In this bulletin;
- A three-day snap curfew in Alice Springs comes to an end;
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dodges speculation about the date of the federal election;
- And in sport, Colombia through to the finals of the Copa America against Argentina.
The Northern Territory Police Commissioner says a snap curfew imposed on Alice Springs is ending today.
Commissioner Michael Murphy said in a statement the 72-hour stay at home order, which barred access to the CBD from 10pm to 6am, would end at 12:55 pm local time, saying there were "no reasonable grounds" for an extension.
Renewed clashes in Alice Springs threatened to extend the emergency measure imposed on Monday after a series of violent incidents.
Mr Murphy said that that during the past three days, police engaged with 159 people, directing 93 to leave the curfew area, and there was one minor event yesterday which saw several people arrested.
This comes after the Mayor of Alice Springs Matt Paterson said the controversial curfew, imposed at the start of NAIDOC week, had been working in reducing incidents.
NT Police Minister Brent Potter says yesterday's incident was not a reason for extending the order.
"We know more about the incident that occurred yesterday and the circumstances behind it. It is the police commissioner's discretion, he doesn't believe he needs to extend the curfew. We also need to look at what the curfew was intended for - a short, sharp circuit-breaker related to alcohol-fuelled violence and assaults after dark."
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The Prime Minister has shut down speculation over the election date whilst announcing a candidate for the Queensland seat of Ryan.
Former teacher Rebecca Hack will attempt to regain the seat, which is currently held by Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown, for Labor for the first time since 2001.
A date for the next federal election has not been set, but must be called before mid-2025.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Labor is preparing for the next ballot.
"This is a sign that the we’re prepared. I've already announced candidates. We've got all our candidates in South Australia. We'll be continuing to announce candidates right around Australia. There's been redistribution. We want to make sure that we have our candidates in the field in seats campaigning. Queensland of course has a state election in October. So we want to make sure that our candidates are in the field."
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Almost $10 million will be provided to two First Nations organisations to support Indigenous students.
The GO Foundation, which supports Indigenous students during their education through to preparation for the workforce will receive $4 million, whilst the Aurora Foundation will receive $4.5 million with hopes of doubling its capacity across Australia.
Education Minister Jason Clare says this will help make Australia's education system for equitable.
"We've got a good education system in Australia, but the truth is, it can be a lot better and it can be a lot fairer. I often talk about the point that young people from poor families, young people from regional Australia are less likely to finish school, and less likely to go on to university than many other children in Australia. And that's also very true of Indigenous Australians. And if we want to fix that, if we want to close the gap, if we want to turn that around, it's the sort of things that the Aurora Foundation and the GO Foundation are doing that can help us to do that."
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In football,
Colombia have beaten Uruguay 1-0 to seal their place against Argentina in the final of the Copa America.
The team held onafter a first-half goal from Jefferson Lerma, despite going down to 10 men just before the break after Daniel Muñoz was sent off for an elbow to the chest.
They face holders Argentina at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami this weekend.
Meanwhile, Gregg Berhalter has been fired as US men's coach nine days after his team's first-round exit from the tournament.
Berhalter's second term as coach was cut short 10 months after losses to Panama and Uruguay on home soil.
In a statement, Berhalter has said he takes "full responsibility" for the team's performances.
