TRANSCRIPT:
- Barnaby Joyce blames prescription medicine for an incident on a Canberra footpath last week;
- A damning review released into contracts for offshore detention processing;
- The NFL Superbowl is now underway in the United States.
The Prime Minister says Barnaby Joyce needs to provide a full explanation after he was filmed lying on a footpath in Canberra last week.
Mr Joyce was seen talking and swearing on the phone after parliament sat late into Wednesday night.
The former Nationals Leader says he was speaking to his wife when he fell off a planter box.
Mr Joyce has told Channel 7 he regrets what happened.
"Look I'm obviously - you know, I might I look I'm look on obviously that, you know, I made a big mistake. There's no excuse for it. There's a reason and you know, this very eventful walk home wasn't it? So anyway, that's you know, I should have followed the - I'm on prescription drugs and they say certain things may happen to you if you drink and they were absolutely 100% right. They did."
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The federal government says a damning review into offshore processing contracts could open the door to potential criminal investigations by the Australian Federal Police.
No individuals have been referred to the A-F-P or the National Anti-Corruption Commission, and the review hasn't found evidence of any ministerial involvement in the regional processing contract or procurement decisions either.
But the report by former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson has found proper due diligence was lacking in the awarding of contracts to companies suspected of bribery and money laundering in Papua New Guinea and Nauru.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil says the former Coalition government is to blame for the findings.
"This extraordinary document dictates a decade of contracting between the Home Affairs Department under Peter Dutton, which saw hundreds of millions of dollars potentially funnelled into companies which were using that money to undertake criminal wrongdoing. We are talking here about things like the trafficking of drugs, the trafficking of human beings, the subversion of sanctions against Iran and other criminal activities. Now, this report raises some very important questions for Peter Dutton. This is a system that he set up under the Home Affairs Department."
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There are fresh calls to axe negative gearing and the capital gains discount.
The Greens are pushing Labor to reconsider the tax concessions as a condition of their support for the "help to buy" housing legislation, which would support 40,000 eligible buyers with an equity contribution of up to 40 per cent for new homes, and 30 per cent for existing homes.
The Senate has referred the legislation to an inquiry which will report back in mid-April.
Greens leader Adam Bandt says the current tax regime is unfair for first home buyers.
"Labor's scheme helps 0.2% of people who want to buy a home while pushing up prices for everyone else. You shouldn't have to win a lottery to buy your first home. The Greens will push Labor to axe these billions of dollars in tax handouts to wealthy property moguls that are denying millions of renters the chance to buy their home when Labor's legislation comes to Parliament."
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The New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority says the safety of students and the community is its first priority after asbestos fragments were found in mulch at a southwest Sydney school.
EPA chief executive Tony Chappel says his organisation is working around the clock to ensure the safety of the community at Liverpool West Public School, whose students will learn remotely until the cleanup is finished.
It's understood the EPA identified the school as a priority site for testing after asbestos was found in mulch supplied by the same manufacturer at the Rozelle Interchange and
other sites across Sydney.
Recycled mulch containing bonded asbestos forced the closure of several parts of Rozelle Parklands in the city's inner west last month, as well as other areas associated with the road interchange underneath the site.
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More than 1500 protesters have gathered in central Athens to oppose a same-sex marriage bill in Greece due to be voted on by parliament this week.
The rally has been organised by religious groups, who argue the bill is a threat to the traditional family.
If the bill is approved, Greece would become the first majority Orthodox country to legalise same-sex marriage.
Greece’s conservative government is sponsoring the bill but it will require votes from centrist and left-wing opposition parties for the reform to be approved.
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To sport,
The NFL superbowl is underway in the United States, with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Franscisco 49ers facing off for the trophy.
53 year-old small business owner, Colin Derko came down from Alberta, Canada to watch the game.
“How am I feeling or where I'm going? We're feeling great. We came all the way down. Came all the way down from Canada to check out the Super Bowl. And. Yeah. We're here. Look at - it's nice and warm. It's not snowing. So, we decided we're not going home.”
The highly anticipated match-up is being shown in 190 countries and is getting a boost from the U-S State Department, which is hosting watch parties in more than 30 overseas locations.
It could become the most watched NFL game ever around the world.
