A Ballarat mine shut down as an investigation into the deadly collapse begins; an Australian woman killed in a Bali landslide triggered by heavy rain, and in the AFL, Carlton defeats Richmond in another close game at the MCG.
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TRANSCRIPT
- A Ballarat mine shut down as an investigation into the deadly collapse begins
- An Australian woman killed in a Bali landslide triggered by heavy rain
- Carlton defeats Richmond in another close game at the MCG.
Victorian authorities have launched an investigation into the collapse of a mine in Ballarat that killed one man and left another fighting for life.
WorkSafe Victoria earth resources manager Benjamin Wright says they are keen to understand if there was any negligence or recklessness in the leadup to the rock fall that left the two men trapped in the mine.
Ballarat Police Acting Inspector Lisa MacDougall says mining operations have ceased while those inquiries are conducted.
"It is early stages. That site has been closed down for both investigators from Victoria Police to undertake their investigation on behalf of the coroner and for WorkSafe Victoria to undertake their investigation. So it is open as to when that will be finalised."
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A landslide has claimed the life of an Australian woman and another tourist in Bali.
Local authorities say they died after the landslide hit their wooden villa in Jatiluwih village following heavy rain, north of the island's capital Denpasar.
The names and other details of the Australian woman and the second tourist who died in the disaster are yet to be released.
The Department of Foreign Affairs says it is providing consular assistance to the family.
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In the United States, the country's highest-ranking Jewish official, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, has urged Israel to hold new elections to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr Schumer has told the Senate Mr Netanyahu is an "obstacle to peace", and "no longer fits the needs of Israel" five months into a war that followed attacks on Israel by Hamas militants on October 7.
The Senator says there needs to be a fresh debate about the future of Israel.
"If Prime Minister Netanyahu's current coalition remains in power after the war begins to wind down, and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing US standards for assistance, then the United States will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change present course."
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The federal government has defended its processes after a number of Palestinian women had their visas cancelled as they were fleeing Gaza to reach family in Australia.
SBS has been made aware of five cases where the visitor visa which was issued by the Australian government was retracted in recent days - including mid-flight, in at least one case.
The cancellations have left families stranded in Cairo, and raised concerns about whether other visa-holders could face the same outcome if they attempt to travel to Australia.
But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says each individual visa case is different.
"This has been a difficult situation for people, and I understand that it's a very difficult circumstance for families. These decisions are made upon advice based upon individuals. I won't talk about individual cases. These assessments are made, but I cannot talk about individuals."
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New analysis suggests that spending by international students contributed to more than half of Australia's GDP growth last year.
The analysis by economists at NAB say their contributions helped the economy avoid two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth, steering it away from a technical recession.
But that contribution is expected to ease as student visa approvals have fallen sharply since 2022, with just over 90,000 granted in the last quarter.
NAB Economist Brody Viney says that's likely to be offset by improving conditions later this year.
"International students have definitely played a significant role in keeping the economy growing over the past year. So out of the 1.5% growth that year, that's more than half of the growth driven by that recovery and international students. Some of those pressures on households around inflation will start to ease. And so we should see some offsetting support for the economy coming from coming from household. So we do expect consumption growth to start to pick up from from a household perspective over the second half of this year."
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And in the AFL, Carlton has won another close game at the MCG, edging out Richmond 86 to 81.
The two rivals went goal-for-goal throughout a tremendous third quarter, the Blues just holding on to claim a thrilling victory to back up their one-point win against Brisbane in the opening round.
It's the sixth game in a row Carlton has won by a goal or less, stretching back to round 22 last season.
