TRANSCRIPT:
- The Greens take credit for the Prime Minister's price gouging campaign announcement;
- A search underway for a man missing in floodwaters in northern New South Wales;
- Aryna Sabalenka becomes the new Miami Open women's champion.
An elderly man is missing after being swept away in floodwaters on the New South Wales north coast.
Police say the man was attempting to cross a causeway at Bretti, about 100 kilometres west of Taree, that flooded after the Barnard River broke its banks.
It's believed the missing man was trying to leave a nearby campground where around 22 people have been stranded by the weather conditions – but who are safe and did not want to be evacuated.
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Two teens have died after their vehicle crashed into a tree in Melbourne in the early hours of this morning.
Victoria Police say investigations have revealed the car they were travelling in was one of two vehicles stolen from a Knoxfield address overnight.
Superintendent Matthew Baynes says investigators are still looking for two other youths and a second car that was also allegedly taken from the same property.
"I can only encourage the other - anyone else who is involved in this incident or involved in the aggravated burglary to make themselves available, to contact police at the earliest possible time. That will be the best outcome for everyone."
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The Greens have taken credit for Labor's plan to ban supermarket price gouging, calling the policy framework copied homework.
Last year, the Greens introduced a bill to ban supermarket price gouging, which was voted against by both Labor and the Liberals.
Greens senator Nick McKim has suggested Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may have been "browsing the Greens' website looking for policy ideas," following his announcement Labor would make supermarket price gouging illegal if re-elected.
Greens leader Adam Bandt says pressure from his party is clearly having an impact.
"Labor copying the Greens' homework - you love to see it. Greens' pressure works. The prime minister has gone shopping in the policy supermarket and picked up the Greens' plan... that's a great deal for Australian shoppers."
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he has no plans to hold a referendum to implement four-year fixed parliamentary terms if he is re-elected in May.
While Mr Albanese has previously expressed his desire for the change he has ruled out bringing the matter to a public vote during a second term.
"Referendums are hard. They've been carried – I think the figures are eight out of 48, or something like that – times. There's been a referendum twice for a four-year fixed term. The Coalition, every time, have come in - I was working here in Canberra the last time it was held in the (Bob) Hawke government - and the Coalition having said positive things, walked away. They went from saying 'yes, yes, yes, yes' to 'no, no, no, no'."
Last year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was reported to have said he was willing to discuss the idea of four-year fixed terms with Mr Albanese.
But he's since rejected the idea – and did so again this afternoon.
"I've spoken to the prime minister about four-year terms and I commented about that at the time. The prime minister had no interest in pursuing that and he's made it clear that he doesnn't want to support it over the next term of parliament so I think that is a moot point."
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced two million dollars in support for earthquake affected areas in south-east Asia.
Teams are currently in search and rescue mode in Myanmar and Thailand, after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake and a series of aftershocks that have levelled buildings and killed more than 1600 people.
Mr Albanese says Australian officials will continue to do what they can to assist those efforts.
"This is a human tragedy, and my heart goes out to everyone directly affected by this tragedy, but also my heart goes out to the many Australians who will have relatives and friends who are impacted by this... We're good neighbours in this region, and we will always do what we can."
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To sport,
Top-ranked player Aryna Sabalenka has overwhelmed American Jessica Pegula to win the Miami Open.
It's her eighth W-T-A 1000 title.
Fourth seed Pegula had been seeking a win against Sabalenka since losing to the World No. 1 in her maiden Grand Slam final in New York last year.
But the 31-year-old could not match the Belarusian's raw power – losing momentum after a promising start.
