TRANSCRIPT
- High Court ruling on NT rent hikes sparks calls for compensation...
- Australia and New Zealand become first non-NATO nations funding Ukraine arms...
- Pat Cummins on the verge of a shock return in the second Ashes Test.
The lead solicitor for a group of Aboriginal tenants who the High Court has ruled were charged unlawful rent rises by the Northern Territory government is calling for compensation.
On Wednesday the court struck down the NT 'Remote Rent Framework' on the basis that a lack of consultation meant tenants had been denied procedural fairness.
The policy affected over 5,000 homes, and many vulnerable remote community residents living in public housing, with rents rising by up to 200 per cent in some cases.
Daniel Kelly represented four residents from Gunbalany and Laremba in the case and says people like his clients should be compensated.
"This framework has now been shown to be unlawful, and over the last few years, the territory was predicting it would result in an increase of $9.7 million in rent every year. That's 9.7 million additional rent they've collected under this system. And there now needs to be some sort of accounting process about how this is going to be rectified with clients who have paid increased rent under this unlawful system."
Australia and New Zealand are set to become the first non-NATO nations to help fund the purchase of critical military equipment for Ukraine under a new $95 million package.
The Albanese government will today unveil the additional support, including $50 million for the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, through which NATO co-ordinates the acquisition of US-made defence assets for Kyiv.
Australia will also donate $43 million worth of A-D-F supplies, including tactical air-defence radars, munitions and combat-engineering equipment, alongside a further $2 million for advanced drone technologies.
The announcement lifts Australia’s total assistance to more than $1.7 billion since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
A Senate Estimates committee has heard that Communications Minister Annika Wells recent trip to the United Nations General Assembly cost taxpayers almost $100,000.
Officials confirmed that $94,828 was spent on flights for the minister and two staff, which included Ms Wells' own travel budget of $35,000.
The trip was spruiking Labor's social-media-ban for under 16's at a meeting of world leaders.
When asked to justify the cost, Ms Wells says the trip fuelled global momentum for the world leading policy.
"The reason you know all those things is because we're transparent about them and we will disclose them and we'll continue to disclose information about that trip through the usual processes that trip was undertaken as the Minister for Communications and I think and I would think the people who were there for that UN event who join us in this room today would agree with me that it was incredibly important."
Hamas has handed over a recovered body to members of the Red Cross to be repatriated back to Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has confirmed receiving a body believed to be of a dead hostage held in Gaza through the Red Cross.
The remains have arrived at an Israeli forensics institute for examination.
Hamas also handed over remains on Tuesday which Mr Netanyahu's office later said were not of any hostage.
The handover of the last two hostages' bodies in Gaza would complete a key condition of the initial part of U-S President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war.
Meanwhile, Israel says it will reopen the Rafah border crossing and would start allowing Palestinians wishing to leave Gaza to do so.
Residents forced to flee their homes in Hong Kong are being allowed to return and retrieve their belongings after a deadly fire killed at least 156 people.
With authorities collecting evidence in a criminal probe into the fire, it remains unclear when residents can return to the building.
Some 30 people remain missing and fifteen have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
37-year-old Hong Kong resident Trent Heung says people want justice.
"I think justice is number one. I think there is no negotiation. Justice and really really justice for the victims and I think the entire population in Hong Kong would love to have the truth and the justice to be told.”
In cricket, Australian captain Pat Cummins is on the verge of a shock return for the second Ashes Test, which starts this afternoon in Brisbane.
Cummins has been sidelined with a back injury for the past few months, and wasn't in the Australian squad for this match.
But he has been training with the team in the leadup to this match, and his deputy, Steve Smith, says Cummins looks good.
If Cummins returns, it's unclear whether fast bowler Brendan Doggett would have to make way, or whether Australia would play four fast bowlers, and drop spin bowler Nathan Lyon instead.
Smith has refused to confirm reports from News Corp newspapers that Josh Inglis will come into the side for injured batsman Usman Khawaja.
Australia leads the best-of-five series, one-nil, after victory in the opening match in Perth.
