TRANSCRIPT
The organiser of a rally in Canberra protesting violence against women says the Prime Minister lied about not being permitted to speak at the event.
Anthony Albanese told the march on Sunday he and Minister for Women Katy Gallagher had asked to speak at the event but were not allowed by the organisers.
Footage of the rally shows Sarah Williams, one of the organisers, standing next to Mr Albanese and saying "that's a lie" before breaking into tears.
Later on Sunday she posted a statement on social media again saying he had lied and spontaneously decided to speak only because he was being heckled.
Ms Williams said representatives from his office had earlier made it clear he would march but not speak at the event.
The Prime Minister has not responded directly to those claims, instead telling Channel 9's Today show it was an emotional day and he wants to stay focused on the issue.
"Well what was important yesterday was that the organisers, throughout the country deserved credit for organising these rallies. I was happy not to speak, I was happy to speak. It was about raising awareness of the issue. But a call to action, for all governments. Quite clearly we need to do more. It's not enough to just have empathy."
Annual losses to scams have fallen for the first time in seven years, with $2.74 billion lost last year.
The annual Targeting Scams report revealed the 13 percent decrease in losses compared to 2022, when Australians lost $3.15 billion to scams.
Australians made over 600,000 scam reports in 2023, up from 507,000 the previous year.
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones says the government is working to protect Australians from being exploited.
"In phase one, the government's plan to tackle scammers is working and it's working well. We've stood up the National Anti-Scam Centre, we've empowered the Australian Securities and Investment Commission to pull down fake investment websites. We're blocking literally hundreds of millions of S-M-S messages and scam calls through our telecommunications code. But there's much more work to be done."
The eSafety Commissioner's powers could be expanded, as the government announces it will review the Online Safety Act.
Communication Minister Michelle Rowland says the government is seeking public feedback on the act, which is being independent examined by former ACCC ((a triple c)) chair Delia Rickard.
The legislation aims to keep Australians safe from online harms, and the review is considering how to respond to hate speech and generative artificial intelligence.
Almost a million extra trips to the GP have been bulk-billed since further incentives for doctors came into effect in November.
Government data shows the bulk-billing rate rose 2.1 per cent in March, to 77.7 per cent.
Health Minister Mark Butler called it a win for patients, doctors and the health system, with an estimated 950,000 extra trips covered by Medicare.
Medicare payments for doctors in major cities who bulk-billed increased by 34 per cent, while rural and regional doctors received an extra 50 per cent.
But the former president of the Australian Medical Association in Victoria, Dr Stephen Parnis, told Channel 9's Today show the health system still needs a much bigger boost.
"Your postcode determines your access to health and the further away you are from the centre of the city, the harder it is to get in to see a doctor or get hospital care. There have been supports from some areas of the system. But the best example is: we need half our doctors going into general practice and we're lucky if we're getting 15 per cent going in."
In football,
The coach of Atletico de Madrid says the racist abuse aimed at an opponent winger during their 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao is a social issue in Spain, not just among Atletico fans.
Nico Williams asked the referee to stop play midway through the first half, after being targeted by sections of the home crowd making monkey noises as he attempted to take a kick.
Williams went on to score an equaliser on the stroke of half-time to make it 1-1, but Atletico won with two more goals in the second half, leaving it 3-1.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone was asked what he has to say about the racist chants from his club's fans.
“What we always say. It’s a societal problem, it’s not a problem with the stadium. If we can improve it in (wider) life we can improve it in big settings with lots of people. Hopefully, it gets better but it depends on everyone.”
