The drama involving Chinese warships in the Tasman Sea has escalated with a second live firing drill on Saturday afternoon.

It comes just a day after a similar incident in which passenger jets were forced to change course with little warning.

Now, the opposition and security experts are calling for a stronger response from the federal government.

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However the prime minister, while on a pre-election campaign trail in Tasmania, insisted China were within international law.

"Defence has confirmed that China did comply with international law," Anthony Albanese said, before the second live firing drill took place.

"We believe it would've been appropriate to have been given more warning of this potential event taking place.

"I can confirm also that there has been no danger to Australian assets as a result of this action in China."

Albanese was meeting residents in must-win swing seats in the apple Isle, as Chinese navy vessels advised of live firing activity for the second day in a row in waters just to the east.

New Zealand's defence minister Judith Collins confirmed their navy observed live rounds being fired from the Chinese ship's gun.

The Australian PM knocked back suggestions the government should impose any stronger rebukes like restrictions on trade.

"You do know that most of the trade goes from here to there, not the other way around," Albanese told reporters.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong raised concerns over Friday's live fire drill alert – including appropriate notice – when meeting with her Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in South Africa.

"I don't think we have a satisfactory answer from China as to the question of the notice," Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles told Weekend Today.

Last week, a Chinese jet released flares just meters in front of an Australian surveillance plane.

The same week, the defence department made public that they were monitoring three Chinese warships sailing in the Coral Sea.

Those ships made their way down the East Coast and on Friday, forced the diversion of passenger planes mid-flight after radio warnings that live fire drills would be conducted in the Tasman Sea.

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"Mild and diplomatic rebukes by the Australian Government whenever one of these incidents happen, is not deterring the Chinese from doing it again and again and again," defence analyst Malcolm Davis told 9News.

Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie shared a similar view.

"I think what we've seen from the prime minister and his defense minister is a pattern of weakness over the last two years," he said.

However, New Zealand's PM, Christopher Luxon, echoed his Australian counterpart.

"They are in international waters," he said.

"They are completely within the bounds of international law."

On Saturday night, new details of a deal struck between China and the Cook Islands to build more ports and ships, reinforcing that our biggest trading partner continues to be our biggest security challenge.

Marles also told Weekend Today, usually the Royal Australian Navy would give between 12 to 24 hours' notice if they were performing live firing exercises in international waters.

He said he was ensured an "unprecedented level" of assets to shadow the ships to figure out what the Chinese task group are doing.

"This is an unusual mission that we are seeing with this task group… what we have done is put in place an unprecedented level of surveillance in respect of it," Marles said.

"They are not breaching international law, but nor are we in terms of the surveillance that we're putting in place."

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A man's face was slashed and a woman's hand cut, in random machete attacks in Melbourne's south east.

The two offenders fled the scenes in a white Subaru, which was stolen during a terrifying home invasion in Prahran.

The bloody aftermath of the random daylight attack remained today at a Cheltenham car wash, after a 37-year-old woman was slashed with a machete.

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The woman was confronted at Ezy Bay Wash while vacuuming her hatchback.

"She was quite distressed, you could see she was going into shock when she started shivering," witness Jarod told 9News.

"She had a slash on her wrist which was bleeding quite heavily. She also looked like she'd lost the tip of her finger and her finger-nail, so she was in a lot of pain."

The male and female offender took off with her handbag and phone.

It's understood the same armed pair targeted a 73- year- old man in Keysborough on Friday night, slashing him three times.

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Neighbour Lina Te said the elderly man's wife told her he'd suffered a cut to the neck and face, across his cheek.

The thugs fled both scenes in a car stolen during a terrifying home invasion in Prahran on Friday afternoon.

"They were asking where's Adam? Where's Peter? Where's my 20k?," the home invasion victim told 9News, not wanting to be identified on camera.

"[I] tried to tell them we didn't know an Adam, you've got the wrong house.

"Then she puled out a machete."

9News understands police were also called to Patterson Lakes this morning where the stolen Subaru was spotted driving around suspiciously.

Despite concerns, nothing was stolen from the area.

"I honestly feel like crying knowing that it's my car that they're in and that someone actually got hit with the machete," the woman said.

The offenders remain on the run.

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New claims have emerged about a key piece of evidence that could help solve South Australia's long-standing Beaumont Children mystery.

It has been revealed that a key suspect in the children's disappearance was related to the family by marriage, potentially explaining why the children might have trusted him.

The Adelaide property that man once owned is now being excavated again by a private group.

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"I think all of Australia want to see closure," Independent MP Frank Pangallo said.

A fresh search got under way today in Adelaide's Western Suburbs for the bodies of Jane, Arna and Grant Beaumont, who disappeared from Glenelg Beach in 1966.  

The privately organised dig is a last chance to see if anything can be unearthed at the former Castalloy factory site before a housing development is built on top. 

It's land once owned by the deceased wealthy industrialist Harry Phipps.

The organisers of the dig believe he is the prime suspect in the disappearance of the three siblings.

The factory site was identified by two men, who were boys at the time and say they were paid to dig a grave-like hole there three days after the children disappeared.

The people who've been investigating Phipps believe he was a paedophile.

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Today they revealed that just this week, a key new link between him and the Beaumont family has come to light.

Harry Phipps had a niece who married a cousin of Jim Beaumont, the children's father.

There's been a long-standing theory that the children knew their abductor they were seen playing with a mystery man at Glenelg and appear to have gone with him willingly.

"So we've been searching for that link, or that possible link, all that time, and now we've got one," retired detective Bill Hayes said.

The excavation company is doing the work over the next week for free.

9News understands there was also an anonymous donation of $10,000 to help clear the site.

South Australia Police is not involved in this dig having previously said it did not believe it will succeed, but it is monitoring the outcome.

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The family of a Queensland mum who's been missing for three weeks have issued a heartfelt public appeal for help to find her. 

Tayla Spies was last seen in the tiny town of Surat, but the search area is so vast police say even they don't know where to start.

Twenty seconds of CCTV captured in a dusty carpark 80 kilometres west of Roma are Tayla Spies' last known movements.

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"She's been missing since the second of February and we've been working with the family to try to locate Tayla," Queensland police services spokesperson Garry Watts said.

Her 2017 Toyota Hilux was spotted passing the Cobb & Co Changing Station in Surat just after 11am, then the 29-year-old Queensland mum vanished, sparking a missing persons investigation spanning the Maranoa region that has left experienced police baffled. 

"Unfortunately with the nature of the investigation at the moment, we have no starting point," Watts said.

"And with an area so vast of 9000 square kilometres, we're unable to put feet on the ground to commence a proper search, so we've utilised police assets and aerial assets.

"We are frustrated that we have been unable to locate the vehicle, and Tayla."

Three weeks after her disappearance, Tayla's family are pleading for the public's help.

The pain and enormity of her absence increases with each day that passes and the worry is consuming us all," Tayla's sister Rebecca said.

"Sissy, if you're watching this, I want you to know that you are so loved and cherished by so many people."

Police are urging farmers in the area to join the search asking them to check their land for any sign of Tayla or her ute.

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A man has been left fighting for life after a machete attack in Footscray.

The 24-year-old was stabbed several times after a group came to blows in front of locals and diners.

CCTV footage captured the chaotic brawl spilling out onto a Footscray street just before 9.30pm last night.

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Security cameras captured a car accelerating into the battling gangs.

One man is seen pulling out a machete and allegedly stabs a 24-year-old several times before they're pulled apart. 

"The police were everywhere, the area was barricaded," a local resident told 9News.

The 24-year-old stumbled onto the pavement before collapsing on a park bench along Albert Street. 

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Evidence of the brutal attack was still visible this morning.

A badly injured local man was taken to the Royal Melbourne with life-threatening injuries and had emergency surgery.

It's unclear whether the groups knew each other or if it was a targeted attack.

No-one has been arrested, with the attackers still on the run. 

Residents and business owners in Footscray told 9News they're fed up with the amount of crime and drug use in the area.

They're calling on the already stretched police force to ramp up patrols, especially at night. 

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Campaigners are calling for mandatory cashless cards to be introduced at pokies in Queensland pubs and clubs as Queenslanders lose a record amount of money to pokies machines.

The state's players have lost $3.5 billion to gaming machines in the past year, equal to more than $9.5 million a day, according to new data.

The billions were lost in about 41,000 pokies machines across the state.

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And that's only machines in clubs and pubs, not casinos.

Losses have jumped 46 per cent since the pandemic, and areas with some of the lowest median household incomes are losing the most.

In Logan, $128,954 are lost to each pokie machines every year, while in Lockyer Valley, $111,556 is lost per machine, and in Ipswich, its $101,876 per machine per year.

"It makes us sick to the stomach when we think of the miser that that loss and that massive figure underlines in terms of the impact on families," Alliance for Gambling Reform chief executive Martin Thomas told 9News.

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"What that data tells us is the gambling industry is predatory and it targets low income households in many cases – people that can least afford to lose this money."

Critics says mandatory electronic gaming cards could prevent patrons losing more than they bargained for.

"The carded play is a simple system where people just have to identify themselves first and then they can pre-set how much they want to lose in advance," said Thomas.

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The reforms would be similar to those being introduced in Victoria, where maximum loading limits are also being slashed from $1000 to $100.

"Once they've reached that limit, it might be $100 a week, then they're locked out of playing until that next week," said Thomas.

There is also a push in New South Wales for carded play in the coming years after a trial.

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"People should be able to choose how they spend their money," said Queensland Hotels Association chief executive Bernie Hogan, who disagrees with possible reforms.

"Are we going to put restrictions on people on how … what food they buy and what cars they drive? No we don't. This is people's choice."

Queensland's attorney-general said the findings from interstate will be considered before any changes are made.

There are many different ways to get help and information about gambling. You can visit the National Gambling Helpline or call on 1800 858 858.

A young mother says she has been left traumatised by a Melbourne shopping centre attack that police fear was racially motivated.

Two Muslim women, one of whom is pregnant, were hospitalised following the assaults at Pacific Epping on High Street in Epping about 1.10pm on Thursday.

One of the victims, a 27-year-old mother-of-two, was grocery shopping when a random woman slapped her across the face and shoved her to the ground.

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She suffered bruising across her body and said she is now too scared to leave her home.

"This lady, like out of nowhere, just came and like it was a punch, smack, something like that, right across my left side," she told 9News.

"I'm an Australian citizen, I was born here. Getting attacked in your own country is a bit wild."

About 10 minutes earlier, another woman, aged 30, had her hijab grabbed in an attack as she sat at a a cafe inside the shopping centre.

"She said [the attacker] came from behind and choked her with her hijab and wouldn't let go," the woman told 9News.

9News understands members of the public did not intervene during the incidents.

The attacker fled the scene on foot.

Both women were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and police are investigating.

"There is absolutely no place in our society for discriminatory, racist, or hate-based behaviour and such activity will not be tolerated," a spokesperson for Victoria Police said.

The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) condemned the assaults.

"Both victims, one of whom is pregnant, were taken to Northern Hospital by ambulance for treatment after being left with bruises, scratches, and potentially long-term physical injuries," an ANIC spokesperson said. 

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"Despite the prompt response of police and ambulance officers at the scene, the aftermath of this incident has left the victims feeling ignored and fearing for their safety."

The spokesperson said one of the women was then subjected to online threats after sharing the incident in a local Facebook group.

"We insist on an overhaul of current protocols to ensure that all Islamophobic attacks are taken seriously, and that those affected receive the necessary follow-up and referrals to victim support services," the spokesperson added.

Anyone who witnessed the assaults is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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An Adelaide psychologist has created a unique video game to help children navigate anxiety and mental health challenges. 

Drawing from her extensive experience working with children, April Benjamin identified a disconnect between traditional therapeutic methods and the way children prefer to engage.

"Kids were really struggling to maintain therapeutic outcomes because a lot of therapy involves homework tasks," Benjamin told 9News. 

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Recognising the need for a more engaging approach, she devised a game called Taming Yore Dragon that incorporates key therapeutic concepts in a fun and interactive way.

"It was wonderful to see the kids play it, and they were having so much fun, I don't think they noticed they were learning (cognitive behavioural therapy), but the parents really understood what the kids were doing," Benjamin said.

She's aiming to bring the game to the market within the next two months, and hopes other child psychologists will adopt the game as part of their therapeutic approach.

Until then, Taming Yore Dragon will be available on game platform Steam for around $30.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.

Gold Coast wrestler Danielle Glanville, better known as Harley Cameron, has returned to Queensland after leaving the cabaret stage of Dracula's on the Gold Coast to grace wrestling rings worldwide.

Cameron showcased her newfound wrestling talents in front of an adoring hometown crowd, describing it as a "full circle moment" since leaving the Gold Coast uncertain of her future.

"I left here when I had no idea what I was going to do when i moved to America, it's nice to come back to have achieved this," she said.

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Despite not securing a victory in her Brisbane match during the All Elite Wrestling tour, Cameron's performance was met with enthusiastic cheers from her dedicated fans.

She told 9News that nearly 100 friends and family members had come to support her.

Cameron's journey to wrestling stardom began with her years of experience on the Dracula's stage, where she honed performance skills that have proven invaluable in her new profession.

"A lot of people like to say it's not real," she said.

"What we do is very real.

"It requires extreme levels of athleticism and dedication."

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.

An Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered robot companion is helping Victoria's aged care population fight loneliness.

Colourful humanoid friend Abi loves to dance, blows bubbles and speaks 90 languages to help aged care residents and staff communicate.

But most importantly, she can recognise people, understands emotions and can build friendships.

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Andromeda founder Grace Brown said Abi's purpose was to combat isolation.

"Around 60 per cent of people in aged care never receive visits from friends or family," Brown said.

"People see her as a grandchild, they don't see a robot.

"Our big-picture mission is to replace one billion hours of loneliness and isolation with joy and companionship."

Abi is being trialled at an aged-care home in the Melbourne suburb of Prahran, with hopes she will be present across 22 aged-care facilities in Victoria by the middle of the year.

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