The disability Royal Commission closes its inquiry [[15 September]] after four and a half years; Rescue teams search for bodies washed out to sea as the death toll from flooding in Libya rises to over 11,000; And in soccer, Midfielder Jackson Irvine uncertain if he will be fit to play Australia's first 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
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TRANSCRIPT
- The disability Royal Commission closes its inquiry after four and a half years;
- Rescue teams search for bodies washed out to sea as the death toll from flooding in Libya rises to over 11,000;
- Midfielder Jackson Irvine uncertain if he will be fit to play Australia's first 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The disability Royal Commission will close its inquiry today after four and a half years.
The commission has held 34 public hearings since its initiation, and it has heard accounts of experiences of neglect, abuse and exploitation of people living with a disability.
Chair of the commission Ronald Sackville says the commission's final report will be tabled on the 28th of September, and he thanks all who have contributed to the process.
"Today provides an opportunity for commissioners and senior counsel assisting to acknowledge and reflect on the indispensable contributions made by so many people, especially people with disability and their representative organisations to our work over four years and five months."
The Royal Commission report will provide recommendations on how to improve laws, policies, structures and practices around preventing violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with a disability.
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Some members of the Arabic speaking community say awareness and understanding around the Indigenous Voice to Parliament is lacking for multicultural communities.
It comes as the delivery of the referendum booklet to all Australian households is being finalised.
The Australian Electoral Commission has published translated versions of the booklet on the AEC website in thirty four languages.
SBS spoke to Arabic speaking community members and some, like this woman, say they feel like they need more information before finalising their decision.
"I haven't made my decision yet, no. But yeah I'm hoping that it would be a yes. I've only just come back from overseas so yeah once I have more information I'll definitely make a decision."
And you can find comprehensive information about the referendum visiting the SBS Voice Referendum portal at www.sbs.com.au/voicereferendum.
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Police say a thorough investigation will take place in response to the death of a woman after being tasered by New South Wales police.
The incident occurred during a stand-off between police and the 47-year old woman who allegedly threatened police with an axe before barricading herself inside an apartment.
The woman was taken to John Hunter Hospital, where she later died.
Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna says a significant investigation and independent review into the incident will now take place.
"Certainly this will be a significant investigation as all critical incidents are. We will be retrieving all available evidence to ensure that it is thoroughly investigated independently reviewed and put before the State coroner."
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International and local rescue teams continue to search for survivors and locate the dead five days after devastating floods hit eastern Libya.
It comes as Libyan authorities are demanding an investigation into whether human failings contributed to the worst natural disaster in the country's modern history.
More than 11,000 people are reported to have died, and with thousands still listed as missing, local officials say the total could reach 20,000.
The state of emergency has been raised to the maximum level in Derna due to the number of dead in the streets and the risk of the spread of epidemics.
The Libyan Ministry of Health have confirmed divers are combing the sea off the coast of Derna to search for bodies.
Local volunteer Musa Abdullah describes the difficulty of recovering bodies from the sea.
“There were bodies thrown into the sea by the flood, and the sea began to bring these bodies back to the surface and they began to recover them. Among them are children and missing people. Searching the sea takes time because as you can see, the colour of the mud covers the colour of the sea.”
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In Soccer,
Midfielder Jackson Irvine is uncertain for Australia's first 2026 World Cup qualifiers as he attempts to overcome an ankle injury picked up on international duty.
Irvine's team St Pauli has confirmed that the 30-year-old suffered a ligament sprain during last week's 2-2 friendly draw with Mexico in Dallas.
While Socceroos coach Graham Arnold initially believed Irvine had only rolled his ankle, Irvine's German club has said that after additional assessment the midfielder will be sidelined until further notice.
Irvine will be deprived of the chance to play in friendlies against England and New Zealand in the U-K in November, and faces a battle to get fit in time for November's qualifiers.
