As it happened: Australia could import gas to deal with shortages; Safeguard mechanism debate resumes

And that’s all of our live coverage for today. Thanks for joining us.

Here’s what you may have missed from today:

• A former SAS soldier has been charged with Afghanistan war crimes.
• Star Entertainment has pleaded guilty to fresh charges.
• NSW Police have launched an operation centre in response to mass fish deaths.
• Former US Navy boss Richard Spencer has spoken at the National Press Club and says Australia’s acquisition of nuclear submarines will help protect against Chinese aggression.
• Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi customers have been affected by the Latitude Financial hack.
• Victoria is set to ban Nazi salutes after a far-right rally over the weekend.
• The NSW election campaign continues and Premier Dominic Perrottet has been slammed on privatisation.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed China’s willingness to play a “constructive role” in solving the Ukraine crisis.

We’ll be back tomorrow from 6am. Sarah Keoghan signing out.

The judge who led the investigation into alleged Australian war crimes in Afghanistan is expected to be the Albanese government’s pick to head the first federal anti-corruption body.

NSW Court of Appeal Justice Paul Brereton has been nominated by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to run the National Anti-Corruption Commission, according to senior federal sources not authorised to speak publicly because the appointment has not been publicly confirmed.

Brereton is in the process of being vetted following a months-long search for an eminent legal mind to run the powerful new graft agency billed as a vehicle to weed out misconduct from national politics.

If he is confirmed in the position, he will take on the important role of running the NACC in its first years as it determines how aggressively it pursues corruption allegations into serving and former politicians in secret and or public hearings.

The government is also in the final stages of appointing deputy commissioners to the body the government hopes will be up and running in the new financial year. It will fulfil a key Labor pledge from the last election, after the Coalition failed to set up an anti-corruption body despite broad public support.

Read more here. 

The clean-up in Menindee will soon be underway after hundreds of thousands of dead fish were found floating in the NSW Darling River due to low levels of oxygen.

NSW Police have announced an emergency operations centre would be set up in an effort to properly dispose of the fish and organise the supply of clean water to Menindee residents.

Locals have been calling for immediate action on the issue, reporting the fish are now beginning to smell.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett Greentree said the force hoped to move on the clean-up “very quickly”.

“As you can appreciate, it is quite a logistical challenge with the millions of fish that are currently dead within the Darling River. There is a need for contractors to come in. They’re specialised, they’re trained, and they’re not based in Menindee,” he said.

“We’re just trying to negotiate a timeframe for them to attend. I haven’t got a timeframe at the moment. But I anticipate it will be this week.”

Federal Labor MP Josh Burns has weighed in on Saturday’s anti-trans rights protest in Melbourne.

“This past weekend we saw confronting sights on the streets of Melbourne as anti-trans activists were supported by a squad of neo-Nazis giving Nazi salutes,” he said in a statement provided to parliament.

“I want to acknowledge the Victorian Liberal leader, John Pesutto, for moving to expel a member of his own team who attended, supported and promoted the Melbourne rally.

“Australia must be better than the ugly scenes we saw in one of the proudest houses of democracy in our nation. Bigotry, hatred, discrimination and vilification have no place in our diverse, multicultural society.”

On Saturday, anti-trans rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull organised to speak to supporters outside the Victorian parliament.

A group of about 30 people dressed in black from the neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Network attended in support and performed Nazi salutes on parliament’s steps before being led away by police.