Australia news as it happened: Albanese calls Hanson’s anti-Muslim remarks ‘disgraceful’; US military build-up fuels speculation Trump is headed for war with Iran

Thanks for reading the national news blog. This is where we’ll end today’s coverage. We will be back tomorrow with the latest news.

To conclude, here’s a look back at some of the day’s major stories:

• Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said Australia needs to shut the door to anyone trying to bring in hatred and violence, agreeing his party would support the government to pass legislation to make sure a group of Islamic State-linked women and children cannot return.
• Telstra reported a $1.2 billion half-year profit, up 8.1 per cent, as the telco giant reaps the rewards of aggressive cost-cutting that has shed more than 2300 jobs in six months, while warning consumers may face higher mobile bills because of a $7.2 billion government spectrum charge.
• Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan had a tense showdown with a reporter during a media conference outside parliament, when she threatened to stop answering questions if the reporter did not retract a comment suggesting she was “disinterested” in the mounting CFMEU corruption scandal.

• Complaints about being cut off from emergency services have surged in Australia following the Optus Triple Zero outage and the discovery of faulty mobile phone hardware. The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman revealed the growing number of mobile phone complaints on Wednesday in a report that also showed a rise in concerns about internet outages and claims for compensation.

• A second man was arrested and charged over online threats made towards federal MPs. Australian Federal Police confirmed a 51-year-old man from Queanbeyan in NSW will appear in court in April after an investigation by the National Security Investigations team into threatening posts on a social media platform.

• And overseas, at least eight skiers have died in an avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, and a ninth is presumed dead, making the disaster one of the deadliest single avalanches in US history.

Thanks again for joining us. This is Isabel McMillan signing off.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has dodged a question on a suggestion from his new shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, to shift the Reserve Bank’s focus from unemployment to inflation.

In an interview with this masthead on Wednesday, Wilson said the opposition would review the bank’s so-called “dual mandate” which forces the bank to balance the fight against high prices, countered via interest rate rises, with the need to keep as many people possible in jobs.

Taylor, who has an economics background and previously served as shadow treasurer, did not directly answer a question about whether he backed the dual mandate.

“I absolutely support Tim Wilson’s opinion that inflation is too high in this country,” he said at a press conference in Queensland this afternoon. “He has made a strong point that there needs to be a very strong focus from the Reserve Bank and, more importantly, the government … on getting inflation down.”

Labor pounced on Wilson’s remarks. Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino said on Sky News that the suggestion was “remarkable and frankly reckless”

“This has been something that has had bipartisan support for many decades. It is a key part of our economic infrastructure,” he said.

Telstra has reported a $1.2 billion half-year profit, up 8.1 per cent, as the telco giant reaps the rewards of aggressive cost-cutting that has shed more than 2300 jobs in six months, while warning consumers may face higher mobile bills because of a $7.2 billion government spectrum charge.

Shares rose 4.1 per cent to $5.17 in morning trade after the results beat analysts’ consensus expectations.

The results, released to the ASX on Thursday, showed underlying earnings rose 5.5 per cent to $4.2 billion for the half-year ended December 31, driven by strong mobile performance, with services revenue up 5.6 per cent. Earnings per share climbed 11 per cent to 9.9¢, and the board declared a 10.5¢ interim dividend, up from 9.5¢ a year earlier. Net profit rose 9.4 per cent to $1.1 billion.

Chief executive Vicki Brady said there was strong momentum across the business, and that Telstra had delivered “strong cost control and disciplined capital management”. She pointed to the mobiles division as the standout performer, with “more customers continuing to choose our network and the value it provides”.

Read the full story here.