The federal government and opposition do deals on both gambling reform and NDIS reform; The nation remembers Vietnam War veterans; and in football, Mile Sterjovski leaves the Macarthur Bulls, just two months before the start of the new A-League season.
TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
- The federal government and opposition do deals on both gambling reform and NDIS reform
- The nation remembers Vietnam War veterans
- And in football, Mile Sterjovski leaves the Macarthur Bulls, just two months before the start of the new A-League season
The federal government and opposition have made a deal to ensure reforms to gambling regulations are passed- but three coalition MPs say they will cross the floor and vote against the legislation.
Under the deal, there will be greater limits on gambling ads on television, particularly around broadcasts of sport - and they will be banned completely during on-demand viewing and children's shows.
There will be a dedicated online ad opt-out register, funded by an industry levy, and more limits on betting inducements, including a list of at-risk gamblers to whom bookmakers cannot offer inducements.
But coalition MP Andrew Wallace says all this isn't enough, and he'll vote against it.
"Gambling companies make 30 per cent of their revenue on inducements. And we know that these companies are absolutely preying particularly on young men, with their bonus bets, and providing them an opportunity to get stuck into this gambling rut. I think they are abhorrent. My view is, at the very least, they should be opt-in. And this bill does not provide that."
The Australian newspaper is reporting the two other MPs who will cross the floor are Paul Scarr and Pat Conaghan.
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The federal government and the opposition have also come to a deal to pass the proposed changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The opposition has agreed to vote for the NDIS changes in the Senate, in exchange for the government fast-tracking the bill that will eliminate the so-called widow's tax - a loophole that would have caused divorcees and widows to lose negative gearing entitlements on investment properties.
But, despite the deal, there is still friction over the matter.
Speaking in Question Time, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused the opposition of costing the taxpayer large amounts of money by delaying the reforms that will slash spending on the NDIS.
"The context here, Mr Speaker, was the NDIS legislation that those opposite are going to vote for, to their credit. Because what it will do is make sure that the system is sustainable. They kicked that can down the road at a cost to the taxpayer, because of a deal that they did in the Senate with the Greens."
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Services are being held around the country to remember those Australians who fought in the Vietnam War.
Today is the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, one of the biggest battles of the Vietnam War involving Australian servicemen.
The anniversary has come to be observed as Vietnam Veterans' Day.
More than 60,000 Australians served in the Vietnam War.
523 died, and more than 2,400 were wounded.
The Governor-General, Sam Mostyn, has attended the event in Canberra, as has Ward Gainey, who served in the Navy during the conflict, and is now President of the A-C-T branch of the Vietnam Veterans' Federation.
Mr Gainey says today's events have multiple purposes.
"We take this opportunity to remember, to understand the families who are involved, those who returned and are still trying to live with their memories, and making sure we support them as they grow older, and make sure the wellbeing of veterans generally is something we strive for."
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Defence Minister Richard Marles says Australia remains very concerned about North Korea's nuclear programme and its missile programme, despite US President Donald Trump appearing to take a softer line on the isolationist country.
Mr Trump has scaled back US military drills with South Korea, and talked up his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
Mr Marles has today met with his Japanese counterpart, Koizumi Shinjiro, in Canberra.
He says a big part of the reason the Australia-Japan defence relationship is so important now, is the threat North Korea poses.
"In the challenging world that we face, there are many challenges, but North Korea is the author of quite a few of those challenges. We greatly appreciate our relationship with South Korea, but we very much appreciate our relationship with Japan, and it forms part of the context in which we have a stronger relationship with Japan today as we have ever had."
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The longest-serving coach in the A-League Men's is out, two months before the start of the season.
The Macarthur Bulls have announced they and Mile Sterjovski have mutually agreed to terminate his contract.
The 47-year-old former Socceroo had been coach of the Bulls since January 2023.
He led the Bulls to some success in Asia, and the Australia Cup title in 2024, but they missed the A-League finals the last two seasons, and went out of this year's Australia Cup in the Round of 16 recently.
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