TRANSCRIPT:
Thousands of sensitive files have been downloaded from a New South Wales government website in a major data breach.
New South Wales Police say the files from the Department of Communities and Justice include apprehended violence orders and affidavits.
Attorney-General Michael Daley says the department is working to urgently identify and contact affected users.
He says police are trying to find out what happened to the information.
"What we don't know yet is which files were actually accessed, what the hacker did with them, whether he or she just viewed them or downloaded them and shared them. A briefing that I had with police this morning said it will be about a week before they know exactly what has happened with those files."
.
Former defence minister Linda Reynolds has used her valedictory speech in the Senate to call for more support for Ukraine.
Europe is currently scrambling to respond to concerns that faltering US support for Kyiv will give Russia the upper hand as the White House and the Kremlin negotiate a peace deal.
Senator Reynolds says Australia must ensure Russia is not appeased as the world enters a more precarious period.
.
A show at the Melbourne Comedy Festival has been abruptly cancelled because of the death of a patron on opening night.
Festival organisers say the audience member experienced a medical emergency during the Allstars Supershow.
It was being held at the Palais Theatre in the south-eastern suburb of St Kilda.
Other audience members reportedly attempted to give him CPR for about 10 minutes before paramedics arrived.
.
Already soaked areas of Queensland are facing the prospect of more rainfall and flooding.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the heaviest totals are forecast on Friday and Saturday.
The Bureau says up to 120mm of rain has fallen in some areas of the North Tropical Coast in the last 24 hours.
They say more rain is expected in western and southwestern Queensland too, despite between 200 to 400mm having fallen over the past few days.
.
Commercial operators may be barred from future involvement in acute hospitals in New South Wales after a toddler's death at a privately run facility.
Two-year-old Joe Massa collapsed in September after he and his parents waited three hours in the emergency department at Sydney's Northern Beaches Hospital.
The hospital runs under a public private partnership and uses an IT system the Massa family alleges is different from those used in other emergency wards.
Health Minister Ryan Park has confirmed the state government is introducing a bill into parliament that will be known as Joe's Law.
"It ends. It ends now. The model that is Northern Beaches Hospital is not a model that we believe should be running our hospitals here in New South Wales. We believe that public hospitals should be in public hands. We cannot afford this type of model to be in place again."
.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is expected to announce a halving of the fuel excise and repeal of tax cuts when he delivers his Budget reply speech tonight.
It means the price of petrol will be reduced by 25 cents a litre for a year.
Treasury spokesman Angus Taylor says the opposition's proposal will provide immediate relief for Australians under the most pressure.
"I think this will be real relief straight away for Australians that won't have to wait 15 months like they will under Labor, and this will be real relief if they drive one let alone two cars."
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he cannot understand why the Coalition would take such a policy to an election.
"This decision will haunt them every single day of the election campaign. We will not let them squirm off this hook. This means that if Peter Dutton wins the election every Australian taxpayer will be worse off."
