In this bulletin;
- The first federal poll since last week's interest rate cut shows the Coalition leading Labor;
- The Greens respond to the government's $8.5 billion Medicare pledge;
- And in sport, Australian basketball player Taran Armstrong signs a deal with the Golden State Warriors.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton says regardless of the political polls, he considers himself the underdog ahead of a federal election being called.
The first federal poll published since interest rate cut last week shows the Coalition leading Labor on two-party preferred basis of 55 per cent to 45 per cent.
The monthly Resolve Strategic poll published in the Nine newspapers shows a three-point gain for the Coalition since January.
Asked about the polling, Mr Dutton says he is not taking it too seriously.
"The polling at the moment will come and go and there'll be different polls. The poll that matters obviously is on election day and that will be an opportunity to vote out a bad government and to make sure our government is not returned in a form where the Greens are calling the shots, which is the only way Mr Albanese could form a government after the next election."
Speaking earlier today, Health Minister Mark Butler says the federal election will be a challenge but also says polling is likely to change before election day.
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The Greens have welcomed Labor's announcement of an $8.5 billion investment in Medicare, which would see nine in 10 visits to the doctor becoming free within the decade.
Greens leader Adam Bandt made a video address on Instagram celebrating the Medicare investment, which he says is a direct result of Greens policy pressure in government.
Greens South Australian Senator Barbara Pocock says every Australian should be able to access free health care, but calls for the government to extend beyond this measure.
"We've seen Greens pressure push Labor to take the action they need and we've seen Dutton fall into line because he doesn't want to lose the competition. We have to look at our history and see we need the dental, mental and the GP assistance that we need, and we need a government that actually delivers. We want to keep Dutton out of government because we don't trust him on the health system, but we want to push Labor to go further and faster for the medical and health system Australians need."
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Three years on from the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, members of Australia's Ukranian community say they are looking for peace and justice.
Kateryna Argyrou, the co-chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, has drawn attention to war crimes in the region.
"There is no other community that wants peace more than Ukraine and the Ukranian community but we would like a just peace. With over 140,000 war crimes that have been committed and registered in Ukraine, we would like justice for that."
The Australian government has released a statement condemning Russia's actions and says Ukraine has bravely resisted Russia's war.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles say Australia continues to stand with Ukraine and mourns the loss of life of Ukraine's citizens and defenders.
The statement also called again for Russia to end its war and adhere to its obligations under international law.
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Conclave, a drama about the selection of a new pope, has taken the top award at this year's Screen Actor's Guild Awards.
The film, starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucchi and John Lithgow won the best movie, boosting its chances of success at next weekend's Oscars.
Timothee Chalamet beat out Adrien Brody for best male actor, taking home the award for his performance in A Complete Unknown for his portrayal of music legend Bob Dylan.
The award could put Chalamet on track to win his first Academy Award.
Demi Moore won best female lead actor for her role in sci-fi horror movie The Substance.
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In basketball...
Australian Taran Armstrong has signed a two-way deal with seven-time champions the Golden State Warriors.
The deal could see him play alongside NBA superstar Steph Curry.
The news comes after the promising guard wrapped his second NBL season with the Cairns Taipans.
Mr Armstrong drew the attention of NBA scouts earlier this month when he posted the first triple-double of his NBL career in the Taipans' win over Brisbane.
The two-way deal means Mr Armstrong can spend time with both Golden State and their G-league affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.
