TRANSCRIPT
- Opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Simon Birmingham condemns Australia's move to support Palestine's United Nations membership.
- New South Wales to become the last Australian state to formally apologise to people criminalised under homosexuality laws.
- World champion Nina Kennedy has vaulted back into Diamond League competition.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Simon Birmingham has strongly condemned Australia's move to support Palestine's United Nations membership.
He said in a statement that the Albanese government has "proven overnight they lack the courage to stand against pressure", adding that Labor's support for the resolution "sends a shameful message that violence and terrorism get results ahead of negotiation and diplomacy".
The vote by the 193-member General Assembly was a move that would effectively recognise a Palestinian state, after the United States vetoed it in the UN Security Council last month.
Dr Bryce Wakefield from the Australian Institute of International Affairs told the Nine Network the decision does allow Palestine to take a seat among the General Assembly.
"There are some substantial parts to it. So Palestine can put things on the United Nations agenda and it can place its staff and committees, but it does fall short of a resolution calling for statehood for Palestine, which is their aspiration. It does say though that the aspiration is still there and that the members will generally support in the future at some stage."
Israel has condemned the move by the General Assembly, with UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan using a small shredder to destroy a copy of the Charter while at the lectern, accusing the Assembly of effectively shredding the UN Charter.
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New South Wales will become the last Australian state to formally apologise to people convicted under laws criminalising homosexuality.
The apology will come months after a scathing report found gay hate bias was a likely factor in 25 of 32 suspected homicides between 1970 and 2010.
Premier Chris Minns annoucned the apology on Saturday morning, which coincides with the 40th anniversary of decriminalising homosexuality.
All five other states apologised last decade.
Last year's inquiry into suspected hate crimes made 12 recommendations about unsolved murder investigations, including calling for a review of practices, procedures and resources.
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A legal expert says an Iranian man who lost his bid to be released from immigration detention is unable to appeal a High Court decision.
The man, who says he is bisexual, is refusing to return to Iran, where same sex relations can be punishable by death.
Legal expert Sam Macedone told Channel Nine the consequences for failing to cooperate with authorities are now determined.
"Now the rules are set. If you don't cooperate, you stay in detention. If you do cooperate well, then you're going to be sent away. There's one other thing that's still out there in the open that's not resolved, and that is if the country that you came from won't accept you, can you go to another country that will accept you at this stage of the Australian government? Haven't pushed that line, but that's open to them as well."
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Flood warnings are being issued for parts of the east coast of New South Wales, particularly in the Illawarra and south coast areas.
This comes as the State Emergency Services have launched a Future Flood campaign this week, which looks to ensure residents in the high-risk flood Hawkesbury and Napean area are aware of their risks.
New South Wales State Emergency Services Acting Commander Damien Johnston told Channel Nine researched showed in the 2021-2022 floods 70 per cent of people who heard the warnings to evacuate chose not to do so.
"People need to be aware of their risk for those that live in the valley. Future or historic floods have shown that the floods can be much larger as well, and we want people to evacuate when we ask them to do so, to stay out of harm's way. If they stick around, it may be the case that we can't get to them or we put our New South Wales SES volunteers at risk."
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And in sport,
World champion Nina Kennedy has vaulted back into Diamond League competition, as four leading Olympic-bound Australian athletes all made the podium in Doha.
The 27-year-old Western Australian Kennedy, perhaps the nation's top hope for track and field gold at the Paris Games, finished second in her first international competition of the year.
But there were also top-three finishes for miler Jess Hull, discus hope Matthew Denny and high jump star Eleanor Patterson in the Qatari capital at the third Diamond League meeting of the season.
