Australia news LIVE: Netanyahu backs US plan to end war; Triple Zero network under scrutiny as Communications Minister to meet with Optus and Singtel

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7.28am

Ley voices Coalition’s support for Trump’s Gaza peace plan

By Emily Kaine

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says the Coalition supports Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed peace plan for Gaza, following news this morning that the two leaders have agreed to a plan to end the war, though it remains unclear whether Hamas will accept the terms.

Asked whether the Coalition supported the proposed plan – which would initially see Trump governing Gaza – Ley said, “of course we do. We all want to see the war end, and we always knew that the only peace that could be brokered would be brokered by the US”.

“So there is hope today. We want to see the terrorist group Hamas dismantled, aid and humanitarian relief flow into Gaza and something set up for the enduring peace. I don’t think the prime minister had any insight into this, but I do hope, along with all Australians, that we can see the end of the war and the hostages released,” Ley told Seven’s Sunrise this morning.

7.13am

‘Optus needs to be held to account’, says Watt

By Emily Kaine

Environment Minister Murray Watt says Australians should not lose faith in their Triple Zero system following multiple failures of emergency call networks in recent weeks, and that the government is taking sufficient action to investigate the outages and hold the telco to account.

“I can understand Australians being really concerned about this, and the government is obviously taking this very seriously. Optus needs to be held to account, and we are holding them to account through an inquiry. They need to come clean with the Australian public about what problems there have been in their system,” Watt told Nine’s Today this morning.

“I don’t think it goes as far as people needing to lose faith in the Triple Zero system... The communications minister will be meeting with the CEO of Optus, and its parent company, to escalate our action. We want to see them take action to make sure that the system works as it should every single day of the year.”

Communications Minister Anika Wells will meet with Optus chief executive Stephen Rue, and Yuen Kuan Moon, chief executive of Optus’ parent company Singtel, today.

“I’m very confident that Anika will really lay down the law to the parent company’s CEO. She’s obviously already had discussions with Optus themselves, but escalating that now to the parent company demonstrates how seriously we are taking this, and it will give the minister the opportunity to make very clear what our expectations are and what all Australians’ expectations are,” said Watt.

6.59am

Trump says US to impose 100% tariff on movies made outside the country

US President Donald Trump says he will impose a 100 per cent tariff on all movies produced overseas and sent to the US, repeating a threat made in May that would upend Hollywood’s global business model.

The step signals Trump’s willingness to extend protectionist trade policies to cultural industries, raising uncertainty for studios that depend heavily on cross-border co-productions and international box-office revenue.

“Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other countries, just like stealing candy from a baby,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social.

However, it was not immediately clear what legal authority Trump would use to impose a 100 per cent tariff on foreign-made films.

Hollywood has increasingly relied on overseas production hubs such as Canada, the UK and Australia, where tax incentives have attracted big-budget shoots for films ranging from superhero blockbusters to streaming dramas.

Reuters

6.47am

Communications minister to meet heads of Optus, Singtel

By Emily Kaine

The nation’s Triple Zero network is facing heavy scrutiny after fresh outages at both Optus and Telstra disrupted emergency calls in multiple states, again leaving thousands of people without critical access to emergency services.

Communications Minister Anika Wells will meet with Optus CEO Stephen Rue and Yuen Kuan Moon, chief executive of Singtel (Optus’ parent company) today.

Communications Minister Anika Wells is set to meet with chief executives of Optus and Singtel today.

The latest spate of outages has prompted calls for the federal government to step in and impose tougher licence conditions on the telco.

On Sunday, almost 5000 Optus customers in the Illawarra region of NSW were unable to contact emergency services for more than nine hours. At least nine Triple Zero calls from the Dapto area failed.

On Monday morning, Telstra also reported a 4G outage in Broadwater, 230 kilometres south of Perth, that also affected Triple Zero connectivity.

6.46am

Netanyahu backs US plan to end war

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say they’ve agreed to a plan to end the war in Gaza, but it’s unclear whether Hamas will accept the terms.

This morning Trump laid out a 20-point plan for ending the Israel-Hamas war and establishing a postwar governance in the war-battered Palestinian territory.

His plan would establish a temporary governing board that would be headed by himself and include former British prime minister Tony Blair.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with US President Donald Trump after a news conference in the State Dining Room of the White House on Monday (Tuesday AEST).

The plan does not require people to leave Gaza and calls for the war to end immediately if both sides accept it. It also calls for all remaining hostages to be released within 72 hours of Israel accepting the plan.

Trump said Israel would have the “full backing” of the US to take steps to defeat Hamas if it doesn’t accept the proposed peace deal.

“I think we are beyond very close,” Trump said at the start of a news conference with Netanyahu where he detailed the plan. “We’re not quite finished. We have to get Hamas.”

6.46am

What’s making news today

By Emily Kaine

Good morning and welcome to our national news live blog for Tuesday, September 30. My name is Emily Kaine, and I’ll be helming our coverage this morning. Here’s what is making headlines today.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say they’ve agreed to a plan to end the war in Gaza, but it’s unclear whether Hamas will accept the terms. This morning, Trump laid out a 20-point plan for ending the Israel-Hamas war and establishing a postwar governance in the war-battered Palestinian territory.
Australia’s Triple Zero network is facing heavy scrutiny after fresh outages at both Optus and Telstra disrupted emergency calls in multiple states, again leaving thousands of people without critical access to emergency services. Communications Minister Anika Wells will today be meeting with Optus CEO Stephen Rue and Yuen Kuan Moon, chief executive of Singtel (Optus’ parent company), as the latest spate of outages has prompted calls for the federal government to step in and impose tougher licence conditions on the telco.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ended his longest overseas trip as the nation’s leader with a stopover in the United Arab Emirates. There the PM invited Middle Eastern grocery giant LuLu Group to enter the Australian market in a bid to bring down supermarket prices, and lauded the Australia-UAE free trade agreement – Australia’s first trade agreement with the Middle East – which is set to come into effect on October 1.
Australia will buy nuclear-powered submarines from the US as planned under the AUKUS defence pact in the wake of a Pentagon review that is backing the vast project, according to a report from Nikkei Asia. The Pentagon study is said to have endorsed the pact, which will be finalised before Albanese flies to the US to meet Trump on October 20.