The opposition calls for a senate inquiry into the government's proposed immigration detention laws; Six workers missing in Baltimore Bridge collapse presumed dead; And in AFL, Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says he is "surprised" by allegations of secret illicit drug tests.
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TRANSCRIPT
- In this bulletin,
- The opposition calls for a senate inquiry into the government's proposed immigration detention laws;
- Six workers missing in Baltimore Bridge collapse presumed dead;
- And in AFL, Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says he is "surprised" by allegations of secret illicit drug tests.
Labor's legislation that would make it easier to deport immigration detainees will be sent to a senate inquiry.
The bill would impose a prison sentence of up to five years on people refusing to cooperate with their deportation, with a mandatory sentence of one year.
Home Affairs Secretary Stephanie Foster fronted a two-hour senate committee hearing last night after the bill passed in lower house opposition support.
Opposition Home Affairs Spokesperson James Paterson says they haven't got the answers they need for about the legislation.
"They couldn't explain how or when they would use this legislation or who it would apply to in light of that it's very difficult for the coalition to support such a rushed passage of this legislation. We are very concerned about unintended consequences."
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US authorities say six people missing after the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed are presumed dead.
A search for the missing workers, part of a construction crew filling potholes on the bridge when a direct hit by a cargo ship caused it to collapse, has been suspended.
The Singapore-flagged Dali issued a mayday call after it lost power moments before the crash, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic, but two survivors were later been pulled from the water, with one taken to hospital in a serious condition.
Following an extensive and dangerous search, the US Coast Guard says it does not believe it will find the six workers alive.
"You have very difficult water temperatures, you have structures from the bridge that are in the water that can move with the tide and currents, making that dangerous for divers and people in the water to actually try to do recovery, and we do not want to injure any of these first responders in this recovery effort."
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Australian politicians have welcomed a ruling that Julian Assange will not be extradited to the United States, and may be able to appeal the order.
The High Court in London has ruled that Mr Assange will not be immediately extradited to the US, until it provides assurances he will not face the death penalty and can use the US' First Amendment in his legal defence.
Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie introduced a successful motion of support for Mr Assange in the lower house last month.
He says the court's decision to adjourn the appeal case until May the 20th is good news.
"The delay is good in itself, getting those assurances are good in themselves, but what I think is even better than all of that, it does give us a three week window for Julian's legal team, and for Julian himself, to perhaps cut a deal with the U-S Department of Justice."
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The federal government is trying to push through reforms which it says will get Australia's once world-leading National Disability Insurance Scheme "back on track".
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has introduced the bill, which addresses recommendations made by an independent review into the scheme released late last year, to parliament today.
State and territory leaders have called for a delay to the introduction of changes, which aim to protect participants from illegal and unethical conduct, and ensure funding goes to the right people.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has said the reforms could lead more people to seek state support at a cost unknown to his government.
But Mr Shorten says the reforms would provide life-changing outcomes for future generations of Australians with disabilities.
"While the NDIS has absolutely changed hundreds of thousands of lives for the better, it its not working well for everyone. Participants have spoken about how every interaction with the NDIS can become a battle. They voice their frustration at having to prove year after year that they are still blind, that they still have Down Syndrome, or Willi-Prader or quadriplegia or motor-neurone disease."
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In AFL,
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says he is "surprised" by allegations secret illicit drug tests were conducted to enable AFL players to avoid detection on game days.
Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie, using parliamentary privilege, revealed what he described as "credible and detailed" allegations made by a former Melbourne club doctor and football club president to Parliament on Tuesday.
This comes as Melbourne player Joel Smith, currently suspended following a positive test for cocaine last year, faces a minimum four-year ban by Sport Integrity Australia, if he is found guilty following allegations of trafficking or attempted trafficking of the drug.
Mr Goodwin says he has confidence in the AFL's drugs-testing processes.
"This is a process that the AFL, the AFLPA, and the club doctors put together from a confidentiality perspective, so to have no line of sight is not unusual, but I've got enormous trust in our doctor in terms of them being able to do their job, so I'm not going to question how they go about their business."
