Good morning Canberra,
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We're one step closer to Friday - and for the lucky among us, holidays. We're looking at a sweltering top of 39 degrees today with a medium chance of a shower in the afternoon. The minimum will be a (still warm!) 19 degrees. Stay cool and drink plenty of water.
Let's take a look at what's making news today.
Tram won't go to hospital
The second stage of Canberra's light rail will not extend to the hospital in Woden, despite more than half of ACT residents surveyed preferring the tram to terminate there.
After months of community consultation and technical analysis, the ACT government has narrowed down the possible routes the light rail will take south from the city from four to two.
The first option hugs the arterial road between Civic and the Woden Town Centre, while the second detours off Commonwealth Avenue towards Barton before rejoining the main road three-quarters of the way around Capital Circle.
Katie Burgess has the details.
New debt recovery method targets families
The Coalition will dump more than half a billion dollars in welfare reforms but expects to pocket savings by targeting a new debt recovery method at families.
After the government canned some of its planned changes on Monday, the Department of Social Services will bear the brunt of the resulting budget hit costing the agency $661 million over four years, offset for the government by savings in other agencies.
It will turn instead to other, new reforms which it expects will make $176.6 million by using family tax benefit lump sum or instalment arrears payments to claw back social security, student welfare or paid parental leave debts from recipients beginning in December next year.
Doug Dingwall has more here.
Judge hopes child porn sentence not 'too lenient'
A Canberra judge has rejected a man's claimed lack of sexual interest in children as an excuse for possessing child pornography, saying that explanation did not lessen the exploitation of victims.
Justice Michael Elkaim also hoped the community would not view as too lenient his decision to hand the man, 41, a suspended sentence and said he did so "with a degree of reluctance".
The man - whose name has been suppressed - had developed an interest in "teenage girls" on free porn sites, a psychologist said.
Read Megan Gorrey's story here.
Keyworth keeps a look out
Is this Canberra's best office view?
ACT Parks and Conservation fire management officer Amelia Keyworth climbs a ladder each shift into one of the ACT's four fire lookout towers, where she plays a vital role preventing the spread of bushfires within the territory.
The ACT's four fire towers are located at One Tree Hill in the north, Kowen Forest in the east, Mount Tennent in the south and at Coree in the west.
Read Steven Trask's story here.
Former cafe owner fined $56,000
Some 40 per cent of ACT businesses audited by the Fair Work Ombudsman earlier this year were found to still be "non-compliant" with workplace laws during a recent follow up audit.
The audit resulted in the former owner of one of the businesses, a cafe in Belconnen, being fined more than $56,000 for failing to properly keep records of pay checks to employees.
The ACT campaign targeted mostly hospitality and restaurants as well as the beauty sector. Of the 80 businesses previously found non-compliant, 48, or 60 per cent, had met all workplace laws the second time round.
Daniel Burdon has the story here.