- A new prime minister for Solomon Islands
- Up to a million patrons of pubs and clubs in New South Wales affected by a data breach
- In the A-League, the Central Coast Mariners are celebrating winning the A-League Men's competition
The new prime minister of Solomon Islands, Jeremiah Manele, says he is honoured to have been selected by his parliamentary colleagues.
Last month's national election saw incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's government lose half of its seats - and also failed to deliver a majority to any political party.
Governor-general Sir David Vunagi announced the results of a secret ballot, with Mr Manele winning 31 votes, to Opposition leader Matthew Wales' 18 votes.
Mr Manele says he plans to do his very best to promote and prioritise the national interest.
"I am very humbled by the trust that my fellow members of parliament have bestowed on me. This is indeed a historic moment for my people of my province to have one of their sons as prime minister of Solomon Islands. I will discharge my duties diligently and with integrity. I will act at all times with the interest of our people and our country above all other interests."
As foreign minister, Mr Manele switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China - and was involved in negotiating a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining more influence in the region.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised the federal government will do more to address domestic violence.
An emergency national cabinet meeting of state and federal leaders has resulted in the announcement of a plan, which includes close ot a billion dollars to permanently establish the leaving violence program introduced by the Morrison government, and a range of online safety measures such as bans on deepfake pornography and what's known as doxxing.
Government frontbencher Tanya Plibersek says the Albanese government will be relentless in its approach to addressing the issue.
"This is not an excuse that we should be doing less, or that we have enough. Not for a second. Yes, we need to do more. But we can't do it in opposition to the forces that are happening in society. These two things have to work together. And until we deal with the sort of violent and degrading pornographic imagery that kids are starting to watch. The average first age of viewing pornography online in Australia is 10."
The driver licences of more than a million people - including Premier Chris Minns - may have been exposed in a data breach affecting at least 16 licensed New South Wales clubs.
A website purportedly containing 500GB of user data has been placed online with allegations that disgruntled software developers in the Philippines - contracted by a third-party IT provider had stolen the data collected during the clubs' sign-in process, as part of a dispute over pay.
Gaming and Racing Minister David Harris says the development is concerning and clubs and hospitality venues are being advised to notify patrons whose information might be affected.
Pioneering Aboriginal musician Bart Willoughby says he feels tremendous joy at being recognised with his latest award.
The Pitjantjantjara and Mirning singer-songwriter is the 2024 recipient of the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music.
Previous winners include Paul Kelly, Slim Dusty, The Seekers, Cold Chisel and the late Archie Roach.
A member of the Stolen Generations, he says music was his escape.
Willoughby was the lead singer and drummer for No Fixed Address, the first Aboriginal band to score a record deal, tour overseas, and appear on Countdown.
He told NITV, he is stoked to join the ranks of accomplished and legendary songwriters and musicians.
"And so music is actually mending me. And so music is not music. Music is a living entity. For me to fall in love with it. You think deep about music. It is mathematics. It's infinity. You're dealing with all the big questions that scientists are asking using numbers. You just got music - and it can be just as powerful."
In the A-League, the Central Coast Mariners are celebrating winning the A-League Men's competition for the first time in 12 years.
The team defeated Adelaide United 2-nil to lift the Premiers' Plate.
Mariners boss Mark Jackson says it is gratifying to see the team's hard work pay off.
"People keep asking: am I delighted? For me, yeah - but I am more delighted for everybody at the club, supporters, people behind the scenes. People directly involved with players staff-wise; and the players as well. I see everyday how players work, how hard the staff work; in the office as well; and in the football department as well. It's well-deserved after the season we've had."
