Bill Shorten says the government is determined to address systemic issues with the NDIS following a landmark review; Doctors Without Borders calls for a ceasefire in Gaza outside the United Nations in New York; And in sport, Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham side prepares for a stand-off with West Ham United.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Bill Shorten says the government is determined to address systemic issues with the NDIS following a landmark review;
- Doctors Without Borders calls for a ceasefire in Gaza outside the United Nations in New York;
- And in sport, Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham side prepares for a stand-off with West Ham United.
Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill Shorten says the Albanese government is determined to address systemic issues with the NDIS following a landmark review of the scheme.
The independent report was released today after it was commissioned by the government to look at the scheme's ongoing effectiveness with costs surging at an unsustainable 14 per cent per year.
It found the government had become too reliant on the NDIS as the sole source of support for many people living with disability, recommending new supports available for all Australians with disability regardless of whether they are on the current scheme.
The review listed 26 recommended changes to the NDIS to improve sustainability, increase access and restore public trust.
Minister Shorten says his department will now get to work with fixing the scheme.
"The National Disability Insurance Scheme is here to stay. But we need to get it back on track. If anything, the NDIS review has reinforced this position and that is why we strive for a more human less bureaucratic NDIS. That is why we want to evict those who are lining their own pockets at the expense of participants. That is why I am determined to finish the job."
The states and territories have also agreed to boost their contribution to the NDIS, with the government aiming to cap the scheme's growth at eight per cent.
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Doctors from Médecins Sans Frontières held a vigil outside the United Nations in New York, honouring colleagues who have been killed in Gaza and calling for a permanent ceasefire.
16,015 people have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of a relentless Israeli bombardment following the October 7 attack by Hamas that took the lives of 1,200.
And now wounded children, including toddlers, have packed Gaza's Nasser Hospital after Israeli air strikes struck a residential neighbourhood in central Khan Younis amid one of the heaviest bombings in the two months of fighting.
Earlier, Israeli ground forces reached the heart of the southern city, forcing Palestinian civilians to seek refuge elsewhere as the number of safe areas dwindles.
Dr Avril Benoît is the Executive Director of United States division of MSF, otherwise known as Doctors Without Borders.
She says a lasting peace is needed for the safety of civilians and her medical colleagues.
“We need a sustained cease-fire because every day the siege and violence continues in Gaza, the struggle for survival grows more desperate. So-called humanitarian pauses are not enough. The recent week-long pause in fighting did not hold and now we're seeing some of the heaviest bombardment yet.”
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A new security deal between Australia and Papua New Guinea furthers the Albanese government's foreign policy goal of securing regional support and offers Australian police officers to train and support their PNG counterparts.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hosted PNG leader James Marape in Canberra today where the deal was signed.
The leaders say the legally binding agreement will come into effect now and will add to regional security.
This comes amid an effort from Mr Albanese to cultivate more support in the Indo-Pacific to counter the influence of China.
However, the prime minister says the agreement also serves the internal interests of the PNG and is an expression of Australia's strong historic relationship with the country.
"This will assist not just external security for both PNG and Australia but will assist as well with the internal security arrangements. We have no closer friend than Papua New Guinea and what today does is cement that relationship."
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In football,
Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspurs is preparing for another challenge against West Ham United tomorrow morning.
The Spurs will be aiming to end a four-match winless run, having moved from the top of the ladder down to fifth in the table after an excellent start to the campaign.
Postecoglou has been without a host of key players during the past month but has earned praise for an unwavering commitment to his attacking philosophy, which resulted in Tottenham fighting back to earn a 3-3 draw at Manchester City last weekend.
The Australian coach says he's preparing to bring that same offensive strategy to West Ham.
"The biggest obstacle is ourselves in terms of: we need to hit certain levels irrespective of what the opposition might bring to it. Because the kind of game style we have, we're very reliant on how we roll out the kind of football we want to play because it's not so much about stopping an opposition. It's whether we can impose ourselves on an opposition and I've got no doubt that tomorrow night, we will be a good challenge for us."
