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A prominent Indigenous leader has accused politicians of using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a political "football" on the issue of Welcome to Country ceremonies.
Alyawarre woman and co-chair of the Uluru Dialogue Pat Anderson A-O says the ceremonies are not about welcoming people to Australia, but to cultures and lands.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has described Welcome to Country ceremonies as 'overused'.
His Victorian counterpart Brad Battin has said there is a risk that constant Welcome to Country ceremonies will make them become disingenuous.
Bundjalung Lawyer & advocate Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts has told NITV the opposition leaders' remarks worry the community.
"He is not the person to be having that discussion, nor is he the person to be talking about whether it takes place or not. He is a non Indigenous man and it is up to the traditional owner of that land to determine whether they happen or not. When it comes to the rhetoric we've seen from the Liberal party and the conversation around what could potentially be our national leader here in this country it is quite concerning."
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Labor has announced it will fund some of its election promises by raising visa fees for international students.
The move will mean the cost will go up from $1,600 to $2,000, if Labor is re-elected.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher says the fee hike only amounts to a small rise.
"We think that's a sensible measure that really prices I think the value of coming here and studying in Australia, so that will also be used."
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An advocacy group has focused on marginal seats in a gambling harm blitz in the final days of the election campaign.
It's a relatively modest campaign, with the group known as Gambling Reform spending just under $4200 on Facebook advertising in the month to April 25.
But paid posts comparing the stances of candidates on banning gambling advertisements have targeted key electorates.
They include Gilmore in New South Wales, Brisbane in Queensland, Deakin in Victoria, and the Greens-held seat of Brisbane.
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The coalition maintains it can still win the federal election despite dismal polling.
A Roy Morgan poll shows Labor is on track to form a majority government, leading 53 to 47 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.
Peter Dutton is hitting more than two dozen seats in the final week of campaigning ahead of Saturday's poll.
He has told Radio 4BC in Brisbane that the party's internal polling is positive, and that gives him great confidence for the final result.
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Meanwhile, a woman has been arrested after the office of Peter Dutton was vandalised in Brisbane.
The 18 year old woman has been charged with one count of wilful damage after the incident.
Queensland Police say officers were called to an address in Mitchelton following reports of four people in a red sedan acting suspiciously.
But while the vehicle fled the scene before police arrived, a police dog later tracked a woman to another suburb.
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The cause of a mass outage across Spain and Portugal remains unclear, hours after the power cut brought public transport and other key services to a halt.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro says there is no indication a cyberattack is the reason for the outage.
Portugal has suggested however that the issue originated in Spain, while Spain says it could be a break-up in its connection to France.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says an investigation is underway that he is confident will pinpoint the cause.
"It is better not to speculate. We will know the causes later. We are not ruling out any hypotheses. But for now we must focus on the most important thing, which is restoring electricity to our homes."
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A Sydney-based music festival has been confirmed as the second site of a year long pill testing trial in New South Wales.
The Midnight Mafia event at the Sydney Showground will host the free and anonymous drug-checking service.
Advocates say pill testing is a proven harm minimisation strategy used in many countries for decades, while opponents say it sends mixed messages about the risks of using and possessing illicit drugs.
Health Minister Ryan Park has called it a crucial health intervention.
"This is not a green light for people to necessarily go and use drugs. You'll never have me standing up here and say it is safe to do so. I never will. What we are saying - what we are saying - is that we know young people use illicit drugs. We want to see whether this type of testing gives them a final chance to make a difference, to take a different path, to take a different course of action."
