Australian political updates and US criticism of algorithm reforms

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of national news this Wednesday, September 23. Here’s what’s making news today.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claims of having secured peace in Gaza, saying not a single humanitarian corridor had been reopened in the enclave despite the proclaimed peace.

In his final address to the United Nations before leaving office next year, Macron said the world was witnessing a spectacle that should shame everyone, rebuking Trump’s portrayal of his Gaza peace plan as a diplomatic triumph.

He spoke at the United Nations General Assembly hours after Trump had from the same rostrum hailed his Gaza peace plan as a diplomatic triumph.

“A year ago, here in this very hall, about a dozen states had recognised Palestine. I hear the cynicism of some people: ‘Recognition is just a piece of paper, look at the reality,’” Macron said, banging his fist on the podium in his last speech at the United Nations before stepping down next May.

Opposition housing spokesman Andrew Bragg says the Coalition is trying to better align the retirement and housing systems after he floated a proposal yesterday to allow superannuation to be used as collateral for a housing loan.

Bragg’s proposal was swiftly dismissed by Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, who said it was not a Coalition policy and that its formal policy position would be unveiled soon.

“It’s not a policy, but it’s certainly an idea. Now, in relation to collateral, you could use some of your money to ultimately reduce the amount of money you need for a first home deposit, or you could use some of the money in cash and super to offset the amount of mortgage you might have to pay in terms of the interest,” Bragg told ABC’s 7.30 last night.

“So what we’re seeing now is high inflation, high interest rates, people paying a lot of interest on their mortgage. So I think a lot of people would be interested in these ideas being further considered.”

A thick blanket of fog shrouding Sydney has prompted warnings for people flying in or out of the city to check with their airline.

“Due to fog this morning, some flights may be impacted with delays and cancellations,” a Sydney Airport spokesperson said.

“We advise passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline.”

The airport’s flight listings showed five domestic departures and four domestic arrivals had been cancelled between 7am and 8am while a few other arrivals had been delayed, though it is not clear if all the cancellations and delays were due to fog.

An international flight from Los Angeles due to land at 7.30am has been diverted.