TRANSCRIPT
- Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus calls for a united front against gender-based violence
- Pro-Palestinian protesters and counter-protesters rally at the University of Sydney
- A coroner says a Manly Sea Eagles player died after a likely "inappropriate" training session.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has called for more collaboration from all Australian police authorities to combat the gender-based violence crisis.
Police ministers and first law officers from across Australia have met to determine what extra steps are needed to stop a surge of violence which has taken the lives of 28 women this year according to campaign group Destroy the Joint.
Improved data sharing between jurisdictions about high risk perpetrators was on the agenda, as well as potential changes to bail laws.
Mr Dreyfus opened the meeting calling for a united response from all jurisdictions.
"Today's meeting comes at a time when the nation is united in demanding that political leaders act to protect women from violence. The alarming increase in violence against women in recent months, weeks and days is a deeply concerning trend. The Australian government is determined to work constructively with state and territory governments on this scourge of violence against women. There are no easy answers. It will take efforts across governments of all jurisdictions and all portfolios to work towards eliminating gendered violence."
Hundreds of protesters and counter-protesters have staged competing rallies at the University of Sydney campus today amid a global student movement calling for an end to Israel's deadly assault on the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian activists set up an encampment outside the sandstone main hall last week and have rallied to demand the university divest from companies with ties to Israel, much like students in the United States, Canada and France.
Shovan Bhattarai, a history student and organiser of the 'Students for Palestine' group, says it's important that Australian students lend their voices to the international campaign.
"It matters that there is a student movement being built all around the world, made up of millions of people who are refusing to be complicit in this genocide and I wish solidarity to all of the fellow student activists that have been involved with this fight world over."
Several hundred metres away and separated by lines of security guards, hundreds gathered under Australian and Israeli flags in a counter-protest.
One teaching academic at the university, Sarah, called pro-Palestinian chants on campus "scary" and says the students have drowned out opposing views.
"If they want to have a camp that's fine, it’s free speech. But they took over everything on campus, it's just their word. There's no space for anyone else, it's scary."
New data from Reporters Without Borders has found Australia has fallen in the World Press Freedom Index, from 27th to 39th.
The report has been released in line with World Press Freedom Day ((3 May)), with this year's theme focusing on the role of journalism amid a climate crisis.
In the Asia Pacific region, 26 of the 32 countries and territories have seen their scores fall in this year's World Press Freedom Index - including Australia, now at 39th.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk says it's imperative that journalists have the freedom to tell the truth about the unfolding climate catastrophe.
"As climate change betters our fragile planet, the lives and livelihoods of future generations are under the gravest threat this world has ever known. I honor the journalists around the world who are working to hold polluters accountable for the damage and the devastation. They are driving open debate and critical thinking, and by separating facts from lies and propaganda, they're pushing for evidence-based policy decisions on the climate crisis that the world so urgently needs."
Meanwhile, UNESCO has awarded its world press freedom prize this year to all Palestinian journalists covering Israel's bombardment and invasion of Gaza, where the Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 92 Palestinian journalists are among the more than 34,000 people killed by Israel*.
A coroner says a young Manly Sea Eagles player died after collapsing from heat stroke following a likely "inappropriate" training session in a hot gym.
20-year-old Keith Titmuss suffered a seizure after an indoor workout session at the club's base on Sydney's northern beaches, on November 23, 2020.
Titmuss was transported to Royal North Shore Hospital but died five hours later after suffering a cardiac arrest.
An inquest examining the death was told the budding NRL player most likely suffered exertion heat stroke, with Deputy State Coroner Derek Lee concluding that the club training session was "more likely than not inappropriate".
Mr Lee made several recommendations to the league and Manly specifically, including better reporting of heat-related illness and a gradual easing in to training regiments.
Manly Sea Eagles boss Tony Mestrov says the club plans to adopt all recommendations from the coroner.
"We intend to take the recommendations up that his honour has given down today. This can't happen again in the game, we all understand that. And we don't want it to happen under Manly's watch ever again."
