In this bulletin;
- Coalition expected to support Labor’s student debt relief bill;
- A further 15 Palestinians die of starvation in Gaza over the past day;
- And in sport, report finds 2032 Brisbane Games could bring $70 billion dollars to the economy.
Labor’s legislation to lower Hecs debt levels by about 20 per cent for about three million graduates in the country is expected to be the first government bill to be introduced in new parliament today.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke to reporters on the first day of Parliament sitting.
"Every day is an opportunity to deliver for Australians, and this week we will have legislations to do that."
The Coalition has also flagged it is likely to support the student debt reduction measures.
Sussan Ley is leader of the Opposition.
"We're happy to be constructive with the government. But I and my team will be critical, and we will hold the government to account."
The bill is expected to deliver savings of about $16 billion dollars.
Meanwhile, the Greens, who hold the balance of power in the upper house, are set to introduce a private senators bill to reform Australia's main environment laws.
—
A six-week-old baby is among 15 Palestinians who have died of starvation in Gaza over the past day, according to Gaza health officials, as malnutrition reaches its deadliest level since the war began 21 months ago.
The infant named Yousef, died in Gaza City after his family failed to find infant formula.
His uncle, Adham al-Safadi, says even if milk is found, it costs over $100 a tub.
“The baby is 40 days old and there are no (formula) milk boxes in the country. Whenever you go searching for a box of milk, you don't find it. A box of milk now costs $100, we can’t afford it and it’s not available. The mother can’t breastfeed, there’s no food and drinks, so there is no breastmilk. The baby died of malnutrition, the child had malnutrition and the mother had malnutrition. This is the case for all of Gaza Strip’s children.”
Three other children were among the dead, including 13-year-old Abdulhamid al-Ghalban, who died in hospital in Khan Younis.
Meanwhile, a senior Israeli official has denied the claims of famine, telling the Times of Israel newspaper that aid is entering Gaza but a UN bottleneck is preventing its distribution.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, following Hamas-led attacks that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
—
The Trump administration will withdraw the United States from UNESCO by the end of next year, citing the agency’s “divisive” and “globalist” agenda as incompatible with his “America First” policy.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said UNESCO’s recognition of Palestine as a member state was “highly problematic” and fuelled anti-Israel rhetoric.
The decision aligns with President Trump’s broader scepticism of multilateral institutions, including the UN, WTO, and NATO.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said she regretted the move, but noted it had been expected and preparations were in place.
Stephan Dujarric , the spokesman for the U-N Secretary General, says António Guterres also regrets the withdrawal.
“And I think most of you must have seen this morning that in a statement issued earlier today, Audrey Azoulay, the Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), she said that she deeply regrets the decision of the United States to withdraw once again from the organi ation she leads. She added that in the past years, UNESCO has stepped up efforts to take action wherever the agency’s mission could contribute to peace. And, of course, the Secretary-General joins her in deeply regretting the decision by the United States.”
—
Rock wallabies that were once believed to be extinct in Western Australia's Kalbarri National Park, are now thriving.
The species is doing well due to the conservation and breeding programs run by the Nanda Traditional Owners and the Parks and Wildlife Service, which is a six hour drive north of Boorloo Perth.
Nanda Ranger Samarra Martin is working with a team to trap rock wallabies by searching the remote gorges the animals call home.
"We catch them, we check if they've got a tag in between their shoulder blades. And if they don't we put a chip in so that we can know when and where they were tagged."
The species were thought to be extinct in the area until a pair were spotted in a remote gorge by rock climbers in 2016.
Seven years ago, rangers brought in 70 wallabies from the wheatbelt region, which have bred and some have mated with the local Kalbarri wallabies.
—
A new report has estimated the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games to generate more than $70 billion dollars into the country's national economy.
The Deloitte Economics Report also predicts the country would benefit from tens of billions of dollars post-Games.
The report forecasted economic growth of 20 years from 2032 to 2052, with tens of thousands of job opportunities across the country.
Over that period, it estimated a growth of almost $40 billion dollars for south-east Queensland, and for the remainder of the state and Australia an estimate of $31 billion dollars.
But a business expert has played down the Olympic-sized impact, warning the cost of preparing for a Games might outweigh the benefits.
