Australia news LIVE: Record drug use revealed by wastewater testing; Support for Biden slips further

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held a press conference in Queensland.

Watch the presser here:

The Alice Springs curfew will end as planned at 12.55pm this afternoon, after Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy opted not to request an extension of the public disorder declaration.

In a statement, Murphy said the police had 159 interactions during the curfew, but that no arrests were made in relation to the declaration.

“The declaration has had a noticeable effect in preventing public disorder within the CBD and I would like to thank the Alice Springs community for working with us,” Murphy said.

“There is currently no reasonable grounds for me to extend the declaration and I am confident we have capable police resourcing in Alice Springs to react and respond to any instances of crime or anti-social behaviour.”

He condemned the violent clash that broke out yesterday that involved up to 100 people, but noted it was not within the operational hours of the curfew order.

“Five arrests have already been made and every instigator of that disturbance can expect to be charged.”

Papua New Guinea’s Petroleum Minister Jimmy Maladina has pled not guilty to assault after he was arrested in Bondi following allegations of domestic violence.

Maladina, one of PNG Prime Minister James Marape’s closest advisers and the key driver behind a $17 billion international gas deal has stood down from PNG’s cabinet in response to the charges.

The arrest was first reported by this masthead on Saturday night.

Represented by Margaret Cunneen SC at Waverley Local Court on Thursday morning, Maladina pled not guilty to the charges. He did not respond to questions about the allegations or his political future outside the court.

Maladina allegedly assaulted a 31-year-old woman who is known to him around 10am on Saturday morning at an apartment on Imperial Avenue in Bondi.

In a statement, the 58-year-old said he had “faith in the Australian judiciary to hear this matter in an independent and objective manner”.

“I will make the general point that violence perpetrated by either a man, or violence by a woman, cannot be tolerated,” he said.

“We will all have our day in court and I look forward to the facts of the matter being presented.”

The matter is due to be heard at the Downing Street Court on July 17.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has responded to former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s ‘thug’ attack, choosing not to return fire directly.

In his regular Thursday interview with 2GB’s Ray Hadley, Dutton was asked about Turnbull’s spray.

On the Ten’s Sunday Project, Turnbull said a Dutton prime ministership should be contemplated “with dread”, calling him a “thug” and alleging Dutton’s one turn is “division and animosity, generally targeted at immigrants.”

“I couldn’t think of anyone less suited to be prime minister of a multicultural society like Australia,” Turnbull told a stunned panel.

Dutton told Haldey he thinks “people can see through it”.

“I wish him the best. I think he’s diminishing himself by making these comments,” Dutton said.

“Malcolm’s got an axe to grind. I think it’s sad.”

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has shared further pictures from the NATO summit in Washington DC, where he is representing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Indo-Pacific leaders were invited to join NATO leaders for a celebration at the White House.

For more on the summit, read our coverage from North America correspondent Farrah Tomazin here.

Communities in Melbourne’s west have been told to avoid a chemical factory fire that sent toxic smoke billowing over the city after firefighters battled the blaze throughout the night.

The fire was sparked by a large explosion at the Derrimut factory in the city’s west on Wednesday morning.

Locals have been told to avoid coming into contact with water in Cherry Creek, Anderson’s Swamp and Kayes Drain after pollutants from firewater entered the downstream waterways.

Odours have been observed in the area, Victoria’s Environment Protection Agency said.

“Avoid areas where odours occur.”

The EPA has not observed any ash impacts from the fire but urged people to wash down impacted surfaces and any fruit and vegetables before eating them.

Chemical drums were sent flying into the air at the height of the blaze, making the emergency response more dangerous for firefighters.

No one was injured and it was declared under control in about four hours, but the fire is expected to burn for days.

Read the full story here.

Monthly household spending is still increasing overall, but it’s a different story depending on whether you own your home or rent, a new report shows.

The monthly CommBank Household Spending Insights Index found renters’ spending has declined 0.9 per cent in the past year, while homeowners’ spending has increased.

The increase was just over 2 per cent for those who own their homes outright, and slightly lower at 1.5 per cent for those with a mortgage.

CBA Chief Economist Stephen Halmarick said it was “somewhat surprising” to see household spending on the rise for a second month in a row, but that the disparity in spending behaviours was of note.

“This suggests younger Australians, who are more likely to be renting, are tightening their wallets and likely spending more on essentials, given these are the fastest growing spending categories so far this year.”

The index recorded a 0.6 per cent increase in June, with growth mostly driven by bumps in recreation and hospitality spending.

Recreations saw a 3.2 per cent monthly increase, driven by travel bookings and gym spending, but on an annual basis, recreational spending growth is at only 0.2 per cent. As for hospitality, the 2.1 per cent bump was led by pubs and food delivery services, with a solid annual increase of 3.8 per cent.

Annual spending index growth rate “remains subdued” at 3.9 per cent.

A father who allegedly set fire to his home and trapped his children in the blaze has been charged with murder.

The 28-year-old man allegedly set fire to the Lalor Park home while his partner and her seven children were inside.

Read the breaking news story here.