Angus DaltonUpdated June 16, 2026 — 7:00am,first published 6:55amWhat’s making headlinesBy Angus DaltonGood morning and welcome to our national news live coverage for Tuesday, June 16. Here’s what’s making news today.US-Iran peace agreement: The Strait of Hormuz will be opened toll-free for 60 days under the unreleased peace agreement between the US and Iran, but its longer-term operation will be subject to negotiations, American officials said.Politics: Less than a third of people think the May budget will be good for them or the nation, while public assessment of Jim Chalmers’ performance as treasurer has fallen to its lowest level ever.Business: Embattled consulting group KPMG has effectively been banned from new federal government work while the Department of Finance reviews its suitability as a contractor.Energy: The NSW government’s $1 billion renewables fund has chosen its first project, investing $100 million in battery projects. Workplace: Casual and part-time workers will be included in new laws protecting the rights of Victorians to work from home, with the state government set to introduce legislation into parliament this week.Latest Posts7.00amSurf lifesavers given broader exemption to fly shark-spotting dronesBy Jack GramenzSurf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce says a temporary exemption to fly drones for shark surveillance above Coogee Beach, on the flight path to Sydney Airport, will be made permanent for the organisation after discussions with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.“They’re going to change part of the regulation instruments to give us specific sole approval to fly at Coogee,” Pearce told 2GB this morning.“We still have to talk to the flight tower when we’ve got drones there, we still need spotters with our pilots, so there’s still some regulations there, but it enables us now to fly drones consistently at Coogee Beach along with all the other parts of the eastern suburbs.”Coogee Beach was closed after the shark bite, but has reopened with drone surveillance.Janie BarrettA shark spotted by a drone in the moments after the Coogee attack.One Shot Creative6.45amBudget blues: Most Australians economically pessimisticBy James MassolaAustralians are overwhelmingly pessimistic about the state of the national finances, with just 9 per cent of people expecting the economy to improve in the next month, compared with 41 per cent who expect things to get worse and 42 per cent who expect things to stay the same.Only a quarter of Australians expect economic conditions to improve in the next year, while 44 per cent of people expect things to get worse, findings from the latest Resolve Political Monitor survey show.Similarly, just 23 per cent of people say the budget is good for them and their household, compared with 36 per cent of people who believe it is bad. Almost 30 per cent of people said the budget was good for the country, while 35 per cent said it was bad. Just over two-thirds of voters were undecided on both questions.These are some of the worst numbers of any budget since Labor returned to power four years ago.Read the full story.6.40amUnresolved issues over US-Iran peace agreementBy Michael KoziolThe Strait of Hormuz will be opened toll-free for 60 days under the unreleased peace agreement between the US and Iran, but its longer-term operation will be subject to negotiations, American officials said.More than a fifth of the world’s oil usually transits through the strait.The matter is one of many unresolved issues to be worked through over the next two months after a deal to end the conflict was signed electronically on Sunday (US time) by President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf.Donald Trump, attending the G7 in Evian, France, said it was unlikely he would stay in Europe to sign the peace deal.Ludovic Marin/POOL AFP via APIt is expected to be signed in person on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, with both Vance and Ghalibaf to attend. The text has been kept secret, but American officials said it would be made public upon signing, or before.Pinned post from 6.30amWhat’s making headlinesBy Angus DaltonGood morning and welcome to our national news live coverage for Tuesday, June 16. Here’s what’s making news today.US-Iran peace agreement: The Strait of Hormuz will be opened toll-free for 60 days under the unreleased peace agreement between the US and Iran, but its longer-term operation will be subject to negotiations, American officials said.Politics: Less than a third of people think the May budget will be good for them or the nation, while public assessment of Jim Chalmers’ performance as treasurer has fallen to its lowest level ever.Business: Embattled consulting group KPMG has effectively been banned from new federal government work while the Department of Finance reviews its suitability as a contractor.Energy: The NSW government’s $1 billion renewables fund has chosen its first project, investing $100 million in battery projects. Workplace: Casual and part-time workers will be included in new laws protecting the rights of Victorians to work from home, with the state government set to introduce legislation into parliament this week.1 of 1