TRANSCRIPT
- Federal MPs face tougher penalties for engaging in bad behaviour
- First annual report published on the Albanese government's efforts to end violence against women and children
- Refugee athletes deliver a 'message of perseverance' as they seek medals at Paris Paralympics.
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Federal politicians will face consequences for bad behaviour under new laws to be introduced to parliament.
The legislation will establish the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission, to investigate alleged breaches of the code of conduct and make recommendations for sanctions.
Those recommendations will need to be endorsed by the parliament, with penalties including 5 per cent docking of pay and removal from committees.
Minister for Women Katy Gallagher says it's an important step in improving standards.
It's all about improving workplace conduct in this building, and making sure that where there is bad conduct or poor conduct, misconduct, that there's appropriate sanctions and enough deterrent to stop that behavior from happening. We've done a huge amount of work across the parliament with all all representative groups, but, you know, there's a little way to go, but I'm hopeful we've found the right balance."
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Parliament has received the first annual progress report into the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children.
The report calls for men to be a part of every aspect of ending violence, with more interventions needed for men.
Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin met with more than 300 organisations and individuals this year, as services struggle to keep up with demand - despite government funding.
The Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, Justine Elliot, says the report is a reminder of the challenges that women face.
"The life of a woman is different. We’ve had to see, think and act differently throughout our entire lives out of fear of violence. Fear of violence should not be a normal nor accepted part of womanhood. Speaker, one death is one death too many. These deaths are not numbers. These were women with lives, families, jobs. These women were part of our community, until a man decided to take that away."
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A market-researcher turned whistleblower has alleged that he was instructed to manipulate data for a project commissioned by the Australian Electoral Commission in the lead-up to the Voice to Parliament referendum last year.
The research concerned was benchmarking, tracking and evaluating AEC advertising about the process of the referendum and how to participate.
The whistleblower, who is being represented by the Human Rights Law Centre, says he was told to submit data from Indigenous people in Sydney as being from South Australia and regional NSW.
Palawa woman Maggie Walter is a professor of sociology at the University of Tasmania and an executive member of the Global Indigenous Data Alliance.
She told NITV, that the allegations of data manipulation are extremely disheartening.
An AEC spokesperson says it is extremely disappointing to hear that this may have occurred - but from the information available, it would seem that the issue only related to a very small number of respondents as part of a much larger body of research work.
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The federal government says it has shut down over 150 so-called ghost colleges.
The term refers to schools unable to prove they have provided training in the past 12 months.
They are believed to have exploited a now-closed loophole in Australia's visa system, which allowed international students to work instead of studying.
The government say it has issued warning notices to another 140 providers, asking them to resume courses or face deregistration.
The move is part of a wider crackdown on the education sector, aimed at weeding out malpractice.
A review in 2018 uncovered serious integrity issues in Australia's vocational education and training sector.
Another review last year showed those issues have become worse.
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Athletes on the Refugee Paralympic Team are looking to send a message of hope as they strive for a place on the podium at the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Eight Paralympians and one runner guide who fled conflict and persecution in their homelands are hoping to earn medals in six sports: para-athletics, para-powerlifting, para-table tennis, para-taekwondo, para-triathlon, and wheelchair fencing.
Among them is Ibrahim Al Hussein, a Syrian athlete who will be competing in para-triathlon.
He says he has big ambitions, but also values being humble.
"I don't consider myself a role model. I've come here to prove that anyone is able to achieve their goal. Despite all the challenges I have faced in my life, despite the fact that I left Syria on a wheelchair, despite the fact that I rebuilt my life from below zero - this is a message of hope to the whole world and a message of hope to everyone around the world, to anyone who is miserable, to anyone who does not have the spirit of perseverance."
The Paralympics begin in Paris from August 28.
