If it's hard to imagine what it feels like to give $1 million to charity and then get criticised for it, just ask billionaire Jeff Bezos.

In January 2020, as the deadly Black Summer bushfires scorched Australia, Bezos logged onto his Instagram account and announced Amazon, the company he founded, was donating $1 million to victims.

At the time, Bezos' net worth was estimated at $US116 billion.

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Vice pointed out $1 million was a mere .00059 per cent of Bezos' personal fortune, while Business Insider framed the figure as less than five minutes of income for the world's second richest man.

After the Black Summer bushfires, which burned 24 million hectares (an area the size of Turkey), killed 33 people, destroyed 3000 homes and inflicted billions of dollars of damage, Amazon changed tack.

The online retail giant decided it could best help victims of natural disasters by flexing its powerful logistic muscles, instead.

Over the past three years, Amazon has opened six disaster relief hubs around the country – two in Melbourne and facilities in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Stocked inside the hubs are 220,000 items – donated by Amazon – ready to be whipped out to emergency zones.

Amazon has long used machine learning, and more recently AI, to anticipate and source what customers want to buy online, and they're applying the same tech to disaster relief.

The computer algorithms, paired with on-the-ground experience, helped Amazon work out what things people need most in the crucial first days of an emergency, or when they are suddenly been made homeless.

The packs, put together by Amazon volunteers, include toiletries, first aid kits, tents, tarpaulins, sleeping bags, kids' colouring books, water and other items.

As workers brace for an extreme bushfire season this summer, the hubs have bustled with activity the past few months.

Charlotte Richardson, who leads Amazon's disaster relief efforts in Australia, said Amazon has learned lessons from the Black Summer fires and assisting nonprofit charities and partners in more than 115 disasters here and around the world.

"We sort of quickly realised that the best way for us to be able to leverage our business was through the establishment of a disaster relief hub where we could work with our vendors and suppliers," Richardson said.

"The feedback that we've had from our nonprofit (partners) is that storage and transport and procurement of relief items is really essential and something they genuinely need a lot of help with."

Since launching the hubs in Australia, Amazon has sent out more than 550,000 items in 14 disasters, including bushfires, floods and COVID outbreaks.

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Abe Diaz, the head of Amazon's global disaster relief program, said the mission is to bring Amazon's delivery efficiency to disaster zones.

"For our relief partners, we are the one-stop shop that enables them to support and serve people quickly and more efficiently," he said, when 9news.com.au recently toured Amazon's headquarters in the US.

Trying to source products after a disaster had struck was too slow and didn't make sense, he said.

Instead, Diaz said, Amazon's power and scale allows it to get items close to disaster zones before they are needed, and store them in a way charities and non-profits can't.

"That financial commitment (of storage) can be too much for them to handle," Diaz said.

"Amazon is able to use our scale and existing networks to shoulder these loads."

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Diaz said delivering what disaster victims and charities actually need is crucial, and helps avoid what disaster relief groups call "the second disaster", when a flood of unwanted donated goods is sent to the frontlines.

"Our flexible logistics allows us to quickly source and ship supplies that would otherwise be difficult to acquire locally," Diaz said, "things like can openers, because when you have lost everything, what good is canned food if you can't open it?"

Since the program began in 2017, Amazon said it has donated 23 million items in more than 115 disasters including bushfires, floods, hurricanes and landslides.

The reporter travelled to Seattle for the 'Delivering the Future' media event as a guest of Amazon. Amazon did not pay for this content.

A sunken Spanish galleon laden with treasure, described by some as the "Holy Grail of shipwrecks", is set to raised from the seafloor and lawyers are circling.

The Colombian government said the San Jose, a three-masted ship sunk by the British navy in 1708, would be recovered as a matter of urgency, including treasures believed to be worth up to $20 billion in today's money.

Scientists found the San Jose in 2015 off the coast of Colombia, solving one of one of maritime history's most enduring mysteries.

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After it was hit during a battle with British ships in the War of Spanish Succession, the San Jose sank to the ocean floor with a treasure of gold, silver and emeralds on board.

That treasure has been the subject of legal battles between several nations as well as private salvage companies.

When the ship was found, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos described the ship's haul as "the most valuable treasure that has been found in the history of humanity".

The Colombian government said the ship will be brought above water before President Gustavo Petro ends his term of office in 2026.

The exact location of the wreck remains a secret – it sank somewhere in the wide area off Colombia's Baru peninsula, south of Cartagena.

It's believed the San Jose was carrying 11 million gold and silver coins, emeralds and other precious items from Spanish-controlled colonies.

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Only a handful of the ship's crew of 600 survived when the San Jose sank.

A US salvage consortium known as Glocca Morra claimed to have found the ship in 1981.

But the Colombian government disputes this, saying a team of divers under its command discovered the wreck at a different location, which remains secret.

According to Bloomberg, the syndicate is suing the Colombian government for half the treasure, worth $10 billion.

The arbitration case is being heard in London.

The tight-knit community of Daylesford in Victoria came together overnight to mourn the deaths of five people killed after a car smashed into a beer garden at a local pub.

Pratibha Sharma, her husband Jatin Chugh, and her daughter Anvi were sitting at the Royal Hotel in Daylesford when a white BMW SUV crashed into outdoor tables about 6pm on Sunday.

Sharma and Chugh died at the scene. Nine-year-old Anvi was flown to hospital but did not survive her injuries.

READ MORE: Father and son among victims of Victorian pub crash

Their friend Vivek Bhatia, 38, and his 11-year-old son Vihaan were the two others killed, according to The Age.

Bhatia's wife, a 36-year-old woman, and a second son, aged six, were both injured in the crash.

The six-year-old was initially in a critical condition with broken legs and internal injuries but has since stabilised.

Another group, which included an 11-month-old baby boy, was also injured. The child's mother was not hurt, however another two people with them were hospitalised.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said it's believed that none of those killed were locals, but were all tourists visiting the popular town.

The driver of the BMW, a 66-year-old man, was taken to hospital and treated for shock and minor injuries.

He is not believed to have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and police will investigate whether he suffered a medical episode at the wheel.

It's expected he will be interviewed by police today.

The community came together overnight in a park vigil to commemorate the victims and mourn their loss.

The long-term impact of interest rate rises has delivered almost half of mortgage holders a hip pocket hit reaching well into the tens of thousands of dollars, according to new research.

When we think about the impact of rate hikes, it's generally a fairly straightforward, short-term equation – higher rates mean higher mortgage repayments, which in turn means less spare cash for households to spend.

However, the string of 12 increases since May last year – which is tipped to rise to 13 later today when the RBA board gathers for its November meeting – is also preventing Australians from making extra repayments and getting ahead of their loan, according to Canstar.

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On average, homeowners contribute an extra $266 per month to their mortgage repayments, paying the loan off sooner and therefore saving them tens of thousands of dollars in avoided interest in the long run.

"Making extra loan repayments not only reduces the long-term cost of the loan but also cuts the period of time that borrowers are indebted to the bank and making repayments," Canstar finance expert Steve Mickenbecker said.

But the finance comparison service says 45 per cent of mortgage holders have lost the ability to invest in the strategy due to the cost of living crunch.

It says someone with 15 years and $200,000 left on their mortgage will miss out on $26,288 in interest savings, as they'll take three fewer years to pay the loan off.

For a newer borrower with $400,000 owing over 25 more years, the damage is far worse: $94,426 in missed savings and being locked into the loan for four years and nine months longer than what would otherwise have been the case.

READ MORE: Top global finance body calls on RBA to hike interest rates

Or, for a new 30-year loan for $500,000, the difference between making extra repayments and not is more than $150,000.

"Unfortunately, right now borrowers are abandoning the strategy in their droves," Mickenbecker said.

"Many borrowers who had their heart set on repaying their loan earlier have had to ditch the idea to simply meet higher interest rates and the cost of living pressures.

"Making extra repayments to the home loan is a way to be financially free sooner.

"When the mortgage is repaid the homeowner can move on to their next big financial goal and continue to grow their wealth.

"Borrowers who have had to forgo making extra repayments will potentially be inhibited from launching into a full-on investment strategy by another three to six years of shelling out loan repayments."

The 38 per cent of mortgage holders who, according to Canstar, are making extra repayments at the moment could dwindle to an even smaller share of the market, with experts expecting the RBA to hike the cash rate a further 0.25 per cent today.

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That would push minimum repayments up once again, making it even more difficult to pay off a loan early.

Mickenbecker said it's hard to prioritise extra repayments while struggling with the cost of living, but that it's a worthwhile strategy when circumstances allow.

"When the Reserve Bank started to hike the cash rate 18 months ago, the banks reported that a high proportion of borrowers would cope comfortably because they had built up balances in offset accounts or available for redraw," he said.

"Fewer borrowers are doing that today and will as a result be indebted for longer and be less resilient to future shocks.

"It's hard to preach the message of higher repayments when borrowers are doing it tough, but times will get better and when they do, borrowers can and should go into repair mode by restoring their extra loan repayments."

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says it is in Australia's national interest to be engaged with China, pointing to the significant trade ties between the two nations ahead of a meeting with President Xi Jinping tonight.

Albanese is the first Australian leader to set foot in China in seven years, a sign of the thawing relations between the countries.

Barriers between the two remain, though, including significant trade tariffs that are set to be on the agenda when Albanese meets with Xi.

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The prime minister said he was looking forward to constructive discussions with Xi after recent concessions made by China in relation to the importation of Australian barley.

"There are promising signs," Albanese said.

"We've already seen a number of the impediments to trade between our two nations removed and an uplift already, substantial uplift, in the trade between our two nations…

"Barley already restarting, barley arriving here, making a difference.

"What that means is Australian jobs."

From the outset of his prime ministership, Albanese had demanded that China immediately lift what he described as "unjustified" official and unofficial trade barriers costing Australian exporters $20 billion a year.

Those barriers have since been substantially reduced and now cost about $2 billion.

Labelling China Australia's most important trading partner, Albanese said it was crucial to remain engaged with the Asian superpower, just as it was to remain engaged with the United States.

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"Yesterday [at a trade fair in Shanghai] I was with 250 Australian businesses," he said.

"That's about Australian jobs. That has an impact on our economy.

"That has an impact on inflation and how successful we are.

"We are a trading nation. This is very much in Australia's national interest for us to be engaged just as it was in Australia's national interest for me to be engaged in the United States."

The comments come after Albanese stopped by the China International Import Expo to help showcase the produce of more than 250 Australian companies, including crayfish and beef producers.

Also on the agenda when the two leaders meet tonight will be human rights issues, with Albanese promising earlier to bring up the jailing of Australian pro-democracy blogger Yang Hengjun, who has been detained in China without conviction for almost five years.

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"I'll be saying that Dr Yang's case needs to be resolved and I'll be speaking about his human rights, the nature of the detention and the failure to have transparent processes," Albanese told reporters in Darwin on Saturday, shortly before his plane departed for Shanghai.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry this week defended Yang's prosecution, saying his case had been handled in strict accordance with the law.

While saying he was "very positive" about the talks, Albanese vowed to be forthright with Xi when they meet.

"What he can expect from me is the continued patient, calibrated and deliberate way of engaging, and what I expect from President Xi is the same," Albanese said.

Laws that jail intoxicated Victorians will be scrapped on Melbourne Cup Day, in a move that advocates claim will protect the state's most vulnerable Indigenous Australians.

Being intoxicated in public will no longer be a crime from Tuesday, with Victoria to adopt a "health-led" response that will focus on targeted support.

The move will attempt to address the longstanding issue of indigenous deaths in custody, and was in large part a result of the tireless advocacy from First Nations communities following the death of elder, Aunty Tanya Day.

"These reforms strike a balance between supporting people who are intoxicated and community safety, and… will undoubtedly change and save lives," Minister for Mental Health, Ingrid Stitt said.

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Indigenous deaths in custody were this year at their highest in the past 15 years, according to a report from the Australian Institute of Criminology.

In 2021–22, there were 106 deaths in custody: 84 in prison custody and 22 in police custody or custody-related operations.

The important law change in Victoria was in large part inspired by the death of Yorta Yorta Indigenous elder, Tanya Day, who died in police custody after she was arrested for public drunkenness.

From November 7, public intoxication will now no longer be a crime and police won't be able to arrest people for being drunk and detain them in police cells.

It comes four years after the state committed to transitioning from a criminal justice to public health approach to the issue.

Instead, people will be supported to go to a safe space like a sobering up centre.

Police will still be able to arrest drunk people if they're committing an offence.

The health-led model prioritises services for First Nations Victorians, in acknowledgement of the disproportionate impact public intoxication laws and police interactions has had for too long.

"For too long we have seen First Nations Victorians disproportionately affected by current laws and too many tragic outcomes when they are in custody," Stitt said.

"Being intoxicated in a public place should not be a crime."

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Aboriginal outreach services will be operated across Melbourne, Frankston and Wyndham, supporting Aboriginal Victorians who are intoxicated in public.

The dedicated First Nations sobering centre in St Kilda will operate from an existing service that is already open and run by Ngwala, and other dedicated services will provide support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across eight key areas of need in regional Victoria.

There will also be 24/7 outreach services available for the general public across Melbourne.

The services will work alongside local health and social support services to ensure people can also access help for concerns like alcohol and other drug addiction, family violence, homelessness, mental health and wellbeing, or financial difficulties.

At 55 years old, former nurse Mia Smith* did not expect to be living in a crammed sharehouse with no hot water, no locks on the doors, a broken toilet seat and stained carpet.

But for three months, that was her reality.

As the nation's housing crisis continues, desperate renters are forced to settle for "unliveable conditions" in crowded rentals.

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After moving 40 times, Mia found the Melbourne property on Facebook Marketplace, agreeing to pay $910 a month for a room.

She lived in the share house for three months, until deciding enough was enough.

"There's no minimum standards to the place that is a requirement in Victorian law," she said.

"I've had to give up this room and break a lease that's non-existent … I'm basically homeless," she said.

She is now forced to couch surf at friend's houses while she searches for a permanent place to live.

Alice Stolz, national property editor at Domain, said Mia's situation exemplifies the harsh reality of the nation's current housing shortage.

"Fundamentally it speaks to just how severe this affordability and rental problem is," she said.

"People who really feel they have no options and have been driven to areas like Facebook marketplace really need to exercise caution."

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Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Victorian conference director Rebecca Auriant has been tasked with helping Mia, and thousands of other struggling renters, find a suitable home.

"I strongly feel that the exploitation of people who are vulnerable is a crime," she said.

"It makes me really sad that people like private landlords will charge excessive amounts for just a room … these rooms aren't meeting minimum standards."

WWII veteran Ronald Russell Allison died in a suspicious house fire at Te Karaka in 2013.

Weeks after marrying her soulmate, Grace Wilson received a phone call that changed her life forever.

"The man I married nine weeks ago was stabbed, that's a phone call no wife wants to receive," she said, in a statement read by her mother Barbara, to the Supreme Court on Monday.

"We were on such a high from getting married and that all came crashing down."

Wilson, 25, was left a single mother when her husband Dylan Bond, 26, was murdered and his brother Heath seriously injured, in April 2021.

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The morning after his death, their 17-month-old son picked up Dylan's work boots and searched their Geelong home for him.

"He kept searching for his dad to play with him," she said.

The Bond brothers' mother wept as she described being taken into a family room at hospital to be informed one of her sons was in surgery and the other was dead.

"I started to feel I too had left my body and I was looking down at myself screaming, shaking and crying uncontrollably," Fiona Hollowood told the court.

"My head could not cope, I had just been told I had lost one son and now I may lose another."

She showed the court a photo of Heath's injuries, and turned around to face her son's killer, Ashley Feetham.

"That's what you did," she said, pointing at the image.

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After a 12-day trial in October, a jury found Feetham guilty of murder and intentionally causing serious injury.

He faced a pre-sentence hearing on Monday, where more than a dozen emotional statements from Dylan's family and friends were read out.

Feetham repeatedly stabbed Dylan and Heath during a brawl at his girlfriend's Geelong home, amid a romantic dispute.

Heath's fiancee, Abbey Sexton, had an affair with Feetham and the pair began a relationship after she had broken up with him.

About two weeks after the break up, Feetham and Sexton were out when Heath caught wind his ex was nearby and met up with her.

Feetham interrupted their conversation and the men started fighting.

After the brawl, messages were exchanged on Facebook between Feetham and Heath's older brother Dylan, who said "let's sort it" and arranged to go to Sexton's house.

On April 26, 2021, Heath walked around the side of the house and yelled out "Ash", opening the sliding door.

Feetham ran towards Heath and stabbed him with a large kitchen knife, before Dylan jumped in and tried to restrain Feetham.

But Feetham then turned on Dylan, stabbing him multiple times including a large fatal wound to his chest.

Feetham fled with his sister, after she hit the wounded Bond brothers with a metal rake, and Feetham's mother drove him to hospital.

Dylan died at the scene and Heath, who lost 1.5 litres of blood, survived after undergoing emergency surgery and spending days in intensive care.

Defence barrister Hayden Rattray said Feetham acted out of "excessive self-defence" due to a belief the brothers planned to harm him.

"The offending simply would not have happened if Dylan Bond and Heath Bond had not entered the house," he said.

Feetham, who injured his hand in the fight, told police he felt "quite s— about it all" when interviewed, he said.

Prosecutor Mark Gibson said the offending was made more serious by Feetham's choice to use a knife and his history of violence.

Justice Stephen Kaye will sentence Feetham on November 23.

‘I fell in love with Reefton, because it is as a town used to be.’