Household spending: ABS says Australian household spending rose 0.8% in June, led by stronger discretionary spend on new vehicles, air travel, electronic goods and entertainment, with fuel costs easing after the excise cut and lower global oil prices. Energy policy: Federal Labor is expanding the Small-Scale Renewable Energy Scheme, lifting the cap from 100kW to 1MW for solar on warehouses, schools and farms, cutting installation costs by about 20% to boost the “missing middle” of mid-scale rooftop solar. Trade row: India told Parliament it is fighting nine WTO complaints, including cases involving Australia, and has spent about ₹2.43 crore defending its position. Bird flu: Australia says it could be dealing with H5N1 for a long period as confirmed cases pass 100, with new detections in South Australia and Victoria and mass seabird deaths already reported. Defence tech: Defence Innovation strategy sets six priorities—hypersonics, lasers, autonomous systems, quantum, AI and undersea warfare—to speed emerging tech into the ADF. Queensland governance: Justice Thomas Bradley has been named Queensland’s next governor, with community groups praising his public service record. Charity cycling: Bob Montgomery, 82, died a day after finishing a 5,200–5,300km charity ride across Australia for motor neurone disease.