ABC radio news and current affairs afternoon program reporting on Australia and the world.

After a stand-off with the states, the Federal Government has agreed to allocate an extra $25 billion to fund public hospitals for the next five years.

The approaching visit to Australia of the Israeli President Isaac Herzog is already dividing opinion, as anger about the Israel-Palestine conflict continues.

In Victoria, fire fighters are battling six major bushfires, three of which are out of control.

A severe heatwave is continuing to grip much of south-eastern Australia. Victoria has recorded a new all-time temperature record, with one town reaching 48.9 degrees.

Australia Day has been observed with citizenship ceremonies and celebrations across the country.

In central west New South Wales, police have flown in specialist officers to search for a gunman suspected of killing three people including a pregnant woman.

Australia's National Day of Mourning is honouring the 15 victims of last month's terror attack at Bondi Beach.

The fallout from the negotiations over the Government's new hate speech laws is continuing, with three Nationals senators quitting their positions on the Opposition frontbench.

It now appears the Federal Government's watered down hate speech laws will get the support of Parliament after Labor struck a deal with the Liberal Party.

In Canberra, federal MPs have passed condolence motions for the victims of the Bondi terror attack as negotiations continue on proposed hate speech laws.

The Albanese Government's senior ministers are on the offensive as the proposed hate speech and gun laws face criticism from the Opposition and the Greens.

The head of Australia's peak Jewish body is pleading with the country's political leaders to come together to pass laws aimed at tackling antisemitism.

The death toll from anti-government protests in Iran has climbed to more than 2,500 people according to activists, but there are fears the actual toll is far higher.

Victorians affected by the devastating bushfires of the last week are sorting through the rubble of their homes and businesses.

The Prime Minister has announced he is recalling parliament early to debate new laws in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

Three people missing and more than twenty homes destroyed as bushfires ravage Victoria.

The Prime Minister bows to pressure and calls a Royal Commission into the Bondi terror attack.

Major European powers rally behind Greenland as Donald Trump reiterates his ambition to takeover the Danish territory.

The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is not ruling out a Commonwealth Royal Commission into the Bondi terror attack, amid growing pressure from within his own party.

US President Donald Trump suggests his military operations in South America aren't over yet and that Colombia could be his next target.

Britain's royal family embarrassed again as the latest batch of Epstein files raises new questions for the King's brother Andrew.

A prayer centre run by a controversial preacher in Sydney's south-west is being shut down by the local council as the fallout from the Bondi terror attack continues.

A court has released New South Wales Police video allegedly showing the Bondi gunmen training with firearms and scoping out the scene of the attack.

Two of the amazing heroes of the Bondi attack have been farewelled at a funeral service in Sydney's east today.

More victims of the Bondi terror attack have been laid to rest, including 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest of the 15 people killed by the gunmen.

Charges have been laid against the surviving gunman in the Bondi terrorist attack, 24-year-old Naveed Akram.

In the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack, governments and police are under pressure to explain what they have done to counter antisemitism and control gun ownership in Australia.

Hundreds of people from all walks of life have gone to Bondi Beach to pay their respects to the victims of the weekend terror attack.

A stoush between the federal government and the states and territories over the funding of public hospitals remains unresolved, after the Commonwealth's latest offer was rejected.

Former commercial pilot Greg Lynn has won his appeal against his conviction for the murder of Victorian camper Carol Clay and will be retried next year.

Australia's social media ban for children under 16 is now in effect and mental health services are prepared for an increase in demand.

The Reserve Bank has decided to leave interest rates on hold at 3.6 per cent.

The Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has confirmed today the government's $300 power bill subsidy program will end this month as planned.

In Tasmania, AFL fans are celebrating the state Parliament's approval of a new Hobart stadium which means the dream of a state team in the competition will soon be realised.

The Australian Government has announced a new package of military support for Ukraine, totalling $95 million.

After months of uncertainty, it appears the AFL stadium planned for Hobart is about to get the go-ahead, with another Independent state MP declaring their support.

The Minister for Defence Personnel Matt Keogh has announced the Federal Government is establishing an inquiry into sexual violence in the Australian military as recommended by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

The Federal Government has announced a major revamp of the Defence Department.

In Hong Kong, rescuers are searching desperately for any survivors of the shocking fires that tore through seven apartment buildings, but the death toll is rising.

In Hong Kong, authorities believe a construction company may be responsible for the massive apartment tower blaze that appears to have killed hundreds of people.

The latest figures from the Bureau of Statistics show inflation was higher than expected at 3.8 per cent for the twelve months to October.

The Insurance Council of Australia has declared the supercell hailstorms in south-east Queensland a "catastrophe" and more bad weather is on the way.