Australians could be hit by another interest rate hike as soon as a fortnight from now unless inflation eases.

Minutes from the Reserve Bank's cash rate meeting at the start of the month have revealed the RBA was tossing up between leaving rates on hold and increasing them by a quarter of a per cent.

While the board under new governor Michele Bullock ultimately decided on the former, it did so keeping in mind that quarterly inflation data will be released this month and will play a significant role in November's interest rates decision.

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"Members observed that, prior to the November meeting, they would receive additional data on economic activity, inflation and the labour market, as well as a set of revised staff forecasts," the RBA minutes, released today, said.

"In reaching their decision, members noted that some further tightening of policy may be required should inflation prove more persistent than expected.

"The board has a low tolerance for a slower return of inflation to target than currently expected.

"Whether or not a further increase in interest rates is required would, therefore, depend on the incoming data and how these alter the economic outlook and the evolving assessment of risks."

Key among that incoming data are two upcoming releases from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

A labour force update – including the key measure of the unemployment rate – will be released on Thursday, before quarterly inflation data comes out next Wednesday.

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While inflation has decreased significantly since its peak of 8.4 per cent in December, last month's data revealed an unexpected uptick from 4.9 to 5.2 per cent in August.

Much of that was driven by increasing oil prices – something noted by the RBA.

"Rising energy prices had seen headline inflation pick up in a number of countries over the prior couple of months, including in Australia," it said.

"Members discussed the recent increase in oil prices, which were almost 30 per cent higher than at the end of June… refined fuel prices had risen even more."

Those observations were made before the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas sparked significant fluctuation in fuel prices.

Analysts at ANZ Research expect oil to hit $US100 a barrel in the short term because of the growing risk of regional escalation.

Neither Israel nor Gaza is a significant oil supplier, but the risk to oil markets will rise if "the conflict broadens", they wrote in a research note on Friday.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this story contains images of a person who is deceased.

A corrections officer on trial for murder did what he thought was necessary to stop an escape when he fired three shots in quick succession, killing a man as he ran from custody, a jury has heard.

Dwayne Johnstone, 43, died after being hit with the officer's bullet outside Lismore Base Hospital as he escaped following his discharge on March 15, 2019.

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He had been taken to the northern NSW hospital when he collapsed and began convulsing in the court cells after being remanded in custody earlier that day.

The bullet that hit his heart was the third fired by the corrections officer, who has pleaded not guilty to murder.

The man cannot be legally identified, besides under the pseudonym Officer A.

His barrister Philip Strickland SC told a NSW Supreme Court jury on Tuesday the man identified himself as a corrections officer and shouted "stop or I'll shoot" before firing three times.

"When he fired the third shot, he believed he was doing what was necessary to prevent the escape, that was his job," he said.

Strickland told the jury the officer fired a warning shot which hit a railing and a second shot which went through the window of a closed medical clinic before the third shot hit Johnstone.

Prosecutors disputed that the first was a warning shot during an opening address on Monday.

Johnstone was taken back to the hospital after being shot but died about two hours later.

Prosecutors allege the shooting occurred without lawful excuse.

Officer A told police Johnstone was running quickly despite having shackles around his hands and ankles.

The officer did not believe either he or another corrections staff member accompanying him could catch up.

Strickland said the jury would have to consider whether the officer acted necessarily to prevent an escape.

"When you consider the issue of reasonable grounds, look at it through the eyes and perspective of the accused," he said.

CCTV footage that captured the 11-second period before Johnstone was shot came from about 95m away and showed a different perspective than the officer had at the time, Strickland said.

Experts would tell the trial how perspectives could be exaggerated and distances could appear inaccurate on footage due to the position of the camera, he added.

The trial continues and is expected to last about four weeks.

A 29-year-old has been arrested in relation to the shootings

While the city hit a 23C high today, a least 22 beaches remain closed in the Waitematā.

“As whānau, we can only hope for him to get well soon.”

The first of two repatriation flights that helped Australians and their families flee Israel has landed in Sydney.

The Qatar Airways plane carrying 222 passengers, including around 74 Australians and their children, left Dubai earlier today.

The passengers were in Dubai after being transported out of danger in Tel Aviv by an Australian Air Force flight on Saturday. They then boarded the mercy flight home.

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This is just one of two planned repatriation flights out of Israel, the Australian government confirmed earlier today.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said there would likely be no more flights to repatriate Australians.

"We do believe these flights meet the immediate demand," he said.

The government's attention now turns to Gaza where more than 45 Australians have reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for assistance.

"Clearly people who are in Gaza right now are in a very, very difficult situation," Marles said. 

"We are encouraging them to move south within Gaza, to heed the call of Israel in that respect."

The government is focusing on working with international countries to try and establish a humanitarian corridor out of Gaza.

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"We continue to do a lot of engagement with the United States, with Israel [and] with Egypt to try and assure passage for Australians out of Gaza," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said yesterday.

"Obviously the security situation on the ground there is extremely difficult and so far we have not been able to do that. We will continue to do everything we can to arrange that passage."

Meanwhile, Emirates confirmed this morning it is adding a special humanitarian flight to its schedule from Dubai to Sydney. The flight will leave Dubai on Thursday at 9.40am local time.

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More than 250 Australians and their families were also flown out of Tel Aviv across three flights on Sunday evening Australian time- two of the flights were on RAAF aircraft and one was a Qantas chartered flight.

Australia has been arranging onward passage from Dubai, including the Emirates flight, while Qantas has put on flight from London.

Australians who wish to travel on the Emirates flight should contact centre or sales offices, or their nearest Australian consulate or embassy, a spokesperson for Emirates said in a statement.

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"Emirates stands ready to help impacted Australians return home, through our regularly scheduled services between Dubai and Australia, as well as the deployment of additional humanitarian flights as needed," the spokesperson said.

"We have made aircraft and crew available and put them on standby to activate over the past days, pending confirmation of passenger numbers and other details from the Australian government."

A $1 million reward is on offer as a fresh investigation was launched into the murder of one man and the suspected murder of another.

Detectives say they have "never given up" on solving the murder of Frederick Rosson, who was also known as Charles Johnson on the Gold Coast, and the suspected murder of Iain Stewart Hogg in Tweed Heads.

They believe the same people are responsible for killing both men in 2002, and say "it's never too late" for people to come forward.

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Hogg is thought to have been shot dead on Monday 11 March 2002 in a carpark on Coral Street, Tweed Heads.

His distinctive red Toyota Celica was seen there and it's believed his body was dumped in the Tweed River.

It has never been found, and police are specifically appealing to the LGBTIQ+ community who may be able to help.

A few days later on Thursday 14 March 2002, Frederick Rosson is believed to have met two men at his home in Mt Nathan, Queensland to see a firearm he was selling.

Rosson was shot dead with his own gun.

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A red Toyota Celica was seen at the property, believed to have been stolen after Hogg's murder.

That vehicle was abandoned at Palm Beach, Queensland, the following week.

Now NSW and Queensland governments have put up the cash as police announced they were stepping up the investigation.

NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, Yasmin Catley, said she hoped the reward would encourage those with information to come forward.

"Investigators have never given up on finding answers for the loved ones of Frederick and Iain, and today, the NSW Government reaffirms their ongoing support for the investigation," Catley said.

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Tweed/Byron Police District Crime Manager, Acting Inspector Chris Elliott, said investigators believe that the same people killed both men.

"The families of these men deserve closure having dealt with the uncertainty of what happened over two decades ago," Elliott said.

Queensland Police Service Detective Acting Inspector Adam Bennett from Gold Coast Criminal Investigation Branch said police hoped the reward to lead to a breakthrough.

"It is never too late to come forward," Bennett said.

Grain and oilseed production is down in Australia due to drier growing conditions on the back of three consecutive strong harvests.

Australia is due to deliver a winter crop of 48.72 million tonnes, which is 24 per cent down on last year's record-breaking 63.85 million tonnes, according to rural and agriculture financer Rabobank's 2023 to 2024 forecast.

The bank is predicting all cereal and coarse grain production, including wheat, barley and oats, will decrease this season.

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RaboResearch associate analyst Edward McGeoch said there was a silver lining for farmers as prices had risen above those globally, which created a "positive basis" for wheat and barley.

"Global export demand should also be supportive of canola prices," McGeoch said.

He said a "tighter supply outlook" was ahead for grain and oilseed due to the drier El Nino climate outlook.

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"Production expectations are varied across regions with some farmers expecting to see elevated production due to positive growing conditions they have experienced while others will be facing tough decisions as to whether it will be worth harvesting their crop," McGeoch said.

Victoria is the only place where production is expected to rise due to last year's floods in the northern parts of the state.

For more information see the Rabobank here.

Accusations of war crimes have rung loud in recent months, even reaching among the most powerful people in the world.

The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine, obliging him to miss a summit in South Africa.

And more recently, a United Nations Commission of Inquiry said it has been "collecting and preserving evidence of war crimes committed by all sides" since the latest round of violence between Israel and Hamas started last week.

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But in the context of a war, defined by mass death and violence, what can be considered a crime?

What is a war crime?

The concept of improper military conduct in times of war dates back centuries – the medieval European code of chivalry being one such example.

But international "laws of war" were only developed and adopted – at least in theory – in the 19th and 20th centuries.

According to the United Nations a war crime, first and foremost, can only be committed in the context of armed conflict, whether international or domestic.

There is no single document that codifies what the UN considers to be war crimes, but they can be found throughout the Hague and Geneva conventions and related add-ons.

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What kinds of war crimes are there?

A war crime most typically involves the intentional targeting of civilians or the murder of prisoners of war.

Torture (including biological experiments), sexual assault, wilful killing, hostage-taking, unlawful deportation, and targeted destruction of non-military targets are all considered breaches of international law.

Other war crimes include depriving prisoners of war of their rights and fair trial, or even making use of another country's military insignia or UN emblems – for example, to carry out an ambush.

Declaring "no quarter" – ie, that no prisoners will be taken – is also a war crime.

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Certain weapons are also outlawed, from white phosphorous gas to anti-personnel mines.

Depriving civilian populations of essentials such as aid and medical supplies are also included.

Many of these also count as crimes against humanity – but that term applies to such breaches of international law outside the context of a military conflict.

Likewise, genocide, another crime the ICC had broad jurisdiction over, can take place both within and without a wartime context. 

How are war crimes prosecuted?

The ICC, as noted above, can issue arrest warrants for people accused of war crimes.

However, it can only prosecute those who are brought before it by member states, as it lacks a police force.

This is why its warrant for Putin has little effect inside Russia, which in any case is not a member state.

However, if he had travelled to South Africa – which is a member state – authorities there would have been obliged to arrest him.

In short, in most cases, for war criminals to be punished they first have to lose a war.

Additionally, the court does not investigate or prosecute every allegation of war crimes around the globe. Most states have military courts or their own statutes for prosecuting war crimes.

Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, for example, was sentenced to death in 2006 by an Iraqi court for the murder of 148 Shiite Muslims in Dujail.

Prior to the establishment of the ICC, the United Nations could convene ad-hoc tribunals to investigate particular subjects, such as the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Nazi war criminals were convicted by the International Military Tribunal, formed by the Allies after WWII.

The ICC does not hold global jurisdiction, with non-member states including the US, Russia, and China. Australia, however, is a signatory.

How are war criminals punished?

If somebody is brought before the ICC and convicted of war crimes, they have the right to appeal.

But if that is lost, the court will impose a jail sentence that can extend to 30 years in prison – though it also has the option to declare a life sentence.

The person sentenced will then be imprisoned in a country that has agreed to enforce the sentence.

The ICC, established in 2002, has only handed down a 30-year sentence once, to Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda in 2019, for crimes against humanity that included the recruitment of child soldiers.

A man has been charged over offensive comments he allegedly made during a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney's CBD on Sunday.

Police allege the 63-year-old man was one of thousands of people who attended a pro-Palestinian gathering in the wake of Hamas attacks earlier this month.

He was arrested at a home in Mt Druitt in Sydney's west about 8pm yesterday.

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The man has been charged with the use offensive language in/near public place/school.

He was granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on November 15.

Police are continuing to investigate.