Foreign Minister Penny Wong acknowledges a path to peace in Gaza is challenging, The PM praises the accessibility of urgent care clinics for all Australians, Australian Daniel Sanders misses out on finishing in the top three at the Dakar Rally motorcycle race.
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
- Foreign Minister Penny Wong acknowledges a path to peace in Gaza is challenging.
- The PM praises the accessibility of urgent care clinics for all Australians.
- Australian Daniel Sanders misses out on finishing in the top three at the Dakar Rally motorcycle race.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong acknowledged that a path to peace is challenging but vital for all civilians in Gaza.
She reiterated Australia's calls for a sustainable ceasefire as well as the immediate release of all hostages and condemnation of the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
She says it's clear from speaking to civilians in Gaza that the conflict is weighing heavily on everyone, and called for a need to implement a two state solution.
"It is clear from the conflict that the path to peace demands a just and enduring two state solution. It demands a recognition of Palestinians aspirations for statehood and it demands a security for Israelis."
-
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is heralding the success of the government's urgent care clinics which opened up last year.
He said the 58 urgent care clinics promised by the federal government opened by the end of 2023, and are successfully providing free and accessible healthcare.
Mr Albanese says the government is ensuring Medicare services make healthcare affordable for all Australians who are fighting rising costs as a result of inflation.
"We tripled the bulk billing incentive in the budget - the largest injection of funding to assist Medicare that has happened since Medicare was founded. In addition to that urgent care clinics, like the one here, people all they need is their Medicare card. That's a new form of health service delivery. It's based on models that have been successful overseas."
-
The cost of responding to MDMA overdoses has risen by more than $1500 since before the pandemic in Victoria.
It's now an average of $8000 per patient to respond to overdose crises.
The jump has been attributed to the rising cost of services, with the figure including the price of ambulances, emergency presentations and hospital treatment.
There were 246 MDMA overdoses in 2021-22 which cost taxpayers $1.9 million, according to analysis from the Parliamentary Budget Office released on Wednesday.
-
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has overcome opposition among members of his Conservative Party after politicians voted in favour of approving his plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Right-wing elements in his Conservative Party had demanded he toughen a new bill to tackle illegal immigration in moves centrists feared could breach human rights protections.
Mr Sunak has made stopping arrivals of asylum seekers crossing over from France in small boats a central aim of his government and says the Rwanda plan would create a deterrent.
Under the plan, migrants who arrive in Britain illegally face being sent to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed.
Interior Minister James Cleverly has welcomed the plan.
"This bill sends an unambiguously clear message that if you enter the United Kingdom illegally, you cannot stay. This bill has been meticulously drafted to end the merry-go-round of legal challenges. People will not be able to use our asylum laws, human rights laws or judicial reviews to block their legitimate removal and the default will be for claims to be heard outside of this country."
-
The head of the International Energy Agency says the oil market is set to be in a comfortable and balanced position this year despite Middle East tensions.
Executive Director Fatih Birol said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum that he expects a comfortable market this year, despite attacks by Houthis on ships in the Red Sea which have forced many companies to divert cargoes around Africa.
"Currently, of course, there are some issues related to transportation of oil which had rather limited impact on the prices. Production is not affected at all, but if one of more than one major oil-producing country is directly involved in the conflict, this may well give upward pressure on the prices."
He added that the IEA is expecting a significant increase in oil production from the United States, Canada, Brazil and Guyana this year, just as global oil demand growth slows.
-
And in sport,
Australian Daniel Sanders has missed out on finishing in the top three at the Dakar Rally motorbike race.
On Wednesday's 10th stage, a 371 kilometre route around AlUla in the Saudi Arabian desert, Ricky Brabec led home his Honda teammates, Chilean Nacho Cornejo and Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren in a dominant 1st 2nd and third place.
Sanders came home fourth on the stage, 47 seconds behind Brabec, who edged his teammate Cornejo by just two seconds to take his first stage victory of the race.
