TRANSCRIPT
- Victoria's opposition announces a withdrawal of support for Treaty negotiations
- The federal government announces two new gas deals
- The Diamonds take home their second consecutive win as they defeat England's Roses in the Netball Nations Cup
The Victorian opposition say they are withdrawing support for Treaty negotiations over concerns about how cultural heritage is and is not working in Victoria.
Nationals leader and opposition spokesperson for Aboriginal affairs, Peter Walsh says the introduction of the laws to oversee the process have caused concerns among coalition MPs.
A spokesperson for the first Nations Assembly of Victoria says the oppositions decision to withdraw is disappointing but not surprising.
Mr Walsh says coalition MPs have been approached by people with issues about the process and that those must be resolved before they can move on in the process.
He spoke to Sky News about the decision.
"You have at the moment is a traditional owners group with a monopoly on delivering those cultural heritage studies with no accountability about timeliness, or price, or actually getting an outcome for people. If someone has a government monopoly, they have a responsibility to do the right thing by those requesting a study."
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Energy Minister Chris Bowen says gas-fired stations could have enough fuel to power Australia's east coast for the next two years as he announced the government has entered two supply commitment deals.
Mr Bowen says the government has entered into enforceable supply commitments with gas giants Esso and Woodside, resulting in more than 260 petajoules becoming available between now and 2033.
He says the deal will help address the demand in areas at risk of seasonal shortfalls and is part of ensuring that gas prices remain down for Australians.
The Climate Council, as well as environmentalists, say the extraction and processing of the resource is fueling Australia's high emissions.
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Queenslanders are bracing for another week of severe weather as a potential category three cyclone threatens to hit the state later this week.
The Bureau of Meteorology is providing regular updates and warnings to Queenslanders in flood and storm impacted areas and urges residents to stay informed.
There are also heatwave warnings in place for parts of Queensland as well as storm warnings for southern Queensland and northern New South Wales today.
"We do have a risk of severe storms across southeast Queensland pushing into northeast New South Wales today and they may bring some heavy falls that could lead to flash flooding as well as some fairly gusty winds and large hail. So with those hot unstable conditions in those areas, It is a good idea to keep an eye on the radar through the afternoon as well and check out our warnings page in case we need to issue storm warnings for any systems there."
Authorities say that there remains uncertainty about where the cyclone, which will be called Kirrily, will reach land.
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Victoria is launching an investigation into women's pain after a survey found that women's experiences of pain are often overlooked.
The inquiry will examine the systemic issues impacting perceptions and treatment of women's pain and be led by a panel of experts overseen by the Women's Health Advisory Council.
Premier Jacinta Allan told reporters that there is a 'gender pain gap' and says women's pain has been treated as a niche issue for too long.
The survey prompting the inquiry found that four in ten Victorian women experience chronic pain and one third have health difficulties that impact their ability to work.
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United States Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis has surprised voters after announcing his decision to suspend his election campaign following his defeat to former President Donald Trump in the Iowa caucus.
DeSantis says that without a clear path to victory then he cannot waste any more of his supporters time and will instead endorse Donald Trump as the Republican candidate.
Announcing his campaign suspension in a five minute video on social media, DeSantis thanked his followers for their support.
"It's clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance they watch his presidency gets stymied by relentless resistance, and they see Democrats using lawfare this day to attack him. Well, I've had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the corona virus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci. Trump is superior to the current incumbent Joe Biden. That is clear. I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge."
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The Australian Netball Team has beaten hosts England by two goals at the Netball Nations Cup in London.
The second consecutive win for the Diamonds ended in a tight 61-59 result as the Australians came out on top against the Roses.
England must now beat world number two, New Zealand in their final group match before reaching the decider of the tournament.
Australia will meet world number 7, Uganda, for the first time next week.
