Australia news LIVE: Albanese tells Labor caucus he expects gambling bill to pass with Coalition support; Over 100 killed in Colombia after 7.4 magnitude earthquake

Environment Minister Murray Watt appeared on the ABC’s 7.30 program last night to defend the government’s gambling package after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the Labor caucus yesterday that he expects the reforms to pass with the Coalition’s support.

Watt said there were amendments Labor were “prepared” to make to pass the legislation, including on betting inducements – one of the more contentious parts of the proposed reforms.

Critics from across the political spectrum accused Labor of failing to account for the harms of these inducements in its package.

But when he was pressed on what the amendments might look like, Watt did not provide further detail.

“We have just worked through exactly the definition of inducements and what level of control we want to exert on that. Again, it’s worth remembering that even the current laws that we have in place before any amendments do include some prohibitions on inducements, particularly as it relates to direct marketing to consumers.

“But we have said that we are prepared to make amendments in order to get this package through.”

US President Donald Trump lashed out against Iran’s demands for war compensation as part of talks to wind down the conflict, dimming hopes of a quick deal that would reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz and pushing up oil prices.

“I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts,” Trump wrote on social media on Monday (US time). “Additionally, compensation should be paid to the families of the hundreds of thousands of innocent protesters that Iran has killed over the last 50 years.”

The sweeping new demands from Trump, which he said will be put “firmly into any, and all, future negotiations”, are almost certain to be rejected by Iran. Tehran has reiterated requests for reparations and tied it to the opening of Hormuz.

Shortly after his post, Trump expanded the scope of his new demand, saying Iran should be responsible for “damages and death to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza”, without offering any details.

The hardening on both sides makes it unlikely that Washington or Tehran will be able to agree to any immediate pact on Hormuz that could help end the war.

Bloomberg

Good morning and welcome to our national news live blog for Tuesday, August 11. Here’s what you need to know.

• Parliament is set to resume today as the government looks to tackle some key legislative reforms, including securing a deal on gambling advertising and passing sweeping cuts to the NDIS.
• Several members of the Coalition have demanded Prime Minister Anthony Albanese apologise to Japan’s leader Sanae Takaichi following comments he made last month about a “couple of melons” she gifted him, which he has denied was a sexual innuendo about the leader’s breasts. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and his deputy, Jane Hume, both rebuked the comments during a press conference yesterday.
• US President Donald Trump has lashed out against Iran’s demands for war compensation as part of talks to wind down the conflict, dimming hopes of a deal that would reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz and pushing up oil prices.
• And in Colombia, 111 people have been killed and more have been trapped after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake. Colombia’s interior minister said more than 20 municipalities across the country had been hit.