Hello and welcome to our national news live coverage for Thursday, June 25. I’m Clare Sibthorpe and I’ll be keeping you up to date with today’s news.
Here are today’s main headlines.
Karl Stefanovic to leave Nine ‘immediately’: Less than three days after Today host Karl Stefanovic posted his now-deleted podcast with far-right British activist Tommy Robinson, Nine has confirmed he will not return to TV screens. In an email to staff sent on Friday, the company’s chief executive officer Matt Stanton said it was “the right time for Karl to move on from the Today show and Nine”. Fighting back tears, Stefanovic’s co-host Sarah Abo told viewers the show had received mixed feedback to the scandal, and they all wished they could have said goodbye to “Karl, our friend, in a different way”.
Carbon credits give states off-ramp for logging: Forests will be protected under a landmark new funding scheme where states will earn carbon credits to underwrite creation of new national parks, providing a pathway to end native forest logging on public land. The approval of an Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) method for native forest management will be announced on Friday, paving the way for the NSW government to fulfil its election promise to create the Great Koala National Park before the state heads back to the polls in March 2027.
International aid heads to Venezuela after deadly earthquake: Governments and humanitarian organisations worldwide have begun sending cash, rescue teams and other forms of aid to Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes on Wednesday killed at least 188 people and left more than 1500 injured, with estimations casualties could run into the thousands. The quakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude and striking roughly 160km west of the capital Caracas, damaged at least 250 buildings and left, at the most recent tally, about 200 people trapped in debris.
Hundreds of dollars extra a year for childcare: Parents will pay more for childcare after the government increased the cap on fees under its $3.6 billion deal to keep propping up worker salaries. The government staved off a national strike, pay cuts for workers, and fee hikes by extending the worker pay funding in a move that was widely welcomed by the sector. But parents still face rising costs after the maximum amount centres can raise fees was lifted.
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