Housing & Cost-of-Living: New lending is cooling fast, with ABS data showing a $5.4b drop in new home loans quarter-on-quarter, led by investors, as rates and property tax changes bite. Banking Watch: NAB says home loan applications fell sharply again, warning investor growth could turn negative. Food Supply Pressure: AUSVEG warns vegetable growers are still squeezed by soaring diesel, freight and fertiliser costs, while cold storage shortages are set to worsen as prime vacancy stays near zero. Health & Safety: Advocates say domestic and family violence is starting earlier, with calls for earlier intervention. Tech & Work: Australia’s AI push is being framed as a workforce challenge, not just regulation, as businesses adopt tools like Claude for everyday operations. Regional Services: Telstra upgrades in regional WA are raising emergency response fears due to long outages. Politics & Diplomacy: Albanese faces Japan’s defence minister over the “melongate” fallout. Education Leadership: Gordon de Brouwer is appointed ANU chancellor, replacing Julie Bishop. NSW Datacentres: NSW will assess qualifying datacentre proposals within 75 days under new energy, water and skills conditions. Sport & Culture: Magda Szubanski returns at the Logies after cancer, while Ash Gardner’s Trent Rockets win the Women’s Hundred final.