News live: Australian activists allege they were ‘brutalised psychologically’ after Israeli military detained Gaza aid boat; NSW politicians back Harbour Bridge march

Activists land in Australia after being detained by Israeli military on Freedom Flotilla vessel

Caitlin Cassidy

Two activists have touched down in Australia after being intercepted and detained by the Israeli military while attempting to transport aid to Gaza on a Freedom Flotilla vessel.

Journalist Tania “Tan” Safi and human rights activist Robert Martin were among 21 activists on board the Handala ship when it was intercepted last Sunday and transported to Israel.

This morning, the pair landed at Sydney airport after enduring what they described as days of being “brutalised psychologically in every way”. Safi told reporters they were still “a little bit wobbly” and felt “very sore and weak”. But they said their vessel was the 37th Freedom Flotilla and it “will not be the last”.

Tania Safi and Robert Martin. Composite: Freedom Flotilla Coalition

Asked about the federal government’s holdout on recognising a Palestinian state, after Canada, France and the UK indicated they will do so at the UN general assembly in September, Robert told reporters:

What’s he waiting for? What actually is he waiting for? The death of every single Palestinian? … They are getting massacred, there is a genocide, they are ethnic cleansing … it must be done today.

The press conference at the airport concluded with the calls of “Free Palestine” as Safi and Robert were embraced by family, friends and supporters.

The Israeli embassy in Canberra was approached for comment.

Updated at 03.49 CEST

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Natasha May

Peak dental body calls on government to urgently promote children’s dental scheme as over 1.5m kids missing out

A million and a half children are missing out on the free dental scheme for kids, the peak dental association says as it calls on the government to better promote it to parents.

Guardian Australia has previously reported that the department of health and aged care has acknowledged more than 2.4m children were eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) in the 2023-24 financial year, but less than 40% used it.

New data released today by the Australian Dental Association (ADA) based on a survey of 25,000 adults showed that of the families who believed they were eligible for treatment under the scheme, only 36% – just over one in three – actually use it.

The survey found the scheme is “shrouded in confusion and misinformation” with many parents unaware of its existence or unsure of their eligibility.

ADA President Dr Chris Sanzaro says:

““This leaves millions of eligible Australian families either going without dental care or paying more out of pocket than they need to, when it could so well fund a child’s first dental visit.It’s a scheme that’s shrouded in mystery and confusion – and with over 1.5m Australian kids missing out, the government urgently needs to better promote it to ensure eligible families can access this care.”

ShareKrishani Dhanji

Trump accuses foreign nations of ‘freeloading’ on drug prices as Australia insists PBS prices won’t rise

Donald Trump has threatened a crackdown on major pharmaceutical companies who fail to sell cheaper drugs to the US, and criticised nations “freeloading on US innovation”.

Trump wrote to 17 pharmaceutical companies, demanding they treat the US as the “most favoured nation” and lower prices of drugs for the US Medicaid scheme, and threatened to use “every tool in our arsenal” to crack down on pharmaceutical giants if they fail to cut drug prices for Americans within 60 days.

Photograph: AAP

In Australia, under the pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS), pharmaceutical companies negotiate directly with the department of health on pricing.

The Australian government hasn’t said whether tariffs or restrictions from the US on pharmaceuticals would impact the PBS.

Farrell says he won’t make predictions about when prime minister Anthony Albanese could meet US president Donald Trump. He said:

The Prime Minister has had two very good discussions with President Trump and I am sure that at the appropriate time, there will be further discussions. Obviously, this decision by the United States government is a very positive one for our relationship.

That’s where we’ll leave that press conference with Farrell.

It is a little hard to hear the questions being put to Farrell in Adelaide, but he’s also speaking about AUKUS, and what the US tariff decision could mean for this releationship.

He says:

We have never linked our trade relationship with our defence relationship. The US is our greatest ally, our most important ally, just like with trade, we have an agreement with the United States to produce and make your in Adelaide submarines, high quality, highest tech submarines in the world.

We will continue to have discussions with the US about the AUKUS. It will be completely independent of our trade relationship. There is no job that is more important for a federal government than our national security.

Australia ‘vindicated’ on US tariff decision: trade minister

Farrell says the US decision on tariffs means Australian products are now more competitive, but that the Albanese government will not “leave the issue here”. He said:

We believe in free and fair trade, and we will continue to put the argument to the US that they should remove all tariffs on Australian products in accordance with our free trade agreement, and we will continue to prosecute that argument.

I have invited [commerce secretary Howard Lutnick] to come to Australia to continue the discussions.

We believe this is a vindication of our cool and calm negotiations with our trading partners.

At no stage did we introduce tariffs on American goods. America still has a significant advantage in terms of our trading relationship … We will continue the discussions until we get those tariffs removed.

Updated at 03.51 CEST

The trade minister, Don Farrell, is speaking in Adelaide.

ShareBen Doherty

More on Australia dodging the latest tariff hike

Trump’s latest executive order castigated unnamed countries he felt had shown insufficient fealty to the US on trade. The order read:

Other trading partners, despite having engaged in negotiations, have offered terms that, in my judgment, do not sufficiently address imbalances in our trading relationship or have failed to align sufficiently with the United States on economic and national-security matters.

There are also some trading partners that have failed to engage in negotiations with the United States or to take adequate steps to align sufficiently with the United States on economic and national security matters.

The new executive order punishes small economies in particular, who have limited trading relationships with the US: Syria was given a 41% tariff rate, Myanmar and Laos 40%.

The EU has a split tariff rate: 0% on some goods, and 15% on others.

Activists land in Australia after being detained by Israeli military on Freedom Flotilla vessel

Caitlin Cassidy

Two activists have touched down in Australia after being intercepted and detained by the Israeli military while attempting to transport aid to Gaza on a Freedom Flotilla vessel.

Journalist Tania “Tan” Safi and human rights activist Robert Martin were among 21 activists on board the Handala ship when it was intercepted last Sunday and transported to Israel.

Tania Safi and Robert Martin. Composite: Freedom Flotilla Coalition

The press conference at the airport concluded with the calls of “Free Palestine” as Safi and Robert were embraced by family, friends and supporters.

The Israeli embassy in Canberra was approached for comment.

Updated at 03.49 CEST

Photos from last year’s Garma festival

Guardian Australia was at last year’s Garma festival. Here are some photos from that event as we prepare for this year’s.

Yolngu red flag dancers from Numbulwar dance on the Gulkula ceremonial grounds at Garma 2024. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The GuardianWadeye Port Keats clan paint themselves in preparation to perform at Garma 2024. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The GuardianThe Mangalil perform at Garma 2024. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

See more here:

House prices climb higher once again

Lower interest rates have pushed house prices to a record high before another expected cut, AAP reports.

Home prices grew nationally at 0.6% in July, marking six consecutive months of increases that have driven median dwelling prices to $927,000 in the capital cities and $689,000 in the regions, property data firm Cotality has found.

This increase aligns with the Reserve Bank’s first rate cut in February and with more on the horizon, prices are only expected to accelerate. Cotality’s head of research, Eliza Owen, said:

Demand is on the rise once again and it’s clear that’s largely induced by recent rate cuts and expectations of further rate cuts this year. It’s coming at a time when supply is relatively constrained – both from a construction perspective, but also from a listings perspective – with far more people looking to buy themselves.

Photograph: Darren England/AAPShare

Updated at 02.10 CEST

NSW politician says Sunday protest ‘absolutely inevitable’ after mishandling

NSW Labor MLC Stephen Lawrence decried what he called a “slow but steady demonisation of protest” in the state in a post explaining his support for Sunday’s march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Lawrence wrote on social media:

The circumstances of this protest are not ideal, but the event is now absolutely inevitable, largely because of the way it has been mishandled. Police have a lot of respect in the community, but when it is perceived their operational powers are the subject of direction from a political actor their capacity to negotiate with protestors and resolve situations is undermined.

Leadership is sometimes about accepting the limits of your authority.

The presence of a large number of MP’s may make more likely authorities facilitating this event occuring safely on Sunday or agreeing to postpone it. I decline to leave activists, protestors, unionists and all the other good people to do this on their own.

MLC Stephen Lawrence. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAPShare

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