TRANSCRIPT
- Southeast Asian nations urged to increase co-operation to bring about a Gaza ceasefire
- Protests outside the New South Wales state Labor conference
- And praise for security forces in Paris after the Olympics opening ceremony
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says leaders meeting at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Laos have pledged to work together to achieve mutual economic prosperity.
The summit brings together the 10 member states of ASEAN with their key dialogue partners, including Australia, to address issues of regional and international concern.
Minister Wong says there has been renewed commitment to co-operate on security and economic issues.
Founded in 1967 in the Cold War era, ASEAN has a principle of non-interference in each member state’s domestic affairs.
The bloc's members include: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Ms Wong called for increased co-operation between nations to help bring about a ceasefire in Gaza - and end the suffering.
"Sadly, as we meet, a catastrophic humanitarian situation unfolds in Gaza. The human suffering is unacceptable, and Australia believes Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas. The ceasefire proposal must be agreed, including release of hostages, and we must move towards the only hope to end the cycle of violence with a two-state solution."
Delegates attending the New South Wales Labor conference are expecting the event to pass the "bare minimum" motion on the issue of Palestinian statehood.
Labor’s national party platform specifies the party will at some stage recognise Palestine as a state to be an "important priority" for a federal Labor government. But no specific deadline has been set.
Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Sydney's Town Hall, urging the Labor Party to not delay steps on recognising Palestinian statehood.
Anthony Albanese used his speech to point to the government's achievements on bulk billing, industrial relations reform, and renewable energy.
He appealed to delegates to be united in these times of global uncertainty.
"We will keep working to keep people together. We will keep working to make Medicare stronger. We will keep working to build more homes. We will keep working to help families under pressure. We will keep working to build an economy and a society where no one is held back and no one is left behind. Delegates, let's keep working for Australia - and let's keep working together."
In Canada, rain and cooler weather has reduced the fire risk after a wildfire swept through the historic town of Jasper and the nearby national park.
Officials say the early evacuation of 25,000 people mean there have been no deaths or injuries reported so far.
About 30 per cent of the town has been destroyed along, with 358 structures in the in Jasper National Park.
Mayor Richard Ireland says emergency relief funds have been activated, but there are a number of residents who will be out of their homes for several weeks.
"Some of our residents, most of them will have a home to return to. Some will not. There will be a sad mix of people who have lost their homes and their livelihoods. Some will have lost their livelihoods only and still have a home. It's going to be difficult. The pain, it will be felt, almost defies description."
The four winners of the Young Archie portrait prize competition have been announced.
The 2024 edition has attracted a record number of young artists, with more than 4,000 entries.
Running alongside the Archibald prize, the competition features four age categories for artists aged 5 to 18.
The winners include: 19-year-old Leah Blatchford, 14-year-old Leon Do; 10-year old Hollie Au; and 6-year-old Ella Lee Fowler.
Victoria Collings is the family programs manager at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
She says since 2013, the competition has brought a lot of joy to the many people involved.
"It's not a hard time looking at over 4-thousand artworks. Because every envelope that you open is full of magic. It is full of someone's heart and soul that has been poured out of the page. It took us a long to open it, but every day was joyous. And it was really fun working alongside Grace Lillian Lee to do the judging. But today is all about celebrating you - the young artist. And recognising your incredible achievement."
Hollie Au says for her prize-winning entry she was inspired by her art teacher.
"I painted my art teacher. I painted them because he taught me how to draw and paint different things."
Meanwhile, France's Interior Minister has praised security forces after no major issues were reported during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
France deployed 45,000 police, 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 private security agents for Olympic security.
Minister Gerald Darmanin says has never been prouder of the country's security forces, saying that four years of planning has ensured the opening ceremony unfolded without any security incidents.
Prosecutors have opened a national investigation into what officials called "criminal" acts disrupting the high-speed rail network hours before the opening ceremony.
The crimes being investigated - including property damage - could carry sentences of 10 to 20 years.
