Home Loans & Housing Risk: The Insurance Council of Australia says the expanded first home buyer loan guarantee has “significant disruption” effects, including higher mortgage-stress risk, after rules were changed to let some buyers proceed with just 5% deposits without lenders’ mortgage insurance. Emergency Services Accountability: A parliamentary inquiry hears Telstra ignored repeated warnings about a $30,000 Network Time Protocol server update, with a software/maintenance restart issue blamed for the outage that crippled Triple Zero calls. AI Governance & Integrity: A joint ACCA/CA ANZ survey finds 93% of finance professionals worry AI insights lack integrity and verifiability, citing hallucinations, bias and opaque data use—fueling calls for stronger governance. AI Policy Push: Albanese’s AI plan lands with promises of tougher rules plus a smoother path for investment, including an Office of AI and new standards—while workers and creatives warn the real-world impact may be messier. International Justice Pressure (Laos): Australia expresses “deep frustration” that Laos is not pursuing more serious charges over methanol poisoning deaths of two Australian teens, with families calling the expected penalties “unacceptable.” Critical Minerals Oversight: Malaysia’s parliamentary group scrutinises Lynas Rare Earths’ $96m Pentagon supply deal, weighing defence end-use concerns and civil society objections. Energy Infrastructure: Port of Newcastle is authorised to store grid-scale lithium-ion batteries for major NSW projects, supporting dispatchable renewables capacity.