Residents in flood hit eastern Victoria told not to go home yet; A former High Court chief justice offers his opinion on the Indigenous voice to Parliament; Dylan Edwards called up for Australia ahead of the Pacific Test series.
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TRANSCRIPT:
- Residents in flood hit eastern Victoria told not to go home yet;
- A former High Court chief justice offers his opinion on the Indigenous voice to Parliament;
- Dylan Edwards called up for Australia ahead of the Pacific Test series.
The flooding threat has begun to ease in eastern Victoria, but residents have been warned it's still not safe to return to their homes.
Most rivers have already peaked, but a dozen watch and act alerts remain active for eastern parts of the state, while in Port of Sale, up to 60 homes are understood to be at risk of becoming isolated by floodwaters.
Residents have been told not to go back yet - and to keep seeking shelter in the highest possible location.
David Baker from Victoria's State Emergency Service has also repeated his warnings about not driving through floodwaters, after two men had to be rescued from the roof of their car near Bairnsdale earlier today.
"The length of this pen or a pencil, that's enough for a vehicle to be lifted and shifted, and the results can be catastrophic for the people involved. So we say quite purely and simply never enter floodwaters. It could be the last decision you make."
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It has been alleged that Donald Trump spilled the beans about potentially sensitive nuclear submarine information to a prominent Australian businessman after leaving the White House.
The United States ABC network has reported the disclosures were made to Anthony Pratt in April 2021, who then shared the information with dozens of foreign officials, employees and journalists.
But opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham has told Sky News he believes the conversation is not a cause for concern.
He says it would not have compromised the AUKUS agreement ultimately struck between the Morrison government and the Biden administration.
"I think we need to keep this story in perspective from an Australian element and standpoint... These discussions that may or may not have been had, that are subject to public speculation, would not have been discussions that were informed by or privy to the type of discussions that were being undertaken to achieve AUKUS. So it's quite a separate matter in that sense."
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Pokie profits and machine numbers are rising across New South Wales, despite a promise from the Labor government to cut their volumes.
Half-yearly poker machine figures show profits across the state's hotels and clubs hit $3.92 billion in the period from December to June this year, which represents gambling losses of about $22 million per day.
Figures also show there's also been a slight increase in the number of poker machines across the state.
Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron says the increase is concerning, and that the scale of pokie losses highlights the need to introduce immediate reforms to minimise the impact on families amid a cost-of-living crisis.
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Former High Court chief justice Robert French says there is nothing to fear from an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
He says some no campaigners have suggested the advisory body will invite multiple legal challenges as it provides advice to parliament.
But in a speech at the National Press Club, Mr French has said that those criticisms do not hold up under detailed legal analysis.
"So far as high level policy decisions are concerned by the executive, they are generally not amenable to challenge in the courts. And the reason for that is they often involve multi-factorial considerations of the public interest, and political judgements from which the courts properly exclude themselves."
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Artificial intelligence, including ChatGPT, will be allowed in all Australian schools from 2024.
Education ministers have reached the decision through the development of a framework on the use of the technology.
The framework was unanimously adopted at a meeting of education ministers on Thursday [[5 Oct]] - who have agreed to implement the change from term 1 next year.
Earlier this year, state governments imposed temporary bans on ChatGPT in public schools, citing concerns over plagiarism.
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The body representing psychiatrists in Australia and New Zealand says the new data on the prevalence of mental health conditions among Australians shows urgent action must be taken.
President-elect of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists says there are not enough mental health professionals and trainees to deal with the demand for services, and has called for long-term workforce planning and resourcing strategy.
Data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has found one in five Australians experienced a mental health disorder in the last 12 months, with anxiety disorders the most common condition.
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Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards has been called in to play for Australia's squad for the Pacific Test series, ahead of the first match against Samoa on October 14.
He replaces Josh Addo-Carr who has been issued a breach notice by the NRL over an incident at the Koori Knockout competition.
The NRL alleges Addo-Carr "engaged in conduct which has brought the game into disrepute by punching an opposition player to the head following a match."
The length of Addo-Carr's suspension will not be finalised until he responds to the breach notice within the next five business days.
