US President Joe Biden was due to meet Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to discuss the Gaza crisis, but his attempts to find a diplomatic solution were dealt a blow by the cancellation of a meeting with Palestinian and Egyptian leaders.

Former Qantas boss Alan Joyce has been given a free pass to avoid facing a Canberra inquiry into how the airline was run.

A crime wave sweeping the bush has regional residents living in fear, country mayors say, with analysis of crime statistics revealing “horrifying” levels of domestic violence, sexual assault and car theft.

The LNP has axed its support for a Path to Treaty in a major policy reversal driven by Queensland’s overwhelming rejection of the Voice to Parliament referendum.

The state’s business sector has welcomed the merger of the universities of Adelaide and South Australia, which it has spruiked as a win for the local economy.