TRANSCRIPT
- Peter Dutton continues calls for Palestinian visa ban as death toll in Gaza surpasses 40,000.
- New South Wales Liberals state director Richard Shields has been sacked.
- And in Rugby, Penrith's premiership hopes in doubt as Nathan Cleary suffers shoulder injury.
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The Federal opposition is calling for a thorough investigation into visa rules and whether sympathising with Hamas should be a valid reason for visa denial.
The calls follow Peter Dutton's push for a complete ban on migration from Gaza due to national security concerns.
The visa dispute intensified when ASIO head Mike Burgess suggested that indirect support for Hamas alone might not be sufficient to deny a visa.
Education Minister Jason Clare tells Channel 7, he trusts ASIO's assessment over Mr Dutton's.
"I trust Mike Burgess and the team at ASIO to keep our country safe. If there's a choice between him and Peter Dutton, I'll back Mike Burgess every single day. The fact is, what Dutton is on about at the moment, isn't about security, it's about politics. It's just about stoking fear and division in the country. This is what he's done all his life, just attack migrants, whether it's Chinese, Indian, New Zealanders or now Palestinians. He's basically Pauline Hanson without the personality."
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United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, says the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza marks a grim milestone for the world.
His comments follow the announcement by Gaza health authorities that the number of Palestinians killed has now exceeded 40,000.
Israel claims to take significant precautions to reduce civilian casualties but the repeated targeting of civilian infrastructure has made it incredibly dangerous for families.
Mr Turk says around 130 Palestinians have been killed daily in Gaza since the Israeli offensive began on October 7 in response to the deadly Hamas attack which resulted in close to 1,200 deaths on the Israeli side.
"Most of the dead are women and children. This unimaginable situation is overwhelmingly due to recurring failures by the Israeli Defence Forces to comply with the rules of war."
New Gaza ceasefire talks are underway in Doha, Qatar, with Israel's spy chief, US and Egyptian counterparts, and Qatar's prime minister attending the closed-door meeting.
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New South Wales Liberals state director Richard Shields has been sacked for failing to nominate 140 candidates for local government elections that could cost the party 50 seats in the upcoming council elections.
Mr Shields was asked to resign after failing to meet the key responsibility, which New South Wales Liberal Party Leader, Mark Speakman, has called one of the worst acts of mismanagement in the party’s history.
"Well, the first rule of getting elected is actually nominating, and as we know, because of a monumental debacle, that hasn't happened in a number of local government areas here in New South Wales. I'm disappointed, and I'm furious on behalf of those candidates who have missed out, including sitting councillors, on behalf of our Liberal Party members who work so hard to get Liberals elected, and on behalf of the general public in those areas who we thought were entitled to have Liberal candidates offered as a choice."
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Advocates are calling for police to be held accountable for systemic discrimination and bias against Indigenous people.
A Senate inquiry on missing and murdered Indigenous women and children has proposed ten recommendations, including a review of police practices by the Police Ministers Council.
George Newhouse, CEO of the National Justice Project, supports the move as a step towards reform and is calling on Parliament to ensure the recommendations are implemented.
He says police must to listen to, and empower, First Nations communities, integrating their feedback into policies.
Mr Newhouse says the National Justice Project will continue to push for independent police oversight, a trauma-informed coronial system, and increased police accountability.
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Penrith's bid for a fourth consecutive NRL premiership has taken a hit with star halfback Nathan Cleary taken off the field in with a shoulder injury in the Panther's two-point loss against Melbourne.
With the scores tied at 22-22, Cleary injured his left shoulder after a tackle by Storm forward Trent Loiero late in the game at BlueBet Stadium last night.
Although Cleary had a quieter game before the injury, he had been in excellent form since returning from a hamstring injury last month.
A long-term injury to Cleary would be a significant setback for the Panthers' title defence, as Penrith and Melbourne have been the top teams all season.
