TRANSCRIPT
- David McBride, the whistleblower who leaked defence secrets, has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison.
- The Greens have expressed concerns over tonight's budget decisions on climate.
- And in football, Tottenham Hotspurs given one last chance to reach the Champions League.
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David McBride, the man who leaked classified military documents that revealed alleged war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, has been sentenced to five years and eight months in prison.
His non-parole period has been set at two years and three months, meaning he won't be released until at least August 2026.
Handing down the decision in the ACT Supreme Court today, Justice David Mossop says it was unlikely McBride could be rehabilitated because he believed he had done the right thing.
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie says the decision was controversial.
"The first Australian to go to jail over alleged war crimes in Afghanistan is the whistleblower who brought the allegations of war crimes to the medias and to the public's attention. I can say with great confidence that the vast majority of people who have been following the David McBride issue will be deeply disappointed today."
McBride pleaded guilty to stealing classified material and leaking it to journalists.
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Greens leader Adam Bandt has expressed concern about tonight's budget decisions in relation to climate issues.
This comes after the Australian government was criticized for its controversial choice to continue expanding and investing in the extractive gas sector for decades to come.
Mr Bandt says he hopes Labor will change its approach on tonight's budget announcements.
''Labor's policy is now crystal clear and it has the backing of every single Labor MP, and that is to approve more coal and gas Mines out past 2050, when we're meant to be at zero pollution. We'll have a vote later this afternoon, so maybe those Labor backbenchers will see the error."
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is set to deliver the federal budget for 2024-25 tonight at 7.30pm.
The Treasurer says the budget will walk the line between addressing cost-of-living concerns as well as lowering inflation levels.
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High-risk domestic violence offenders in New South Wales are set to either be refused bail or subject to electronic monitoring in a proposal to increase protection of women and children.
The reforms are set to be passed by the state parliament this week and aim to target the most serious offenders facing a maximum penalty of 14 years or more in jail.
Executive Director to the Justice Reform Initiative, Dr Mindy Sotiri says that, even though legal changes are needed, they must be based on evidence.
"There is an absolute crisis when it comes to violence against women, and we absolutely need to hold perpetrators with that violence to account. What the Justice Reform Initiative is saying is that we need to be very thoughtful about overusing incarceration when we know that prison does not work to address the social drivers of violence against women, or in fact most crime.”
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In football,
Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham team has been given one last chance to secure a spot in the Champions League after Aston Villa draws 3-3 with Liverpool.
But it won't be an easy road to the top four as Spurs face a top-form Manchester City team tomorrow morning.
While Tottenham were able to secure a 2-1 victory over Burnley on Sunday, this followed a late season slump which saw four-consecutive losses bruise Postecoglou's reputation and allowed Villa to consolidate a fourth-place position.
Some Tottenham fans have expressed that they don't want Spurs to win the match as it would give their rivals Arsenal a direct line to the league trophy.
But Postecoglou says he doesn't care about anything other than winning against a top team like City.
"I don't really care. I'd hate to think that anyone thinks that we would go out there tomorrow night with anything other than trying to measure ourselves against a top team and maybe win a game of football that's consequential. How are we ever going to become a team that wins things if we don't win the big games? If we shy away from it? So why would we shy away from a challenge tomorrow night that exists."
