SBS News In Depth

The latest Closing the Gap report from the Productivity Commission reveals that just one of 19 socio-economic targets has been achieved. At the halfway point of the agreement, Indigenous organisations say community collaboration and investment in children are both crucial to addressing disadvantage.

The United States has launched new strikes on Iran, after US President Donald Trump threatened a heavy response to an attack on a US military base in Jordan. The strikes comes amid growing concern over an expanding conflict, after a drone attack on a US-owned gas storage tanker in Egypt, and the U-S and Saudi Arabia launched joint-strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq.

The latest data from the ABS shows headline inflation fell from 4 per cent to 3.8 per cent in June. Despite trimmed mean inflation remaining steady at 3.6 per cent, well above the Reserve Bank’s 2-3 per cent target range, the unexpected drop in the headline figures has eased concerns of another interest rate hike in August. For more, Rena Sarumpaet spoke to Harry Murphy Cruise, head of Economic Research and Global Trade at Oxford Economics Australia. The Australian share market rose following the data drop. For more, Stephanie Youssef spoke with Jamie Hannah from VaNeck.

Victoria's new Premier Ben Carroll has four months to turn Labor's fortunes around after deposing Jacinta Allan to claim the top job. His first act as premier was to commit to a royal commission into the state's construction industry, which his predecessor resisted. The election is set for November. It's likely to be a three-cornered race, and an early electoral test of One Nation's rise.

Australia’s inflation rate has eased, but underlying price pressures remain stubbornly high. The figures come as new Reserve Bank research reveals many Australians do not understand why interest rates rise, or how they are meant to bring inflation down.