Labor Senator Penny Wong says she "regrets" any pain that reports surrounding her interactions with late colleague Kimberly Kitching have caused but has rejected claims of bullying.

Senator Wong, along with fellow Labor Senators Kristina Keneally and Katy Gallagher, released a statement today following ongoing reports of a culture of bullying within the Labor Party.

Senator Kitching, who died from a suspected heart attack aged 52 last week, had reportedly told senior Labor figures she had been bullied, while ex-MP Emma Husar has said she suffered similar treatment.

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The trio of Senators said they had not responded so far to the accusations out of respect for Senator Kitching's family.

"Given the hurtful statements that continue to be made we feel it necessary to respond," the statement read.

"The allegations of bullying are untrue. Other assertions which have been made are similarly inaccurate."

The three said politics could involve "robust" contests and "difficult" interactions.

"All of its participants at times act or speak in ways that can impact on others negatively," the statement read.

"We have and do reflect on this, as individuals and as leaders."

The statement said Senator Wong had apologised to Senator Kitching for her behaviour in an "exchange" more than two years ago and that Senator Wong "understood that apology was accepted".

"The comments that have been reported do not reflect Senator Wong's views, as those who know her would understand, and she deeply regrets pain these reports have caused," the statement read.

"All three of us will be attending Senator Kitching's funeral.

"This follows engagement with Senator Kitching's family about our attendance.

"We will do so to recognise and respect her contribution to public life."

Senior figures push back on reports

Labor deputy leader Richard Marles remained tight-lipped after being quizzed on live TV about whether Senator Kitching had come to him with a complaint about bullying within the party.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese had previously denied claims Senator Kitching was targeted by a "mean girls" culture within the party.

But former MP Ms Husar has accused Mr Albanese of "gaslighting", News Corp has reported, and claimed she was a victim of the same culture in the party.

Ms Husar doubled down on her allegations on Today, accusing Labor of being focused on campaigning rather than "taking action" on claims of bullying within the party.

"I would suggest that the Labor Party are doing what they've always done, which is pretend nothing's gone wrong and then next week it will be business as usual," she said.

Ms Husar, who left Parliament in 2019 after a Labor investigation found she had behaved offensively toward her staff, said she had been unaware of Senator Kitching's bullying claims, but that she had faced similar treatment from "quite a number" of senior women in the party.

"I am absolutely not at all shocked that in the wake of her death that these revelations are being levelled at the Labor Party and the women within it," she said.

"There is definitely a culture of bullying within the Labor Party."

Ms Husar claimed she had made multiple complaints to party officials and leaders, but no action had been taken.

Mr Marles this morning refused to comment on whether Senator Kitching had come to him with a bullying complaint.

"It is impossible to walk down this path now without finding yourself in a situation where we are doing something other than celebrating and dignifying Kimberley Kitching's life," he told Today.

He said he rejected allegations of bullying levelled against Labor figures such as Senators Wong and Keneally.

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Mr Marles also said he was unable to discuss the "specifics" of Ms Husar's allegations.

"Not for a moment do I think that we are perfect, I don't, and I don't think for a moment that issues around culture are limited to one side of politics, and I've made that really clear in a range of comments that have been made about this broad topic over the last year or more," he said.

Wayne Swan, National President of the Labor Party, said Senator Kitching took her concerns to Mr Marles, but he was unaware if there had been an "official" complaint.

"I don't believe we've got a systemic problem with bullying at all," Mr Swan told Today.

"It is not surprising when you have principled, articulate and passionate people in your party, that from time to time they have differences of opinion. 

"We take the issue very seriously and if there are issues they should go through the party processes which are world-leading and comprehensive."

Mr Swan said an investigation into the allegations had been launched.

Disgruntled workers of UK ferry operator P&O Ferries have shared the video in which a company executive announced the sacking of 800 workers over Zoom.

The un-named executive – who is not the CEO of P&O Ferries – apologises for his "stilted style" but said a scripted video was needed to ensure that all employees received the same information at the same time.

Citing losses of 100 million pounds ($178 million) annually, the ferries boss said all workers would be replaced by a third-party crew.

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"The company has made the decision that its vessels going forward will be primarily crewed by a third-party crew provider," he says.

"Therefore I am sorry to inform you that this means your employment is terminated with immediate effect on the grounds of redundancy.

"Your final day of employment is today."

The announcement prompted onboard demonstrations among workers, some of whom were reported to have locked themselves onboard vessels in protest.

Others reported seeing bus loads of agency workers arrive at the docks to take the positions of the sacked workers.

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While P&O Ferries carries more than 10 million passengers and millions of tonnes of freight between the UK and Europe each year, it is owned by Dubai-based logistics group DP World.

In a statement released to the public, P&O Ferries said it was doing this to provide "better service to customers" and warned of short-term delays.

"P&O Ferries have today announced a programme of work to become a more competitive and efficient operator, providing a better service to our customers across the tourism and freight industries," a statement on the operator's website reads.

"While we enact these changes, there will be significant disruption across P&O Ferries services over the next few days, however we are working to minimise the impact on your journey."

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Rustom Tata, an employer lawyer and chairman of law firm DMH Stallard, said that it looked like P&O Ferries was trying to avoid renegotiating pay with its workers and replace them with agency staff.

"For those staff who have been, or are about to be dismissed, they will certainly have claims for unfair dismissal," Tata said.

"One has to question the extent to which the integrity of the P&O brand will be impacted not only by the fact of redundancies, but also by the apparently wholly planned approach being taken to such a large proportion of its workforce ignoring some of the basic fundamentals of employee relations."

Additional reporting by CNN

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The first Indigenous person to be elected to the Tamworth Regional Council in North West New South Wales says that grassroot community engagement with Aboriginal people is crucial to closing the gap.

"Aboriginal people have been asking for their voices to be heard on issues that are local and on priorities that are important to them," Tamworth Regional Council councillor and Gomeroi man Marc Sutherland said.

"The voice that is coming from the Aboriginal community is that closing the gap needs to be driven by Aboriginal people and supported by the government, not the other way around."

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Close The Gap aims to address and end the gross inequality that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. This year, the campaign's report highlighted the importance of Aboriginal community-controlled services, which Mr Sutherland said were doing great work in Tamworth.

"The conversation is really looking towards 'what can local government do?'" he said.

"What can Tamworth Regional Council do to really support the work that's already being done, and support the community addressing some of the gaps that still exist, in trying to address those priority areas and some of those targets?"

Mr Sutherland said that while historically local government has not been a major player in "closing the gap", things are beginning to change as councils are the level of government closest to people.

"Closing the Gap is important to be able to put focus on the targets that currently exist in trying to provide some social equality and it's been a space that local government in New South Wales typically hasn't been a major player in," he said.

"But recently local governments have really committed to supporting those target areas."

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In late 2021, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) published an implementation plan which enhances the shared policy development and decision making at the local government level.

The association's president Linda Scott said local government recognises the need to reduce social and economic disadvantage that Indigenous Australians and particularly those living in remote communities experience.

ALGA is calling on the Commonwealth Government to provide $100 million per annum over four years for local governments to support the capacity and capability of Indigenous councils and to implement closing the gap.

"We know if this funding is allocated, it would create 804 jobs across the nation," Ms Scott said.

"It would contribute $117 million to Australia and most importantly, it would fund the work that local governments are proud to do to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians."

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While the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have improved over the years, the disadvantage gap is far from being closed.

"The life expectancy of Aboriginal people in this country is still greater than 10 years difference to non-Aboriginal people," Mr Sutherland said, adding the council was looking at 17 spaces to address this disparity.

"To improve it, we can't just look at health and education. We're now looking at employment, we're now looking at housing, we're looking at justice, we're looking at mental health.

"All of these areas that previously sat outside of the target to close the gap have now been brought in, and so as a community and as a local government closest connected to the communities trying to work out what can we do to best support outcomes in those spaces, to make sure that Aboriginal programs will be delivered by Aboriginal people to get better outcomes for our communities."

Mr Sutherland said it "means a lot" to be the first Gomeroi person elected to serve the community on a local government level in the region.

"If we want to advocate for national change or state change, then it is important that we toe the line and lead the way from our local government perspective and, and that's what I'm really passionate to do."

Aldi has been forced to cancel its highly anticipated snow equipment sale as supply chain issues force the supermarket to focus on groceries.

The discount grocer informed shoppers via social media that it was battling "deep disruption" in its supply chain and felt the "responsible option" was to prioritise food products for in-store delivery.

Held once a year, Aldi's Snow Gear Special Buys sales have reached near-cult status among shoppers who have been seeing queuing for hours to get first access to discount jackets, pants, ski equipment and snow wear.

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"We know many customers look forward to our annual Snow Gear Special Buys and we are disappointed to share it will not be in stores this year," Aldi informed shoppers via its Facebook page.

"Due to supply chain issues that have impacted retailers across the country, our priority has been ensuring essential grocery items are available on shelves.

"Deep disruption in our supply chains over a number of months has meant that we have needed to make difficult decisions to make sure grocery is prioritised, and the removal of this year's Snow Gear Special Buys was a hard, but responsible option."

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The supermarket said it hoped customers would understand the need to postpone the sale, which is scheduled to run as normal in 2023.

"We know the Snow Gear is a much anticipated Special Buys event. It is never our intention to cause disappointment, but we hope our customers understand the need to prioritise essentials in a time that has been a logistical challenge," Aldi said.

"We love the Snow Gear Special Buys and can't wait to be a part of customers' snow holiday plans with top quality gear at low prices in 2023."

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While Aldi did not specify the exact issues complicating its supply chain, several retailers have complained of a "perfect storm" of variables forcing businesses to alter sale schedules.

The high price of fuel combined with COVID-19 isolation requirements – both domestically and overseas – have hit at the same time as the war in Ukraine and major floods on Australia's east coast.

A child had to be airlifted to hospital after been attacked by a kangaroo on a property in north-west New South Wales.

The three-year-old girl suffered serious lacerations to her head, back and arm yesterday around 5.30pm.

A kangaroo was seen on the back porch where the child was before she was injured.

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NSW paramedics treated the girl on scene.

"The young patient had suffered a number of deep lacerations, including a wound to the side of her head as a result of this attack," inspector Brian Lakin said.

"There is no doubt this would have been a terrifying ordeal for the little girl, who appeared to be in shock when paramedics arrived."

"This is a reminder to everyone about how unpredictable wild animals can be."

Ambulance inspectors stabilised the toddler before calling for The Westpac Rescue Helicopter around 6pm.

The girl and her mother were airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition for further treatment.

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The attack comes after a Victorian teen was seriously injured when a kangaroo jumped onto her dirt bike.

Jemima Song, 14, and her sister Isabel were riding on a farm in western Victoria when the animal sprung from the trees and into her front wheel, throwing Ms Song off her bike.

She spent ten days in hospital with ruptured organs and a fractured spine.

Doctors expect she will make a full recovery by the end of April.

A former gold rush town in Western Australia's Pilbara region has experienced its hottest Autumn day in recorded history.

The mercury in Roebourne in the state's north hit a sweltering 47.1C yesterday, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said.

"(That's) the hottest it's ever been this late in the season," BoM said.

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https://twitter.com/BOM_WA/status/1504374988530458625

Temperatures across the town are expected to cool to the high 30s over the weekend, before climbing above 40C again next week.

The extreme heat is being fuelled by a high pressure system, which moved into the Bight on Thursday resulting in northerly winds over southwestern parts of the State.

"Friday will be warm for many areas, with some areas set to reach temperatures 8-10°C above average for this time of year," the BoM said.

As the west braces for extreme temperatures the BoM has told northern and eastern Australia "more above-average rainfall" is on its way.

Australia is in the grips of a La Niña wet weather event, which has peaked but is seeing a delayed end due to "stronger than average" trade winds.

READ MORE: Girl attacked by kangaroo in north-west NSW while sitting on porch

https://twitter.com/BOM_au/status/1504335157091700747

The BoM said "La Niña is likely to return to neutral by late-autumn."

Let's see what the weather is doing around the nation's capitals.

Brisbane

Brisbane will experience a rainy day as temperatures reach 29C.

Light winds becoming southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h in the middle of the day then become light in the late evening.

Sydney

Showers and a potential thunderstorm are also developing in Sydney, which will today reach a maximum temperature of 27C.

Rain is most likely during this afternoon and evening.

Melbourne

Light showers will be felt across Melbourne, which will reach a high of 21C.

Sunny breaks will increase by late afternoon.

Canberra

A shower or two is also developing in the nation's capital, as the mercury hits 27C.

"There's a medium chance of showers during this afternoon and evening," BoM wrote.

"The chance of a thunderstorm during this afternoon and early evening."

Hobart

Temperatures will reach a maximum of 18C in Hobart, with an early shower forecast.

Winds will tend south to southwesterly at 20 to 30 km/h, tend south to southeasterly in the middle of the day, then become light in the late evening.

Adelaide

A sunny day will play out in Adelaide where a maximum temperature of 29C is forecast.

Winds will tend southeasterly at 20 to 30 km/h.

Darwin

Showers and a "gusty" storm are possible in tropical Darwin. This is most likely from late morning and afternoon, BoM said.

A maximum temperature of 34C is forecast.

Perth

And in Perth, the mercury will hit 29C. It will be partly cloudy with light winds.