OPINION: Renters have been thrown under a bus by the Labour Government this week. Now the dust has settled on the Government’s announced housing changes, economists are pointing to a likely rise in the cost of rents, and an increase…

The Defence Department has confirmed that an Australian soldier died while on service in the Northern Territory.

The male soldier died on Thursday after he collapsed from heat exhaustion during a military exercise.

A Defence Department spokesman told nine.com.au the was treated by members of his unit and an ambulance was called.

READ MORE: ADF to join flood rescue teams

"At the time of the incident, soldiers from his platoon administered first aid, and immediately called an ambulance.

"Paramedics responded and were on the scene treating the member within 15 minutes.

"We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends, and are providing ongoing welfare support at this difficult time."

Defence Department officials are investigating the fatality and the cause of the death is yet to be established by the coroner.

The spokesman said out of respect for the soldier's family, officials will not will be releasing any further personal or service information about him.

There is one new case of Covid-19 in managed isolation, the Ministry of Health says.Health officials have also uncovered a historical case – someone who arrived in February from India at the end of February but was only found to…

Experts are warning NSW residents to be on the lookout for killer funnel-web spiders, after heavy rain combined with warm weather creates an ideal environment for the creatures to thrive.

Funnel-webs are usually attracted to humid conditions as it is their preferred weather for mating, however officials are warning that due to the recent floods, there may soon be a "boom" of the critters as they search for dry land.

Australian Reptile Park Director Tim Faulkner said he's already seen increased movements of the spiders in recent days, with "a plague" expected to turn up in the next week.

READ MORE: Two women arrested over armed hold-ups at service stations

"The upcoming warm weather and high levels of humidity is the perfect storm for a funnel-web spider boom in coming days," he said.

"Under normal circumstances, the humidity that is generated from warm weather after a rain event would see an increase in activity amongst funnel-webs.

"This situation is completely different. Not only are we seeing increased movement due to humidity, but we're already seeing a plague of ground-dwelling spiders searching for higher ground, out of the floodwaters."

Mr Faulkner has urged residents across the state to stay vigilant, aware and across the correct protocols if they should encounter the deadly creatures.

If it is safe to do, Mr Faulkner said, it is recommended that people catch the spiders and bring them into the Australian Reptile Park so that they can be "milked" for lifesaving anti-venom.

The process has saved an immeasurable amount of Aussie lives since its inception in the early 80s and there has not been a death from a funnel-web spider bite since.

The Federal Government should apply a "laser-like focus" on increasing the pace of Australia's COVID-19 vaccination rollout as it risks falling behind other nations, a public health expert warned.

There is concern after the number of vaccinations struggled to reach a quarter of the Federal Government's target of 4 million jabs by the end of this month.

Adjunct Professor Bill Bowtell, from the University of NSW, told Today other countries are pulling ahead of Australia.

"Yesterday in the United States in one day 3.4 million doses were administered. That's getting on for about the entire adult population of Australia every week," he said.

READ MORE: How do I get my coronavirus vaccine? What to do if you're part of 1B

And even developing countries that lack the health services Australia has are making progress, Prof Bowtell said.

Public health expert Bill Bowtell said Australia is in a race against time to vaccinate its population against coronavirus.

"Developing countries like Bangladesh, Rwanda, Senegal all of whom have much worse societal problems than we do are ahead of us."

Prof Bowtell said it was essential for the Federal Government to take a cold hard look at the vaccination rollout.

"We have to ask some very serious questions about why we are falling behind, we have got to correct those problems with a laser-like focus from the prime minister and the government."

Prof Bowtell said GPs and other frontline health workers were well positioned to administer vaccinations but suffered a lack of regular supplies.

READ MORE: Victoria will restart international flights on April 8 after an overhaul of its hotel quarantine system

"I know in Port Stephens they were geared up already to receive 5000 doses a week. And what they got last week was 50. Now, that's just not good enough."

"The doctors, the GPs, the pharmacies, all ready to go, but they are being let down by a failure to commit to targets, to plan and to deliver. So we have to do better with procurement."

Prof Bowtell said supplies should increase when pharmaceutical company CSL begins producing the AstraZeneca vaccine at its Melbourne plant. Earlier this week, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved the release of more than 832,000 doses of the local AstraZeneca vaccine.

But Australia still faced a "race against time" to innoculate the population against COVID-19 while cases in the country remained very low, warned Prof Bowtell.

"We have zero-zero but people have mistaken this momentary advantage for the long term solution. And it's not. We need vaccinations. We need to have an entire population vaccinated as soon as possible."

READ MORE: List of potential exposure sites in Brisbane after man tests positive to COVID-19

Prof Bowtell said authorities should utilise sporting grounds and other public facilities as well as introducing drive-through COVID-19 jabs to ramp up vaccination numbers.

And he warned it was also essential to curb the alarming rise in coronavirus cases in neighbouring Papua New Guinea before it spilled into Far North Queensland.

"We can't be out of woods until the entire world is. Papua New Guinea particularly. So yes, we run a big risk of falling behind."

Plastic bottles and garbage float on the Tagaret River, which flows into Uru Uru Lake, near Oruro, Bolivia.

Former President Donald Trump defended some of his supporters who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, saying they posed “zero threat” to the lawmakers who had assembled there to certify the Electoral College vote that confirmed Joe Biden's victory in the presidential race.

Trump complained to Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham that law enforcement was “persecuting” the Capitol rioters, while “nothing happens” to left-wing protesters.

READ MORE: Trump 'was rooting for rioters'

"They're persecuting a lot of those people, and some of them should be — some things should happen to them," he said.

"But when I look at Antifa in Washington, even, what they did to Washington and what they did to other locations and the destruction, and frankly, the killing and the beating up of people, and nothing happens to them whatsoever.

"Why aren't they going after Antifa?"

Trump did acknowledge that those who stormed the Capitol “went in and they shouldn’t have done it.”

"It was zero threat, right from the start, it was zero threat," he said.

READ MORE: How a wild conspiracy theory led to the storming of the US Capitol

"Some of them went in, and they are hugging and kissing the police and the guards, you know, they had great relationships.

"A lot of the people were waved in, and then they walked in and they walked out."

More than 300 people have been charged in connection to the riot. Authorities have said they believe at least 100 more could face charges.

The January 6 riot followed a fiery Trump rally outside the White House, in which he urged a mob of his supporters to “fight like hell” for him at the Capitol.

A week later, the House impeached Trump for the second time, but the Senate eventually acquitted him on the charge of inciting the attack.

READ MORE: Trump's lawyer argues no reasonable person would believe her

China is extending tariffs on Australia wine exports for another five years as relations further sour between Beijing and Canberra.

Chinese officials said the taxes – expected to be up to 220 per cent – were an anti-dumping measures.

Exporters of wine related to the anti-dumping rules will need to pay tax to China's customs authority, officials said.

READ MORE: Booming Australian wheat exports to China despite tensions

The trade sanctions come after China announced last year it would impose temporary tariffs on wine from Australia from November 28 for four months, but warned they could be extended.

The Australian wine industry is expected to ask the Federal Government to approach World Trade Organisation (WTO) for help.

The latest trade sanctions against Australian exporters come after relations between Beijing and Canberra plummeted over the last year.

Exports including coal, barley, beef, lobster and timber were hit with tariffs and other sanctions.

They came after Australia called for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and the Federal Government introduced foreign interference legislation.

READ MORE: 'I can't sit in silence anymore': Tracy Vo's plea for compassion and respect

Earlier this week, Federal Government officials told Senate Estimates the value of Australian trade with China for nearly all industries has declined by 40 per cent since the trade dispute intensified.

Wine exports had dropped to less than $1 million in January, from a high of $164 million last October.

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