In this bulletin; fee-free TAFE enrolments exceed expectations. An uncertain future for the Wagner Group after the confirmed death of its leader. And in sport, the Paralympics Committee to decide whether Russia and Belarus can participate in the 2024 games.
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TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin...
** Fee-free TAFE enrolment far exceeds expectations...
** Uncertain future for the Wagner Group after the confirmed death of its leader Yevgheni Prigozhin...
And in sports,
** Paralympics Committee to decide whether Russia and Belarus can participate in the next games in 2024.
[---]
Free TAFE enrolments have topped 214,000, soaring past the initial 180,000 target six months earlier than anticipated.
The care sector is the biggest winner, with more than 51,000 students, or about a quarter of all enrolments.
Construction attracted almost 21,000 enrolments, technology and digital scored almost 17,000 and early childhood education and care almost 12,000.
Women made up the majority of enrolments with more than 60 per cent and more than a third are in regional areas.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says on Nova radio during his trip to Perth that the success of TAFE shows the Indigenous Voice to parliament referendum is not distracting his government from other policies.
“After this interview, I'll be heading out to a TAFE, to talk about how the number of fee-free TAFE, which were supposed to be nineteen thousand has been well exceeded. So it's killing up. Young people and retraining people for jobs here in the West. So we're continuing to do all these measures.”
[---]
Russia is now dealing with the aftermath of the death of Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash.
While supporters gather at a makeshift memorial in Moscow, questions remain about the future of his private army.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has now ordered Wagner fighters to sign an oath of allegiance to the Russian state.
He signed the decree bringing in the change with immediate effect on Friday after the Kremlin said Western suggestions Mr Prigozhin had been killed on its orders were an "absolute lie".
Doctor Matthews Sussex is a visiting fellow at the Australian National University Strategic and Defence Studies Centre and Griffith University's Asia Institute.
He comments on what may happen next to Wagner.
"What Putin has done is asked Wagner soldiers to basically swear allegiance to Russia and to the Constitution and to the armed forces. And it's probably the last bit that's the most important because previously, Wagner had a code of honour which said that it should uphold Russian interests everywhere. But it certainly didn't swear an oath of allegiance to the Armed Forces, which was I think, probably a source of a lot of the tension."
[---]
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide is holding a hearing in Melbourne.
It focuses on leadership, accountability and military justice, as well as issues relating to the rehabilitation of veterans and the organisational culture of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
The Commission was established in July 2021 to examine cultural, structural and systemic issues that are contributing to high rates of suicide and suicidal behaviour in the military community.
Professor Ben Wadham of Flinders University told the commission about a precise case where medication failed to improve the condition of the veteran.
"One of the problems about medication is that sometimes they can be overloaded. And in this case the medication regime wasn't handled that well. And it led to exacerbating these issues. That combined with personal issues around family and children, led us to a loss."
[---]
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has conceded a recruitment process to select a candidate already well-fancied by the state's transport minister wasted taxpayer money.
Labor has been under fire for weeks over the appointment of former corporate affairs executive and Labor staffer Josh Murray to lead the country's largest transport department.
Documents provided to parliament this month showed Transport Minister Jo Haylen's office requested Mr Murray be interviewed for the role after recruiters declined to shortlist him.
He later made a final shortlist.
Ms Haylen has said a $125,000 recruitment process was run to assure herself Mr Murray was the best person she could appoint to head the key agency.
In retrospect, the money was not required, Mr Minns said.
[---]
Victorian medicinal cannabis users will be put through a closed-track trial to see when it's safe for them to get behind the wheel.
The 18-month trial will look at the level of impairment that can be caused by medicinal cannabis.
Current roadside drug testing can only identify if T-H-C is present in a person's system, but not whether it comes from medicinal or recreational cannabis.
The trial will not change the fact that it is illegal to drive on Victorian roads while under the influence of T-H-C.
A government spokesperson says it will not take place on public roads to ensure there are no safety risk to participants or members of the public.
[---]
A revamp of Australia's business register system has been ditched after an investigation found it would cost five times more than originally flagged.
The Labor government has called it quits on the troubled program that intended to streamline the task of registering a business in Australia.
A review into modernising the program, started by the former coalition government, found it would cost as much as $2.8 billion to complete.
The expected initial cost was around $490 million.
The investigation also found it would take nearly a decade to complete rather than four years.
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said the previous government needs to take responsibility for the delays and overblown budget.
Mr Jones said the previous government did not understand what they were doing.
[---]
In the United States,
Tropical Storm Idalia has formed in the Caribbean Sea yesterday [[SUN]], posing a likely threat to Florida as it strengthens into an expected hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm has sustained winds of 65 kilometres per hour and could reach Category 1 strength when it is forecast to make landfall along the northwest Florida coast on Wednesday.
Florida has mobilized 1,100 National Guard members and urged residents to keep their vehicle gas tanks at least half-full in case they need to evacuate.
Jamie Rhome, the Deputy Director of the National Hurricane Centre, says the storm could also greach northwards to other states on the Atlantic coast.
"So, if you're after it moves over northern Florida and moves up into the southeastern United States or along the coast, and we really have to watch you in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina really have to pay attention. If it's a little bit farther inland, maybe weaker, a little bit farther offshore, maybe a little stronger."
[---]
Rubiales has rejected claims he gave player Jenni Hermoso an unwanted kiss on the lips after Spain won the Women's World Cup.
He has refused to resign over the incident, saying the kiss was consensual. He says he would use a FIFA investigation to show his innocence.
Players and coaches on the women's squad are demanding he go. The government also wants him out.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation [[RFEF]] has called regional federations to an urgent meeting to evaluate the situation in which the federation finds itself.
[---]
The Paris 2024 Paralympics are facing the question as to whether Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete.
The International Paralympic Committee say the decision will be taken in September.
The decision will come just weeks before the International Olympic Committee decides on their participation at the Paris Olympics.
The President of the International paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons, says the decision belongs to the General Assembly.
"I would not like to speculate about that exactly because I want the membership to take that decision. That's why we bring that decision to the General Assembly which is the highest decision making body of our organisation. The difference now is that we are providing a third options which is... because we have three options now on the table, which will be full suspension, partial suspension with neutrals and no suspension."
The Committee also wants the games to be affordable for fans, with ticket prices starting at 15 euros, which is around 22 dollars.
