0 per cent, and CBA dipping 0.3 per cent.

In the consumer discretionary sector, Adairs had plunged 20.9 per cent to an over two-month low of $2.05 after the furniture retailer indicated that trading had been challenging for its Focus on Furniture business, which had to engage in high levels of discounting to stimulate sales.

Smartpay Holdings had climbed 9.6 per cent to $1.03 after the dual-listed EFTPOS provider agreed to be acquired by US-based Shift4 Payments for $274 million, or $NZ1.20 ($1.11) a share.

Metcash was up 3.1 per cent to $3.815 after the IGA, Total Tools and Mitre 10 supplier posted a $283.3 million full-year profit, up 10.1 per cent from a year before, led by strong performance across its supermarket business.

The Australian dollar was buying 64.18 US cents, down from 64.76 US cents at 5pm on Friday.

with Australian Associated Press

A man will face court on Monday over the alleged assault of a bus driver in front of shocked passengers.

Police launched an investigation after footage emerged of the incident on a bus in South Brisbane on Friday night.

Following inquiries, detectives attended a Sunnybank home on Sunday night, where they arrested a man, 21.

He was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and was due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.

The development came as the Rail, Tram and Bus Union gave an update on the bus driver, who suffered facial injuries and may have permanent ear damage.

‘He is quite traumatised by the incident and that’s something that might take a while to heal up,” state secretary Tom Brown told ABC Radio on Monday.

‘This was a brutal and sustained assault … some of those punches would have floored [professional boxer] Jeff Horn.’

Mr Brown described the incident as ‘deeply concerning.’

‘I know that he’s been to the doctor, and I know that he is off work for the next week, but we will just wait and see how he has actually pulled up from the incident.’

Investigations into the alleged assault continue.

Anyone with information or footage is urged to contact police.

More freezing conditions are on the way after millions of Aussies shivered through a chilly weekend.

A cold front brought temperatures ‘colder than Antarctica’ to Australia’s south-east.

Temperatures across NSW and the ACT plummeted on Saturday morning, with several towns recording their lowest temperatures in eight years.

Canberra got down to -7.6C, the nation capital’s coldest June morning in 39 years.

Australia is set to shiver from Monday, with a massive low bringing strong winds, making conditions colder than recorded temperatures.

Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie has warned that Australia’s military should not get involved in any war in the Middle East after the Albanese government backed US military attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Senator Lambie spoke out after US President Donald Trump’s decision to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s nuclear facilities on Sunday.

Senator Lambie said the military attacks destroyed any trust between the US and Iran, and issued a warning to Trump.

‘You just put your shoe in the water there, your toes in the water there, and you’re back in that war,’ Sen Lambie told Channel Nine’s Today show on Monday.

‘But what I will say is this – we certainly can’t back you up this time, and we don’t owe you anything.’

Lambie also believes that Australia’s military is not ‘fit for purpose’.

‘It’ll be 10 years before this country can commit troops that are fully fit, ready to go,’ she said.

‘We’ve got no idea where this is going, we’ve got no idea where this is going to end up, and on the other side we have Ukraine and Russia still going on.’

The Albanese government dramatically shifted its tone on the US strikes on Monday morning.

On Sunday, a government spokesperson offered no endorsement of the US decision to target Iranian nuclear facilities, instead calling for ‘de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy’.

But after the Coalition offered its full support for the ‘proactive action’, Foreign Minister Penny Wong came out in support of Trump’s military intervention.

‘The world has agreed Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. So yes, we support action to prevent that. And that is what this is,’ Senator Wong told ABC’s News Breakfast.
‘The big question is, now what? And Australia says, like so many other countries, we do not want escalation and a full-scale war, and we continue to call for dialogue and diplomacy.’

When asked about the legality of the strikes, Senator Wong said: ‘I think we are all clear that Iran… cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. So yes, the government does support action to prevent that.’

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed Albanese for failing to speak publicly in the 24 hours after the US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Aussies with cash in the bank are seeing lower returns after the Reserve Bank slashed interest rates.

NAB has reduced its Reward Saver rate by five basis points, bringing it down to 4.35 per cent, while Bank of Queensland has cut the maximum rate on its account for young adults from 5.25 per cent to 5.10 per cent.

ING slashed its Savings Maximiser rate from 5.40 per cent to 5 per cent on June 2, a 40 basis point drop.

While lower interest rates benefit borrowers, they’re a blow to savers – particularly those building a home mortgage deposit or relying on interest payments for retirement.

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slammed his successor, Anthony Albanese, for failing to speak publicly for almost 24 hours on the US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The former Liberal leader said Australia’s allies ‘need to know where it stands’ after US President Donald Trump unleashed a fleet of B-2 bombers to ‘obliterate’ three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites on Sunday.

Albanese told 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham on Monday that he would speak following a National Security Cabinet meeting later that morning.

But Morrison argued that the Cabinet meeting should have taken place on Sunday and that Albanese should have spoken on the 6pm news last night.

‘Clarity requires timeliness, and so I look forward to a positive statement from the Prime Minister and the government and an acknowledgement of the right actions which have been taken by the US President,’ Morrison told Fordham on Monday.

A man has been rushed to hospital in a critical condition after he was stabbed in Adelaide’s inner north.

Emergency services were called to Belford Avenue in Devon Park about 4.30am on Monday after residents were approached by a man covered in blood seeking help.

A man, 28, found at the scene with stab wounds was rushed to hospital with critical injuries.

Police cordoned off the street as an investigation was launched.

Officers remained at the scene on Monday morning and appeared to be following a long trail of blood along the footpaths of multiple streets.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers.

The incident has shocked the quiet neighbourhood.

‘This is usually a quiet, peaceful area… I can’t believe something like this has happened here,’ one resident told the Adelaide Advertiser.

An urgent rescue mission is underway to bring back Aussies trapped in Iran and Israel, amid growing tensions between the two nations.

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) planes have arrived in the Middle East ahead of repatriation flights for stranded Australians.

Two RAAF C-17 Globemaster jets touched down in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, Nine News reported.

A small group of Aussies has already been bussed across the border from Tel Aviv into Amman in Jordan.

About 1200 Aussies in Israel were seeking help, while another 1,500 stranded in Iran had registered for assistance, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong.

Those impacted are urged by the Australian government to remain updated with the latest information, which can change at short notice.

‘We are continuing planning to support Australians seeking to depart Iran, and we remain in close contact with other partner countries,’ Wong said.

‘At this stage, our ability to provide consular services is extremely limited due to the situation on the ground. The airspace remains closed.’

A Sydney accountant has been charged with using his professional position to facilitate criminal activity for a prominent organised crime network.

The accountant, 43, is allegedly responsible for facilitating money laundering and fraud on behalf of members of the crime group through his tax practice.

He was charged with two counts of publishing false or misleading material to obtain an advantage, and two counts of making a false document to obtain a financial advantage.

One of his clients – an alleged member of the high-profile organised crime network – was also charged with alleged mortgage fraud.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has confirmed that the Albanese Government supports the United States’ military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, marking a significant shift in tone after Canberra initially stopped short of endorsing the attack.

The Albanese government on Sunday offered no endorsement of Trump’s decision to unleash B-2 bombers to ‘obliterate’ three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, with a spokesperson instead calling for ‘de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy’.

But after the Coalition offered its full support for the ‘proactive action’, the government has now given its backing to Trump’s military intervention.

Highway patrol officers tried to pull over a Holden Commodore at Wallsend, west of Newcastle, early Sunday morning.

The Holden Commodore sped away and was spotted crossing onto the wrong side of the road a short time later in North Lambton, where it crashed into a Hyundai sedan.

A 55-year-old female passenger in the Hyundai, who was on holiday from India, died at the scene.

Her pregnant 28-year-old daughter, who was driving the Hyundai, was rushed to John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition, where she has since lost her unborn child.

The male driver, 19, of the Holden Commodore, and a female front passenger, 17, fled the scene before police arrived.

Police have appealed for information to locate the pair.

Rock icons AC/DC will return Down Under later this year for their first Aussie tour in a decade.

The nationwide Power Up Tour kicks off at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 12.

The band will then head to Sydney’s Accor Stadium on November 21, perform at the bp Adelaide Grand Final on November 30, Perth’s Optus Stadium on December 4 and end the tour at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on December 14.

Joining AC/DC on the tour will be Australian rock band Amyl and the Sniffers.

Tickets will go on sale at staggered times on Thursday, June 26, through Ticketek.

The band has sold 200 million albums worldwide since their first live concert more than half a century ago.

The current line-up consists of founding member Angus Young, frontman Brian Johnson, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, drummer Maat Laug, and bassist Chris Chaney.