A truce in Gaza extended by two days; a new survey suggests surprise support for an Indigenous voice to Parliament, weeks after a referendum defeat; and in sport, reflection from Australian football greats on the impact of the late Terry Venables.
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TRANSCRIPT
- A truce in Gaza extended by two days
- A new survey suggests surprise support for an Indigenous voice to Parliament, weeks after a referendum defeat
- And in sport, reflection from Australian football greats on the impact of the late Terry Venables.
A truce between Israeli and Hamas forces in Gaza had been extended by two days, continuing a pause in seven weeks of warfare that has killed thousands and laid waste to the Palestinian enclave.
Hamas has confirmed it has agreed to the extra time in negotiations with Qatar and Egypt, who have been facilitating talks with Israel.
The extension follows statements from the Palestinian Authority warning that a cessation of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza would result in the conflict becoming twice as deadly as it already has been.
The Authority's Foreign Minister, Riyad Al-Maliki, says the movements of people in Gaza since the conflict started have to be considered.
"If we see the continuation of the war tomorrow, that means that the number is going to be double because the concentration of the Palestinian population is now double. They are all concentrated in the south of the Gaza Strip. 2 million of them in half of the graphic territory of the Gaza Strip. Any Israeli attack instead of killing one child is going to kill two.”
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A new survey suggests a majority of Australians believe Indigenous people should have a say on matters that affect them, weeks after a referendum comprehensively rejected the Voice to Parliament proposal.
The Australian National University tracking survey of 4200 voters since January has found 87 percent believe First Nations people deserve a voice on key policies and political decisions.
More than 80 per cent of those surveyed also believe Australia should undertake a formal truth-telling process.
Survey co-author Nicholas Biddle says their findings indicate it was the model proposed in the referendum that proved unpopular.
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The High Court will hand down its reasoning today for its immigration detention decision that forced the government to release 140 people into the community.
The government has now allocated $255 million towards enforcing strict visa conditions on those released, changes that have been approved in the House of Representatives overnight.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has told the Chamber the government should have waited for the High Court's reasons before passing the bill, while independent M-P Kylea Tink said she thought the bill had been rushed.
"I call on all of us here then to move forward as a parliament in a calm fashion, debating what is appropriate for our society, and deciding what is in the best interest of all Australians. For I fear that the faster we rush at this sort of legislative reform, the more mistakes we will make. The High Court ruling gives us an opportunity to hit control-alt-delete on our detention system in this country. And that's exactly what we should do."
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A new survey shows more families in higher income brackets are starting to feel financial stress.
The survey from the National Australia Bank shows 41 per cent of individuals classified as higher income earners reported financial hardship across the September quarter, up from 33 per cent in the previous quarter.
Financial hardship is defined as a failure to meet some kind of financial obligation for a period of time.
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Australia's worst loss of life in maritime history has been commemorated, nine months after the shipwreck was found and 81 years after its sinking.
Dignitaries, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, have attended a service at the Australian War Memorial to remember the 980 Australian troops and civilians who died when the Japanese passenger vessel the Montevideo Maru was sunk in 1942 by a US submarine.
Mr Albanese has told the gathering the families of those killed spent years trying to have their loved ones acknowledged.
"We are celebrating the lives of those who were lost on the Montevideo Maru. But we are also celebrating the continuity that is there from the relatives and families who are here."
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To sport,
Tributes are still flowing for football legend Terry Venables, who has died at the age of 80.
Former Socceroo Craig Foster has hailed Venables as one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport in Australia.
Venables is well-remembered for his tenure as Socceroos coach in the late 1990s, during which the Socceroos nearly qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1974 - then famously falling at the last hurdle against Iran in 1997.
Foster, a midfielder in that Socceroos team, says he will never forget Venables' impact.
"He enabled all of us to be able to understand the game more deeply, and to see the game unfolding between us. From my position, it made the game so much easier. But he was also a lovely, lovely man. He was loved by so many players who played under him. And, ultimately, despite what happened in 1997, he had a really strong impact on one of the most important generations in the history of Australian football."
