TRANSCRIPT:
In this bulletin,
- Australia lifts its ban on U-S beef imports, as it negotiates tariff exemptions
- Doctors without borders makes an urgent call for the Australian Government to intervene in Gaza
- A three-match ban is upheld on Melbourne defender Steven May...
Australia has made a major concession to the U-S as it fights for tariff exemptions, lifting a ban on American beef.Until now, the ban had applied to beef from cattle who came from third countries, or whose origins could not be determined.
It was put in place years ago to protect the local industry from outbreaks of mad cow disease and foot and mouth disease.
Australian Agricultural Minister Julie Collins says this move does not represent a compromise in safety and adds that bio-security laws will be upheld.
"Our biosecurity risk assessment process is very robust and I have faith in the officials in my department to do this appropriately. These are experts in the field. Australia's biosecurity system is world-renowned for a reason."
The Minister also said the process of expanding the scope of US beef imports has been underway for the past five years.
The move comes as Australia fights for exemptions to sweeping tariffs on U-S imports, with the beef ban previously seen as a hurdle in the process.
The lifting of a ban of third-party beef from the US is being criticised by some farmers' groups and the Nationals Party.
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie is warning over the watering-down of biosecurity protections.
She is accusing the Prime Minister of sacrificing the beef export industry to bolster Australia's relationship with the US.
"This is as a result of the Prime Minister's inability to repair our relationship with the United States. Anthony Albanese must not sacrifice the Australian beef industry and our farmers, to repair the diplomatic deficiencies in his relationship with the United States."
More than 65 thousand Australians have signed a petition by Medicins San Frontieres also known as Doctors Without Borders, calling on the Federal Government to do more to intervene in Gaza.
The petition is being presented to Parliament today by Victorian Senator David Pocock, as aid agencies voice concerns the Israeli Government is using starvation as a weapon of war.
Labor Senator Ed Husic also says the Australian Government needs to coordinate with other parties to ramp-up sanctions on Israel.
More than 110 non-government organisations have signed a joint statement warning that starvation is spreading across Gaza.
Jennifer Tierney is MSF's executive director for Australia and New Zealand.
"Israeli authorities have either systematically destroyed all hospitals or made it impossible for us to deliver health care. More than 17 thousand children, children - and hundreds of aid workers, including twelve of our own M-S-F colleagues have been killed. And now civilians are being deliberately starved."
The Israeli Defence Force has denied allegations of crimes against humanity.
The IDF has repeatedly accused Hamas of sowing chaos and reporting inflated numbers of casualties from recent incidents, in which civilians seeking aid were reportedly killed.
The U-S has approved almost half a billion dollars in arms sales, to bolster Ukraine’s air defences and its armoured combat vehicles.
Ukraine and Russian representatives met in Istanbul today in the third round of peace talks that have resulted in a prisoner swap and the repatriation of thousands of soldiers bodies.
US President Donald Trump has set a deadline on Russia to negotiate a ceasefire and eventual peace deal, more than three years after it invaded Ukraine.
The US is threatening significant sanctions if Vladimir Putin does not make efforts to negotiate.
Russia's delegate for the talks, Vladimir Medinsky, says a meeting with Ukraine won't happen without an existing agreement.
Two and a half million Australians will be impacted by a new bill to protect penalties for casual workers.
Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth is introducing laws to parliament to ensure workers who are required to perform weekend and overtime shifts, are paid around 40 dollars an hour.
That rate has been calculated by Fair Work Australia, based on the required time and a half penalty on Saturdays and double time on Sundays.
There will be exceptions based on individual agreements made with workplaces.
To sport now and in AFL,
Melbourne defender Steven May has been banned from playing in three upcoming matches, in an AFL Tribunal decision overnight.
The ban was issued for his collision with Francis Evans on Saturday, with the three-personal panel declaring May should have slowed down or changed direction to avoid or minimise the impact.
May was found guilty of a charge of rough conduct, graded as careless, severe impact and high contact.
Carlton forward Evans had a broken nose and chipped tooth after the impact.
The premiership defender had pleaded not guilty, with his lawyer arguing May's actions were not unreasonable.
