Midday News Bulletin 7 May 2025
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TRANSCRIPT:
Anthony Albanese deciding on the shape of his second term government as MPs meet in Canberra;
At least three dead in missile strikes on Pakistan-controlled Kashmir;
Jarryd Hayne making his official return to rugby league.
Labor MPs will meet in Canberra this week to decide on the shape of its second term government.
The current top-line leadership members are expected to remain in their portfolios - but Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Murray Watt has told Seven's Sunrise it's up to the Prime Minister as to who will fill the various positions on offer.
"We do have an umpire, and his name is the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. So I think he'll do a good job of sort of shaping this. The way it's going to work is that we'll all get together on Friday in Canberra as a caucus to decide who will be elected into the ministry, and then it's a hundred percent up to the Prime Minister to decide who goes into what role."
Meanwhile, post-election fighting is continuing in the losing coalition party, with some experts saying the Liberals risk moving into permanent opposition unless they can fix their issue with women.
Retired senator Linda Reynolds is amongst a group of senior Liberals urging the party to learn from previous reviews, which found the party was failing to adequately represent the values and priorities of women.
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More than a dozen seats remain too close to call as final counting continues after this year's federal election.
Independent Zoe Daniel is projected to lose the Melbourne seat of Goldstein to Liberal Tim Wilson by a few hundred votes, a dramatic shift from the weekend, in which Ms Daniel gave a victory speech to her supporters after thinking she had secured re-election.
In the Sydney seat of Bradfield, Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian has taken the lead.
In Kooyong, Monique Ryan's lead remains slim.
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To the next story - and a warning that it may be distressing for some listeners:
A colourful collection of toys, flowers and candles have been set up in the New South Wales town of Coonabarabran in tribute to two brothers who were found dead in a home there on Monday afternoon.
A 66 year old woman identified by police as the boys grandmother remains in a mental health facility in Orange after the grim discovery, but has not been charged.
Police say the grandmother was the sole carer of the boys and had moved to the town around 11 months ago.
Western Region assistant commissioner Andrew Holland says the scene was confronting for first responders.
"They've had to force entry to the house. They were first confronted with the death or sorry, the body of a young six year old boy who was located in the front bedroom. They then located the 66 year old woman who had attempted self-harm in that location. She was immediately placed under arrest at that time. And then from that point, police did a further search of the house and located the second young child."
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Pakistan has vowed to respond to a series of missile strikes from India that have killed at least three people.
Local media say officials have launched strikes in retaliation, but there have been no details provided about the nature of those.
India's offensive has occurred amid heightened tensions in the aftermath of an attack on Hindu tourists in Kashmir last month, when Islamist assailants killed 26 men in the worst violence targeted at civilians in India in nearly two decades.
Witnesses say the missiles struck nine locations in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan's eastern Punjab province.
"We heard 5 to 6 huge blasts over there. After this panic spread among the people, and now we have been told to evacuate the area. This fire coming from the Indian side.'
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Friedrich Merz has been elected Germany's new chancellor.
The conservative leader has been voted in thanks to a second ballot, hours after he failed to win a first round in parliament in an historic defeat.
The 69 year old is vowing to prioritise European unity and the continent's security during his term.
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Australians are being warned to get vaccinated before the peak of the flu season.
Health officials say those considered at high risk are among those who should get immunised, including young children, the elderly, pregnant women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
There has been an unusual spike already in cases across the country, with more than 71,000 flu cases reported since January 1.
University of Sydney Public Health scientist Julie Leask says influenza vaccination rates in Australia are dire - but it's not always reluctance to vaccinate that is to blame.
"It's also access to free, convenient services and systems that really work for people, where you bring the vaccines to the people, where you remind them, where you encourage them."
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To sport,
Jarryd Hayne's six-and-a-half-year exile from rugby league is over.
The former Parramatta No.1 will play for Wentworthville today in the Ron Massey Cup, a third tier open age competition.
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