TRANSCRIPT:
- A landmark apology in the New South Wales Parliament for years of anti-gay laws;
- The ANU expels a student over a pro-Palestine demonstration on campus;
- A new report calls on FIFA not to put football ahead of human rights.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has issued an historic apology to the state's LGBTIQ plus community.
The apology makes New South Wales the last Australian state to say sorry for its treatment of the community, four decades after laws making homosexual acts a crime were repealed.
"Here today as a Parliament and as a state, as people who want to make good, we're here to apologise for every life that was damaged or diminished or destroyed by these unjust laws. To those who survived these terrible years and to those who never made it through, we are truly sorry. We’re sorry for every person convicted under legislation that should never have existed."
Many people convicted under the laws, along with advocates for change, were in the parliamentary gallery as Chris Minns delivered his speech.
The Premier described their fight to end discrimination as "one of the great underdog stories in Australian history".
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Australia's new corruption watchdog has decided not to investigate six public officials cited by the Royal Commission into Robodebt.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission says their actions have already been fully explored by that Royal Commission.
They say they don't believe they'll uncover "significant new evidence" or that a new corruption probe would add value in the public interest.
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A student who took part in a pro-Palestine encampment at the Australian National University has been expelled.
Sources at the ANU have confirmed to SBS that the student has been thrown out for what it says is a breach of the code of conduct.
A statement has been released by a campus spokesperson who says there's a number of disciplinary inquiries underway against other protesters.
The statement says staff and students are free to express themselves, as long as their actions don't breach academic policies.
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Queensland has confirmed it will unveil Australia's largest renewable energy investment in its state budget next week.
Premier Steven Miles is committing $26 billion to the plan.
The path to zero emissions in the Sunshine State has already been enshrined into law, with that legislation passing parliament in April.
The Premier says this money makes those goals a reality, and that the state is at a critical turning point in turns of how valuable renewables can be to its economic future.
"If we don't build at least seven gigaWatts of 24-hour pumped hydro storage for renewable energy, we won't meet our targets. And if we don't meet our targets, manufacturing will go offshore and we would miss out on 87,000 jobs by 2035. By 2050, Queensland would miss out on 145,000 jobs."
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Penny Wong has become the second senior minister to make a trip to the Solomon Islands for talks with the country's new Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele.
The Albanese government is taking the opportunity to improve relations with the Island after Mr Manele replaced Manasseh Sogavare, who signed a security agreement with China that sent shockwaves through the region.
Senator Wong says Australia sees itself as part of the Pacific family, and that she wants to keep talking about their future together.
"I look forward to continuing that conversation. We're up for a much larger partnership with Solomon Islands, in accordance with your priorities. We're up for that."
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New South Wales residents have been warned to brace for more severe weather.
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting heavy rain and flash flooding for parts of the state, conditions that could also impact Victoria.
But spokesperson Angus Hines says the far south-west of Western Australia won't be immune either.
"The wet weather will kick off in both those regions late on Thursday and then it is expected to be quite wet on both edges of the country through Friday. Initially we will see the wet weather start in central and southern NSW. It will also affect parts of eastern Victoria... We do expect some places to see triple figures. That's right. A hundred millimetres of rain if not more around the Illawarra and south coast forecast districts... It will be wet in Sydney but note at the moment the heaviest falls are expected to be south of the city."
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Anthony Albanese has led Australian tributes for the D-Day anniversary, which is marking 80 years since soldiers fought and died in the crucial world war 2 landings.
The Prime Minister says it's a reminder that "peace is always worth fighting for".
About 3200 Australian airmen, sailors and soldiers took part in the perilous D-Day campaign in France.
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A new report has called on FIFA not to put football ahead of human rights.
The report from Amnesty International says the world governing body for the sport must ensure all bids to host the World Cup put human rights at the centre of their proposal.
Their call comes amid revelations that accident rates at construction projects in Spain and Portugal are above EU levels, while the risks associated with Saudi Arabia's 2034 bid are of a "different magnitude and severity".
