Australian leaders encourage compassion as Mid-East tensions simmer at home; At least ten killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq; And in football, a call from the boss of FIFA for TV networks to do more to promote the increasingly popular women's game.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Australian leaders encourage compassion as Mid-East tensions simmer at home;
- At least ten killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq;
- And in football, a call from the boss of FIFA for TV networks to do more to promote the increasingly popular women's game.
Political leaders have called for Australians to come together and show compassion at home as tensions continue to simmer because of the Middle East.
Education Minister Jason Clare has told Seven's Sunrise program that Jewish and Palestinian Australians are scared and angry at the scenes of violence thousands of kilometres away.
He has cited the example of his Jewish friend who was in Tel Aviv at the time of the October 7 Hamas attack to call for Australians to unite to 'turn down the heat' in the face of violence.
"When she got back to Australia the first thing she did was go and see her Muslim friends and wrap her arms around them. We need a little bit more of that in Australia at the moment rather than these awful protests. We can't change what's happening on the other side of the world but we've got to keep this country together. And that means all of us turning the temperature down a little bit."
Meanwhile Employment Minister Tony Burke says the tone of debate and level of animosity in the community over the conflict between Israel and Hamas cannot be judged by the loudest voices.
He says people can miss there is a lot of goodwill in Australian society if they listen to the "loudest voices" and find the most offensive comments.
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At least 10 people have been killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq's eastern Diyala province.
Fourteen others have been wounded in the attack, which began with the detonation of two bombs that destroyed a vehicle in which several people were travelling near the town of Amraniyah.
Witnesses have reported that locals who arrived to the scene to help were targeted with sniper fire.
There are unconfirmed reports that relatives of a local MP were the targets in the attack.
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The New South Wales Parliament's upper house has approved a motion in support of a treaty process with the state's Indigenous people.
The motion was brought by Greens MP and spokesperson for First Nations Justice Sue Higginson, but has also been supported by the government.
Ms Higginson has told SBS News the motion sets up the underlying terms for negotiations with the government going forward.
She says that process should be driven by Indigenous communities themselves.
"Now is the time for First Nations people within their communities to be talking about what they are building - on the conversations that we know have been happening for decades... What is the treaty process they would most see as the process to engage on as we walk forward."
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Greenpeace Australia have welcomed a landmark deal at the COP28 climate summit to help vulnerable countries hit by natural disasters.
The United Arab Emirates and Germany have already pledged $100 million each for the loss and damage fund, and Greenpeace's head of advocacy Dr Susie Byers says Australia should also make a significant contribution.
"The pledge from the UAE is a good first step. But now the loss and damage fund needs to be filled. Australia is the third largest fossil fuel exporter in the world. And a major contributor to global emissions. And so, the Albanese government absolutely has a responsibility to step-up and to make a serious contribution to the loss and damage fund."
The 39 countries that make up the Alliance of Small Island Nations have released a statement at COP28 with a similar sentiment, saying they will not rest until the fund is adequately financed and "starts to actually alleviate the burden of vulnerable communities".
They say they are bearing a heavier burden as encroaching oceans eat away low-lying land, fiercer storms wipe out large chunks of their economies, and others are forced to move to higher ground.
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To sport,
FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has called on television broadcasters to invest more in women's football.
In a speech to the European Broadcasting Union, he has said broadcasters should pay a fair price for the commercial rights to women's games.
He has also suggested they show at least one hour of women's football content per week to provide a bigger stage for the players.
The comments follow a difficult negotiation process for this year's women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, with FIFA and EBU only reaching an agreement on broadcasting rights for the tournament around a month before kick-off and several months of "tough talks".
"FIFA had been asking for more money than networks were willing to offer in an attempt to raise more revenue for the women's game, which has gained in popularity in recent years."
