TRANSCRIPT
- Qantas apologises after the High Court ruled it had breached the law when it sacked 1,700 staff in 2020;
- Former cabinet minister Stuart Robert has been referred to a federal corruption watchdog;
- And in sport, Australian Rules great Bob Skilton celebrated in the Sport Australian Hall of Fame
Qantas has apologised to workers after the High Court found the airline had broken the law when it sacked 1,700 staff in 2020.
The jobs of baggage handlers and cleaners were outsourced after the onset of the pandemic.
The Transport Workers' Union is calling for the workers to be compensated.
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Former cabinet minister Stuart Robert has been referred to a federal corruption watchdog over his links to a consulting firm which was granted lucrative government contracts.
A parliamentary inquiry has been investigating the firm, Synergy 360, and allegations it was channelling money to a company linked to Mr Robert to win government work.
The allegations, made under parliamentary privilege, have been denied by Mr Robert.
Committee chair, Labor M-P Julian Hill, said it did not have enough power or resources to properly investigate the issue, instead referring the matter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
"The committee therefore considers that, in light of the serious and systemic nature of the allegations, an agency with compulsory questioning and document gathering and investigatory powers should take up the matter so these questions may be properly assessed."
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The head of a Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide says Australia has let its veterans down for too long.
Commissioner Nick Kaldas presented his conclusions to the National Press Club after 26 months of evidence gathering.
Their findings show that veterans who served from the beginning of 1985 made up at least 1600 deaths by suicide between 1997 and 2020 - which is more than 20 times the number killed in active duty over the same period.
Mr Kaldas says the government needs to step up and act on ensuring the wellbeing and mental health of defence force operatives and ex-service men and women.
"The stark reality is that, despite 57 previous inquiries over the last 20 to 30 years examining the risk factors for suicide in our military community, very little has actually changed. People are still dying to this day. We urge the Prime Minister, relevant ministers and the leadership of Defence and DVA to see this royal commission as an opportunity to drive the long-overdue change that is required to ensure our brave men and women in uniform and their families have the support they need and deserve."
The commissioner also called for an independent body to be established with the purpose of holding government, the A-D-F, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and other relevant agencies to account for reforms.
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The Cancer Council has applauded an announcement from the federal government to significantly reform the tobacco industry.
Health Minister Mark Butler says the new reforms will include modernising health warnings on cigarette packages, expanding advertising prohibitions to e-cigarettes and vapes, and standardising product design features.
Cancer Council C-E-O Tanya Buchanan welcomes the reforms, calling on parliament to support the legislation.
"More than 250 thousand Australians are predicted to die over the next 20 years from smoking-related cancers alone. And this is a really truly unacceptable statistic because smoking-related cancers are entirely preventable. So, parliament really can and must intervene and support this legislation in order to change the course of that trajectory."
The industry will have a 12-month transition period to incorporate these reforms.
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Police are searching for two culprits behind a drive-by shooting in the suburbs of Melbourne's south-east this morning which left a teenage boy seriously injured.
Emergency services were called to Endeavour Hills where a vehicle had driven laps around the street before stopping outside of a home, firing shots, and striking the sleeping 17-year-old boy twice.
The boy has since been taken to hospital and remains in stable condition.
Detective Inspector Al Hanson says the shooting is believed to be a targeted attack, although police believe no one in the house at the time was an intended target.
"We are in the very early stages of this investigation but we are operating on the belief that it is a targeted shooting. We don't have a random gunman driving around, firing indiscriminately in Dandenong or Endeavour Hills or surrounding area houses."
Police believe there are two culprits and they have not yet found links to gangs or other criminal activity.
And in sport,
Australian Rules great Bob Skilton has been celebrated in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
The triple Brownlow medallist says he's overwhelmed at being the 47th Australian bestowed the honour.
Skilton won Brownlow medals in 1959, 1963 and 1968 during his esteemed 237-game playing career with South Melbourne.
He joins a celebrated list of Legends including Sir Donald Bradman, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman and Rod Laver.
