TRANSCRIPT:
- Gareth Ward quits the New South Wales Parliament, just before a vote on his expulsion;
- Kathleen Folbigg supporters savage the compensation she's been offered;
- A 12 year old on the verge of making surfing history.
Convicted Kiama MP Gareth Ward has quit the New South Wales Parliament, just before it was due to vote on his expulsion.
He had previously resisted calls to resign while he awaits sentencing for sexual assault offences.
The motion to expel the 44 year old was expected to have widespread bipartisan support.
Both Premier Chris Minns and Opposition Leader Mark Speakman had previously said his presence in the lower house was no longer tenable.
"Do the decent thing by your constituents and resign. They are entitled to a member of Parliament who can represent them actively and responsibly. It's impossible for Gareth Ward to represent his constituents when he's in jail."
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A compensation payment offered to Kathleen Folbigg after she was wrongfully convicted of killing her children and jailed for decades has been savaged by her supporters.
NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley has confirmed the government will make an ex gratia payment to the now 58-year-old more than a year after a claim was submitted to the government.
It's understood to be in the order of two million dollars.
Greens MP Sue Higginson has described the offer as a slap in the face, while Ms Folbigg's lawyer Rhanee Rego has told Channel 9 the amount is a moral affront.
"The government thinking that 20 years of taking a woman's life away after the loss of her four children, to return to a world where she has no job prospects, no superannuation, no life? That that is worth 2 million dollars? That is why we say it is really unfair."
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Federal Health Minister Mark Butler says the Australian government is lobbying the U-S over plans to place hefty tariffs on medicines and medical products.
Donald Trump has said this week that the United States would first impose what he called a small tariff on foreign-made drugs before hiking it to 150 percent within 18 months and eventually to 250 percent, in an effort to boost domestic production.
Medicines and pharmaceuticals are among Australia's top exports to the U.S, worth around $1.4 billion a year.
Mr Butler has told Channel 7 that both the Albanese government and Opposition say the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme that aims to make medications affordable for Australians, will be protected.
"We are going to fight for our PBS and we're going to fight for the jobs that Australian manufacturers here - particularly in Melbourne with C-S-L - have provided to Australian families for years, exporting great medicines, blood and plasma products to the United States under the U-S free trade agreement."
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The number of Australians seeking help with debt has reached a record high.
The National Debt Helpline had more than 168,000 people reach out during the last financial year, the most calls and chat messages it's had since 2018-19.
The key issue weighing on Australians is housing stress, including mortgages, rent rates and strata or body corporate costs.
But utilities - including electricity, gas and water - are also concerns, as well as problematic credit card debt, personal loans and owing the Australian Taxation Office.
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Britain's minister for homelessness has resigned from Prime Minister Keir Starmer's cabinet following a row over claims that she evicted tenants from a property she owns.
The I-Paper daily reported that Rushanara Ali had given tenants four months to leave her London property, and then leased it again a few weeks later with the rent more than 700 pounds ($940) higher.
Ms Ali has said in a letter to Starmer that she had followed all relevant legal requirements - but that continuing in her role would distract from the work of the government.
Conservative Party Chairman Kevin Hollinrake has told ITN the former minister's actions are hypocritical.
"She has spoken out about exploited tenants, about providing more protections for tenants. You can't say those things and then do the opposite as a landlord."
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Crews have contained a wildfire in the south of France, described as the country's largest in decades.
Local authorities say the blaze burnt through more than 160 square kilometres in France's southern wine region and killed one person before it was brought under control.
The fire has swept through 15 communes in the Corbières mountain region, destroying or damaging at least 36 homes.
A full damage assessment is underway, and residents have been warned not to return home without authorisation, as many roads remain blocked and dangerous.
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To sport,
Kelia Gallina is about to become the World Surf League's youngest competitor when she takes on Australian number one Mollly Picklum and American Lakey Peterson in the opening round of the Tahiti Pro.
The 12 year-old is making history with her entry, with competition organisers saying some waves are too big to paddle, and competitors needing a tow out to the break
