Emily KaineUpdated August 11, 2026 — 12:38pm,first published August 11, 2026 — 6:45am12.38pm‘Nihilistic violent extremism’ among new threats, royal commission toldBy Daniel Lo SurdoNational counter-terrorism chief Brendan Dowling has sounded the alarm on the rise of “nihilistic violent extremism”, an emerging driver of terror that glorifies violence and is absent of a structured ideology.Work to tackle mixed and unclear ideologies have intensified in counter-terror circles in recent years, Dowling told the antisemitism royal commission, as new trends of radical behaviour, especially among young people, flourish in online environments.He said that nihilistic violent extremism differed from previous iterations of terrorism due to its promotion of violence itself, rather than considering violence as a vehicle for advancing an ideology or cause.“There is a lot of evolution, a lot of fluidity, and it is something that I think even long-standing experts would appreciate that you’re never on top of,” Dowling said. “There’s always a continued process of learning.”12.24pmAustralia, Vietnam appear to take aim at Trump’s trade policiesBy Emily KaineA joint statement released by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Vietnamese President To Lam after their meeting appeared to take aim at US President Donald Trump’s trade policies.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Vietnamese President To Lam at Parliament House today. Alex Ellinghausen“Both sides expressed their concern over policies and practices that disrupt global supply chains or unnecessarily restrict trade. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to promoting a fair, transparent, open and rules-based multilateral trading system,” the statement read.The language seems to reference Trump’s tariffs.12.01pmVietnam agrees to remove trade barriers on Australian kangaroo, deer meatBy Emily KainePrime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Vietnamese President To Lam in Canberra today and lauded Australia’s relationship with the country as a critical pillar of his government’s commitment to maintaining and strengthening relations in South-East Asia.During the talks, Vietnam agreed to the removal of trade barriers for the export of Australian kangaroo and deer meat, which will enable its open market access to the goods.Vietnamese President To Lam (centre) and his delegation during their meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.Alex EllinghausenIn a joint statement released by the pair after their meeting, Albanese said the two countries had agreed to “stronger co-operation across defence, maritime and border security, the digital economy, agriculture, energy, minerals, science and innovation”.It is Lam’s first state visit to Australia since his appointment as president in 2024.11.43amRise in youth radicalisation ‘disturbing’, counter-terrorism chief saysBy Daniel Lo SurdoA rising number of young Australians are being swept up by online extremist material promoting a range of grievances, Australian counter-terrorism coordinator Brendan Dowling has told the antisemitism royal commission.Young people are increasingly engaging in extremist material distributed by neo-Nazis, white supremacists, anti-government figureheads and Jihadi movements, Dowling told the commission, as he sounded the alarm on the “disturbing trend”.“We are looking at an extremist context where effectively anyone could be engaging with radicalised or extremist ideas, when I think for your average Australian, who might have a sort of stereotype in their head of what an extremist or a terrorist looks like, or how they behave ... we’re seeing such [a] greater variance in types of people engaging with radical ideas,” he said.The royal commission has adjourned for a small break. Dowling is expected to continue his evidence when the hearing returns.11.28amStrong views on gambling ads aired in Coalition meeting By Paul Sakkal and Natassia ChrysanthosCoalition MPs have just emerged from a party room meeting where some expressed passionate views on proposed reforms to cap gambling advertising.Nine backbenchers spoke in the joint party room meeting of Liberal and National MPs.Opposition Leader Angus Taylor is trying to work a deal with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that would curtail gambling ads.Five Coalition MPs, including Andrew Wallace and Paul Scarr, spoke in favour of toughening the rules, as suggested by former prime minister John Howard yesterday. Four spoke about getting the balance right.11.11amOnline material ‘nearly always’ driving radicalisation: counter-terrorism chiefBy Daniel Lo SurdoThe national counter-terrorism coordinator has warned that online extremist material is “nearly always” driving radicalisation in Australia, and told the antisemitism royal commission that the proliferation of such content had worked to legitimise ideological grievances and justify violent attacks among isolated members of society.Brendan Dowling, who was named counter-terrorism coordinator at the Department of Home Affairs in May, issued the warning as he discussed the role online content plays in intensifying grievances towards an external group, party or person.“In nearly all cases, there is an online dimension where access to violent extremist material online, access to a community of like-minded people, who foment that sense of grievance and anger,” Dowling told the royal commission.“We see that the online environment is nearly always involved in accelerating some of those grievances and giving people access to material that supports their ideological interpretation of those grievances, their explanation, justification as to why their grievance is supposedly legitimate. In the cases that we’re most worried about, why mobilisation to violence is seen as a legitimate activity.”11.05amWatt defends PM, government’s record on women amid podcast criticismBy Emily KaineEnvironment Minister Murray Watt has been asked about the growing scrutiny on Anthony Albanese after remarks the prime minister made during a podcast in July re-entered headlines this week.Albanese has come under criticism for referring to a “couple of melons” he received as a gift from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Albanese has denied using a sexual innuendo.“The prime minister has been clear that some of the media interpretations of episode of that podcast have been misinterpreted,” Watt said today.“It’s probably more appropriate to talk about this government’s record when it comes to women.”Watt rejected reports that the remarks had damaged the diplomatic relationship between Australia and Japan.“We have an incredibly strong relationship with Japan. This government has strengthened the relationship with Japan … There’s no evidence whatsoever the relationship has been damaged at all,” he said.10.52amGovernment secures $2m worth of bird flu vaccinesBy Emily KaineThe government has secured $2 million worth of vaccines against the H5N1 bird flu strain, Collins and Watt confirmed. “I think that is 1500 vials, but the doses vary … So we have sufficient vaccines in terms of undertaking the initial vaccination program,” Collins told reporters in Canberra. Watt said it would be up to the states and territories to determine when they would begin administering the vaccines. 10.48amNo evidence of bird flu in poultry or agricultural system By Emily KaineCollins also confirmed there was no evidence the bird flu strain had infected Australia’s poultry or agricultural system.Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins: “We’re doing everything we can do to keep it out of our agriculture system.”Alex Ellinghausen“We have been doing everything we can do to keep it out of that system for the very reasons that we want to make sure that important staples remain available to the Australian public, which is why we have done the preparedness, why we’ve invested early,” she said, “We continue to work really closely, particularly in meat and the egg industry, in relation to keeping it out of our system,” she said.“Overseas we have seen it spill over into agriculture, so we’re doing everything we can do to keep it out of our agriculture system.”10.37amFirst bird flu vaccines for wildlife to be rolled out soonBy Emily KaineMinister Collins has just confirmed that the first vaccines against H5N1 bird flu will be administered to wildlife in captivity in the “coming days and weeks”. “This approach will mean that the states and territories are able to commence vaccination activities, initially focusing on priority species in captivity identified by those states and territories,” Collins told reporters. “The priority species will be identified based on vulnerability to the H5 bird flu and the potential conservation impact, informed as always by scientific advice. We’ve been very clear that we cannot stop the H5 bird movement spreading amongst wild birds, but we can take action to protect the species most at risk, and the vaccination is now part of that response.”She said the risk of the H5N1 strain to human health remained low. 1 of 3