Hundreds of firefighters protest in Melbourne's CBD; Armenia's Prime Minister says ethnic cleansing is "under way" in Nagorno-Karabakh; And in sport, Brisbane's Lachie Neale has won his second Brownlow Medal.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Hundreds of firefighters protest in Melbourne's CBD;
- Armenia's Prime Minister says ethnic cleansing is "under way" in Nagorno-Karabakh;
- And in sport, Brisbane's Lachie Neale has won his second Brownlow Medal.
About 1,500 firefighters clad in yellow jackets and sunglasses have shut down parts of Melbourne's CBD amid a bitter dispute between their union and the Victorian government.
The protest is believed to be the largest by the United Firefighters Union, with workers bussed in from across the state.
Cries of "shame" and "union power" rang out as speakers blasted stalled negotiations over a new enterprise agreement the union claims has been "ripped up" and puts safety at risk.
Workers rallied at the fire station in East Melbourne before marching to parliament and then to the Fair Work Commission.
Victorian branch secretary Peter Marshall says firefighters had been negotiating with Fire Rescue Victoria for two years across 76 meetings and reached agreement on all but two matters but the organisation and government then "reneged".
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The Armenian Prime Minister says ethnic cleansing is "under way" in Nagorno-Karabakh, as thousands of ethnic Armenians continue to flee the region.
The Armenian government says at least 6,650 people have crossed into Armenia.
It comes after Azerbaijan announced a ceasefire in the region following a deadly 24-hour military offensive.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with US Agency for International Development chief Samantha Power who is leading a US delegation to Armenia to discuss a potential humanitarian crisis.
Azerbaijan has previously denied persecution of ethnic Armenians who live in the region, which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but populated by ethnic Armenians.
But Mr Pashinyan told Ms Power the situation is dire.
"Now, the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh is underway that's happening just now. And that is very unfortunate fact because we were trying to urge international community on that."
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A government plan to boost employment and remove barriers for job seekers has been labelled "a missed opportunity" by the opposition.
The Albanese government released a wide-ranging white paper yesterday, outlining new measures to equip workers with skills needed for jobs of the future as well as plans to dismantle barriers for those wanting to work.
Central to this vision for the labour force of tomorrow is a new definition of full employment: a good, secure, fairly paid job for everyone who wants one without having to look for too long.
Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor tells the ABC the coalition supported high levels of employment but he did not want to see inflation spike as a consequence.
"The government should be focusing on bringing down the level of unemployment where we get low inflation. In other words, making sure we've got policies that give us the combination of low inflation and low unemployment, and the key to that is knocking down roadblocks to work, knocking back roadblocks for employers, knocking back roadblocks for employees."
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Pilots have joined a chorus of anger against Qantas as scrutiny continues of the airline's role in a government decision to reject extra Qatar Airways flights.
A parliamentary committee is examining the role Qantas' lobbying played in the government's decision to knock back the extra flights, as well as Australia's bilateral air agreements more broadly.
It is holding hearings in Brisbane today and in Canberra tomorrow.
Among those giving evidence today are the Productivity Commission, Alliance Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Australia-Qatar Business Council, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a number of airports and unions.
Transport Minister Catherine King has defended her decision to knock back the flights on national interest grounds but hasn't elaborated on what that was.
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And in sport,
Lachie Neale has secured his second Brownlow medal.
A decade, a new club and two Brownlow Medals on from his first AFL grand final, Neale is determined to make his second one count.
Back in 2013, the Brisbane star was a fresh-faced 20-year-old and the substitute in a Fremantle team that crumbled against Hawthorn in that season's decider.
After claiming his second Brownlow Medal, at the Lions' function in Brisbane last night, Neale took a philosophical approach to backing up winning the game's top individual honour with attempting to claim its greatest prize.
"So to be in Brisbane, preparing for grand final is amazing. So excited for what's to come this week not only Saturday but the build up to the game and I haven't been involved in this week for a decade. So, I'm excited."
The 30-year-old is now preparing to face Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday.
