Australia and Japan have agreed to strengthen economic, energy and defence ties to withstand the shocks of the war in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese counterpart Takaichi Sanae marked 50 years of "friendship" today with the signing of the new Joint Declaration on Economic Security and Cooperation.

The agreement will build "trusted" fuel, energy, critical minerals, food and technology supply chains with the major trading partner.

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"Our Joint Statement on Energy Security reaffirms our commitment to navigate the current energy crisis together and maintain open trade flows of essential energy goods, including liquid fuels and gas," Albanese said at a press conference with Sanae this afternoon.

"For Australians, it will mean we are less vulnerable to global shocks, like we are seeing right now because of conflict in the Middle East.

"It will mean more security for farmers when they are planting their crop, and more certainty for commuters when they are filling up their car."

It comes as Australia looks to shore up more fuel shipments from its allies after supply chain disruptions caused by the war in Iran. 

Australia gets the majority of its refined fuel from Asian markets, which get their oil from the Middle East.

Albanese travelled to Malaysia and Singapore last month to secure more fuel and has now turned his sights on Japan.

While Australia gets some of its fuel supply from Japan, Japan receives about 40 per cent of its liquified natural gas from Australia. 

Australia and Japan also signed agreements on critical minerals, defence and an open Indo-Pacific region.

Both countries have instructed their relevant ministers to find ways to strengthen their partnership. 

"Our friendship has never been closer, and in these uncertain times, friendships matter more than ever," Albanese said.

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Sanae, through a translator, said the meeting with Albanese was "highly productive" and would affirm their countries' relationship for the next 50 years.

"The two countries have built a relationship as frontrunners in cooperation among like-minded countries by advancing pioneering security cooperation at a level that could be described as quasi allies," she said. 

Sanae admitted the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had created regional issues, but said the pair will work closely to strengthen their resilience.

"We affirmed that Japan and Australia will closely communicate with each other in responding with a sense of urgency," she said.

Japan is Australia's third-largest two-way trading partner and second-largest export market.

Under a $10 billion deal signed in April, Japan will deliver three upgraded Mogami-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy in 2029.

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The A2 Milk Company has recalled three batches of baby formula imported to the US due to the presence of a highly potent toxin.

The announcement today caused the Auckland-based company's shares to plummet on the ASX by 12 per cent from $7.27 to $6.49, wiping hundreds of millions of dollars off its market capitalisation.

The company detected cereulide in the A2 Platinum Premium formula for infants 0 to 12 months old after additional testing was needed to comply with New Zealand's food regulatory authority's new guidance.

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Cereulide can cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting within 30 minutes to six hours after ingestion.

Symptoms typically ease on their own but infants can be at greater risk of dehydration due to their developing immune systems. 

More than 16,428 units of formula were sold in the US through the A2 Milk Company's website, Amazon and Meijer stores.

The A2 Milk Company said there have been no confirmed incidents of any illness or harm.

The product was not available for sale in any other country.

A2 Milk Company chief executive David Bortolussi said the safety and quality of his products were his "highest priority".

"I want to reassure parents and caregivers that our infant milk formula products sold in Australia and New Zealand, China and other markets are not impacted by this isolated recall in the US," he told investors in a statement.

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The A2 Milk Company said there have been no confirmed incidents of any illness or harm.

The formula with the following batch numbers and use-by dates has been recalled:

• Batch number 2210269454 and use-by date 15/07/2026
• Batch number 2210324609 and use-by date 21/01/2027
• Batch number 2210321712 and use-by date 15/01/2027

Affected customers are advised to stop using the product, throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. 

Any baby experiencing the related symptoms should receive medical care immediately, according to the company. 

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Most regions are set to see rain by Thursday, with heavier bursts in the west.

Liam Dann says underutilisation and job growth data will be crucial signs.

A Canberra driver has captured a bizarre and alarming sight: two young people appearing to "drive" a couch down a dark, wet road last night.

The video, which was uploaded to a local Canberra Facebook page, appears to show the riders steering two escooters while seated on the two-seater couch in drizzling rain.

Cars can be seen driving past in the opposite direction.

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ACT Police told nine.com.au they received a report of two youths riding scooters while sitting on a sofa on Maribyrnong Avenue in Kaleen at about 9pm last night.

The busy road has a sign-posted speed limit of 60km/h.

"Police are concerned with e-scooter riders who are putting themselves and others at risk with dangerous behaviour," an ACT Police spokesperson said.

"E-bike and e-scooter riders are vulnerable road users, they are at a higher risk of serious injury or death in the event of a collision."

The speed shown on the odometer of the car that's filming trailing behind the couch posts a speed hovering around 28km/h.

The couch riders do not appear to be wearing helmets and no reflectors or rear lights are attached to them or the couch.

The video was uploaded to a local Canberra group on Facebook last night by an anonymous poster, who said they had just seen the boys on Maribyrnong Avenue.

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While some locals who commented on the video saw the funny side of the act, others were concerned for the couch riders' safety and that of fellow road users.

Escooters are legal in Canberra for riders over the age of 12, but only on footpaths, bicycle paths and residential streets where there are no footpaths.

Safety precautions such as helmets and appropriate lights and reflectors are mandatory and passengers not are permitted.

Police have asked anyone with information about the e-scooter sofa riders to contact Crime Stoppers via the Crime Stoppers ACT website.

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A spell of warm and sunny weather across south-eastern Australia is forecast to come to a shuddering halt this week.

Tasmania, Victoria and southern NSW will feel much chillier by Thursday when a blast of cold winds from the deep Southern Ocean rolls in, reports weather data firm Weatherzone.

The weather system will begin its march on Wednesday, and over the following 24 hours, snowfalls can be expected in parts of the NSW Snowy Mountains, the Victorian Alps and the Tasmanian Highlands.

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The latter two could record falls as low as 800 metres, forecasters say.

A second cold front is due to arrive early Friday, extending the plummeting temperatures and gusty winds through the day, while snowfalls will be limited to higher ground.

But skiers and snowboarders shouldn't expect an early start to the winter sports season.

"Snow accumulations across the two days should amount to approximately 10-20cm across the Victorian and New South Wales major resorts and about 3-8cm across the Tasmanian Central Plateau and the higher peaks in south-west Victoria," according to Weatherzone.

"This should be ample snow cover for snow play, snowball fights and maybe a slide on a toboggan."

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Residents in south-eastern capital cities should be reaching for the winter woollies by Thursday when the mercury drops markedly.

Canberra is heading for a chilly maximum temperature of 8 degrees, Hobart 11 degrees, Melbourne 12 degrees, while Sydney can expect a far more pleasant 19 degrees.

Anyone heading outdoors should prepare to add an extra layer of clothing, with cold, gusty winds accentuating the chill factor.

The wintry blast is forecast to be brief, with seasonal average temperatures returning by the late weekend.

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US President Donald Trump says the Pentagon is preparing to release some "very interesting" UFO files uncovered by his administration, generating a mix of buzz and scepticism as he hints at new revelations around questions of alien life.

Trump started stoking interest in February, directing federal agencies to release their records related to extraterrestrial life and UFOs. Since then, he has built suspense with tantalising updates, teasing an imminent release of documents never before shared by the US government.

"We're going to be releasing a lot of things that we haven't," Trump said on Wednesday at a White House event celebrating NASA astronauts.

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"I think some of it's going to be very interesting to people."

Trump has relished in portraying himself as the president who spills the secrets. In the first week returning to office, he ordered the release of records related to the assassinations of President John F Kennedy, Senator Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. The disclosures revealed little beyond what was already known.

In the buildup to that release, Trump said "the American people deserve transparency and truth".

Now, as he turns to the sky, the president has struck a similar tone, suggesting answers to decades-old questions may be on the way.

His February directive on social media called for transparency around "alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)".

"The first releases will begin very, very soon," he told supporters in April at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix.

"So you can go out and see if that phenomena is correct. You'll figure it out."

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Expert cautions against raising expectations

Even before Trump's directive, the Pentagon was years into a process to declassify and release government documents related to UFOs, now often referred to as unexplained anomalous phenomena, or UAP.

Citing concerns over national security, Congress created an office in 2022 to investigate UAP and declassify as much material as possible. The office's 2024 debut report revealed hundreds of new UAP incidents but found no evidence that the US government had ever confirmed a sighting of alien technology. A second report covering more recent sightings is expected to come soon.

That agency, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, is now working with the White House to release "never-before-seen UAP information", according to a Pentagon statement.

The office's previous director, however, said Trump's promises were bluster, a "shiny object" to distract Americans from the war with Iran. Sean Kirkpatrick, a physicist and former career intelligence officer who led the office until 2023, said he has seen the government's records and believes there are no bombshell revelations to be found.

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"Readers should not get their hopes up that there's going to be some document with photos, interviewing the aliens when they came down," he said. "Because that just doesn't exist."

Videos purporting to show alien technology tend to have mundane explanations, he said. Modern infrared cameras used by the US military often capture jet engines and other hot objects in a long thermal bloom, which, Kirkpatrick said, explains viral videos of speedy, pill-shaped objects.

Pentagon not forthcoming on UAP reports, GOP-led panel says

On Capitol Hill, those types of videos have caught the attention of a small group of Trump-aligned Republicans who insist the Pentagon is holding back secrets.

The Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets has been conducting its own investigation into reports of mysterious aircraft near US military installations, which the panel says pose a threat to national security and the armed forces.

Last autumn, the task force heard testimony from current and former service members who described UAP encounters. In one case, a senior Navy officer said he was off the coast of California in 2023 when he saw a glowing "Tic Tac" shaped object emerge from the ocean and link up with three similar objects. They sped away in an instant, he said.

Trump's interest in the subject has energized congressional Republicans, including Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna, an Air Force veteran who co-chairs the task force. Luna has criticised what she calls "more than adequate" transparency from the Pentagon.

In a March letter to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Luna demanded dozens of UAP videos identified by whistleblowers and labelled with names such as "Spherical UAP in clouds". Her deadline for Hegseth came and went, and no videos were produced.

Trump's entry to the UFO fray drew applause from Luna, who last year told podcaster Joe Rogan that she has seen evidence of "interdimensional beings." The Pentagon "can't hide from our docs request anymore!" Luna said on social media after Trump's directive.

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One Nation has its eyes on success in the seat of Nepean ahead of the November state election, despite the Victorian Liberal Party gliding to victory in yesterday's byelection.

Liberal candidate Anthony Marsh rose to the top of the ballot on the Mornington Peninsula yesterday but suffered a haircut on the primary vote, with One Nation candidate Darren Hercus picking up one in four first-preference votes.

The former Mornington Shire Council Mayor succeeds former deputy Liberal leader and ex-pro tennis player Sam Groth, who retired from politics in February.

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With almost 80 per cent of the vote now counted, Marsh has picked up 38.5 per cent of the first preference vote.

That represents an almost 10 per cent slump in first preference support for the Liberals compared with the last election.

Most of those votes went to One Nation candidate Darren Hercus and Independent Tracee Hutchison, who each saw first preference swings of more than 20 per cent towards them.

But it wasn't enough to tip the Liberals from the seat, who led by more than 10,000 votes once preferences were distributed.

"It is the honour of my life to be standing here in front of you as the next member for Nepean," Marsh told Liberal Party supporters after a clear result was declared around 9pm.

"It's been a hard-fought campaign, I think we're day 67 in and to stand in a room full of blue after what was an incredible day, I am so honoured and privileged again to be in this role."

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The by-election had been regarded as Wilson's first test ahead of the state election in November.

"I say thank you to the residents down here on the peninsula for putting your trust in Anthony and in me," Wilson told supporters last night.

"I will not let you down, I will fight for you every day.

"I have met thousands of you over the past few weeks. I have looked you in the eye and I have said 'as your next premier, I will deliver for you'."

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The by-election was also touted as a major litmus test for One Nation, which has gained a large groundswell of voter support in the last six months owing to a strong appetite for change.

Pauline Hanson is yet to comment on last night's performance, but data shows around one in four Nepean voters put One Nation first on their ballot yesterday.

There'll be no break from campaigning, with Hercus and Hutchison both vowing to contest the seat when voters return to the polls for the state election.

"Twenty-four, 25 per cent, that's huge," Hercus said.

"It's a big swing. The Liberal Party have done well but we're in the game now. We're a serious contender."

Marsh said elections were a competition.

"I take nothing for granted, I'll fight each and every day between now and November," Marsh said.

Federal counterparts in Farrer were watching the vote closely ahead of their own by-election next weekend.

Speaking to Weekend Today, former Nationals leader David Littleproud said it was difficult to draw comparisons from the strong Liberal result in Nepean.

"It will be a challenge, I think federal and state issues are different," Littleproud said of the Farrer by-election.

"By-elections send very different messages to general elections, but every election sends a very strong message for everyone to learn from, as it was for the Liberals in this state seat as well."

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A mother, father and their adult son have been killed in what police allege was a gruesome triple murder in Sydney's south-west.

Charles Feng and Ruvena Lam's oldest son, Jacky Feng, who was arrested outside their Rosemeadow home, has been charged with murdering his parents and youngest brother and trying to kill another brother.

Senior police said officers were confronted with a "very grizzly crime scene".

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At 1.30am today officers found 65-year-old mother Ruvena Lam injured and started CPR before discovering the full scale of the tragedy on Juliet Close.

"Police then went inside the house, and found a 64-year-old male who was still alive with serious blunt force head injuries," Superintendent Grant Healey said.

That man was 64-year-old Charles Feng.

Neither he nor his wife survived.

Police then found their youngest son, 25-year-old Justin, dead in the granny flat.

"This is an incredibly rare incident and it is incredibly tragic," Healey said.

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A third brother, aged 30, was injured but was able to call Triple Zero.

He is out of hospital but unable to go home.

Police alleged the 32-year-old accused left the scene this morning before officers arrived but came back an hour later and was arrested.

He was charged this afternoon with three counts of three counts of murder (DV) and one of attempted murder (DV) and refused bail to appear before Campbelltown Local Court tomorrow.

Forensics are still searching for multiple alleged murder weapons including a hammer.

They towed away the suspect's car, as they hunted for a motive.

Healey said emergency services were faced with a "horrendous" scene.

"They were confronted with a very bloody scene," he said.

He said the family was not well known to police and never for domestic violence incidents.

"This is a very tragic incident, there was no way for us to predict this kind of thing to occur," he said.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)

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Search and Rescue teams have been called to the Masterton river.