The government refuses to weigh in on a decision related to the Robodebt saga; UN report suggests violence against children in conflict reached extreme levels in 2023, and in sport, $40 million announced to upgrade Sydney's famous Leichhardt Oval.
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TRANSCRIPT
- The government refuses to weigh in on a decision related to the Robodebt saga.
- UN report suggests violence against children in conflict reached extreme levels in 2023.
- $40 million announced to upgrade Sydney's famous Leichhardt Oval.
The federal government says it's not weighing in on the National Anti-Corruption Commission's decision not to pursue an investigation into the Robodebt saga.
Almost 900 complaints have been submitted to the corruption watchdog since the decision was released last Thursday.
The scheme used income averaging, a method the federal court found unlawful in 2019, as well as Australian Taxation Office and Centrelink data to generate social security debts, many of which were false.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has told the ABC she understands there have been "concerns" about the initial NACC decision, but it is not the government's role to assess it.
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New data has found migration added just over 100,000 people to Australia's population in the last three months of 2023.
The net overseas migration statistics have cast doubt on the federal government's own migration forecast from last month's budget.
Treasury's projection was 395,000 for the full financial year about to end, but with data available for only half of that year, the tally is at 252,000, well over halfway.
National President of the Labor Party Wayne Swan has told Channel Nine he believes the government is doing all they can to improve housing supply in the face of increased migration.
"The numbers are coming down and they'll probably get to about 260,000 in a year or so's time. I think the government's knocking the rorts out of the system. We had students that were coming here that weren't students. They were working. We've had dodgy migration agents, a whole lot of things that we inherited, and the government's been knocking those out of the system and they're getting it down. But the problem in the housing market is not just about migration, it's about supply."
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The Government is preparing for Chinese premier Li Qiang's visit to Australia, the first visit of a Chinese premier in 7 years.
The Premier travels to Australia on Saturday, heading to Adelaide before traveling to the nation's capital for talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Temporary fencing has been erected around Capital Hill in Canberra, with pro and anti-China protests expected throughout the visit.
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Another six people have been charged over violent riots outside a Sydney church following the stabbing of a bishop during a live-streamed sermon.
The latest arrests following the incident at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley bring the total to 29 people charged.
The April 15 riot, which investigators say escalated to involve 2,000 people and injured several police officers, followed the stabbing of Assyrian bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and priest Isaac Royel.
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A new report by the United Nations suggests violence against children in armed conflict reached extreme levels in 2023.
The report has found an unprecedented number of killings and injuries in crises from the Middle East to Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine.
For the first time, the report has put Israeli forces on a blacklist of countries which violate children’s rights for the killing and maiming of children, and attacking schools and hospitals.
It has also listed Hamas for the first time for killing, injuring and abducting children.
UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, says there's been a 21 per cent increase in grave violations compared to prior years.
“The number of children who were victim of multiple grave violations increased, illustrated by the high percentage of girls being abducted for recruitment and sexual violence, including rape and sexual slavery. The highest numbers of grave violations during 2023 were first and foremost, the killing and maiming of 11,649 children."
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Sydney’s famous Leichhardt Oval will get $40 million to upgrade its facilities, with the federal government joining state and local governments in a bid to rescue the football stadium.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced $20 million of federal funding, with the Inner West council and New South Wales government to provide another $10 milion each.
Leichhardt Oval, home ground for the NRL’s Wests Tigers, and its local supporters have long been calling for new funding.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Triple M the upgrade will benefit everyone in the community.
"There's nowhere better to be on an afternoon than sitting on the Wayne Pierce Hill there it's just fabulous. The atmosphere, even if you're at a Bunny's-Tigers game and you're wearing Bunny's gear, everyone gets in here, but it's good fun and it's a centre of the community, and it's not just for rugby league, it is for the Sydney FC Women's team are going to be playing there as well."
