- LGBTQI+ groups say more options on gender diversity need to be included in the census
- A 17-year-old Indigenous male has died in a Western Australian youth detention centre...
- Graham Arnold announces Socceroos squad for third round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
LGBTIQ+ advocacy group Equality Australia has welcomed the concession by the government to add a question about sexuality into the census, but says the survey must include trans and gender diverse Australians.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has back flipped on the decision to not change any questions ahead of the next census, saying a single question about sexuality would be added.
Earlier this week, other senior Labor M-Ps ruled out any changes from the 2021 questionnaire due to fears of division in the community.
Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown says all Australians need to be included.
"It's unclear what the government's plans are in relation to questions covering trans people and intersex people, but what we do know is that this data is vital to make government decisions about programs and funding to ensure that they are governing for all Australians."
A 17-year-old Indigenous male held at the Banksia Hill detention centre in Perth has died overnight.
WA Premier Roger Cook has confirmed the teenager's death, saying he was found unresponsive by the staff with paramedics attempting to resuscitate him unsuccessfully.
The 17-year-old was admitted into the centre on the evening of Tuesday August 27, and spent most of yesterday out of his cell.
The WA commissioner for corrective services, Brad Royce, says he reviewed the footage of the incident and he was satisfied with the actions of the officers.
Mr Cook has described the death as a tragic incident.
"Look, this is a horrible, horrible event. On behalf of the WA government, we send our deepest and most sincere condolences to the family and everyone impacted by this event. We're very saddened by it and I think everyone is very touched by this particular incident."
This was the second death in a W-A correction centre, following the death of Cleveland Dodd last October, with Mr Cook saying the youth correctional system is under reform.
US vice-president Kamala Harris has given her first exclusive interview since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, along with her running mate, Tim Walz.
Ms Harris has outlined her agenda for the presidency, pointing out that it is her priority to strengthen the middle class in the U-S and to reaffirm the Biden administration's policies on climate change.
She also defended the U-S president's decisions on immigration, a hot topic for Republican candidate Donald Trump, saying she will not change course on those positions if elected.
Ms Harris has called out Donald Trump for spreading division across the U-S society and says people have had enough.
"I think sadly in the last decade we have had in the former president someone who has really been pushing an agenda and an environment that is about diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans, really dividing our nation, and I think people are ready to turn the page on that."
Victoria's Chief Heath Officer says there's a need to lift the mpox vaccination rate among at risk people.
More than 350 people have contracted mpox in Australia this year with the disease being spread through sexual activity.
People who identify as LGBTIQ+ are considered most at risk of being infected.
The outbreak in Australia is less severe than the type that's causing serious illness and deaths in Central Africa.
Doctor Clare Looker says more than 4,500 Victorians have sought a first or second dose of the mpox vaccine this year.
But she says there's room for improvement as only about half of those considered most at risk have had a vaccination.
"About 50 per cent of people who identify as MSM [[men who have sex with men]] or LGBTQ plus have had at least one vaccine dose so that does suggest there's room for improvement so we're continuing to work very closely with stakeholders to make sure that that vaccine is readily available for people."
In football,
Graham Arnold has announced the 26-player squad set to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying matches against Bahrain and Indonesia.
Bayern Munich winger Nestory Irankunda has been included, despite a recent injury scare, with several others, such as Thomas Deng and Keanu Baccus, returning to the squad.
These will be the first games in the third round of the World Cup qualifiers of the Asian zone, with China, Japan and Saudi Arabia rounding up the group.
Australia are set to take on Bahrain on September 5 in Queensland, and will travel to Jakarta for their game against Indonesia five days later.
