TRANSCRIPT
- Australia's military aid package for Ukraine welcomed by the federal opposition
- The Sydney bishop stabbed during a sermon has a message for his attacker
- Australian Jason Gillespie appointed head coach of the Pakistan men's Test team
The federal opposition has welcomed the military aid package for Ukraine announced by the federal government, but says the funding allocation should not come at the expense of Australia's defence budget.
Australia is to provide Ukraine with an additional 100 million dollars worth of military aid, including drones and air defence systems.
It brings Australia's total support for Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion more than two years ago to one billion dollars.
Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says there are further questions she wants answered.
"Is this money going to raid the already struggling defence budget? And we were the leading non-NATO contributor to Ukraine while the Coaltion was in government. We want to see the Albanese government stand up and support Ukraine not just for the moment, but for the long term. And we know that Ukraine has urgently asked for assistance when it comes to energy, supplies of coal."
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Meanwhile, there is still no plan for the Australian Embassy in Kyiv to re-open, despite renewed calls from the Ukrainian government.
Most other big democracies have moved their diplomats back to the Ukrainian capital.
At the outbreak of Russia's full-scale invasion, Australia's Kyiv embassy was closed and relocated to Poland's capital, Warsaw.
Defence Minister Richard Marles tells SBS there are no plans to change that for now.
"Look, Paul Lehmann is our ambassador to Ukraine - and he is literally with me right now - he has provided his credentials to President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian government. Putting our embassy back in Kyiv is a matter which is under active consideration. We will consider to work that through. But the focus is on making sure that we are providing Ukraine with the military support that they need."
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An emergency meeting of Australian leaders will be convened on Wednesday [[1 May]] to tackle the scourge of violence against women after tens of thousands of people marched throughout the nation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined the rally in Canberra over the weekend, one of 17 that took place around the country attended by tens of thousands of Australians.
Mr Albanese says the federal and state governments must make changes to stop the violence against women.
Advocacy groups say 32 women have been killed at the hands of men in Australia this year, including the five women in the Bondi stabbing and the others in domestic violence events.
The Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher, says the Prime Minister is taking the issue very seriously.
"He has called a national cabinet that is going to meet on Wednesday to talk across jurisdictions. Many of the responses are at the state and territory levels. There are areas that the federal government can work in, largely around prevention. And we see that as our responsibility. We want to see progress, but it's not going to happen overnight. But we have got the plan in place. We have got resources that underpin it. We've got our budget coming up next month or so."
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The Sydney bishop who was stabbed during a sermon two weeks ago has returned to the pulpit with a message for his attacker.
Wearing a medical eye patch, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel delivered an almost hour-long sermon to his congregation at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley.
Welcomed with a standing ovation, the bishop told his parishioners he forgives the teenage assailant.
"God is love and the lord Jesus he taught us to love everyone without any differentiation. This young man who did this act almost two weeks ago. I say to you, my dear - you are my son. I will always pray for you. I will always wish you nothing but the best. I forgive you. I love you and I will always pray for you."
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The managing director of the International Monetary Fund has told leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in the Saudi capital Riyadh that a new vision for global development needs to better consider issues of equity.
The two-day meeting is being attended by 1,000 government, business and civil society leaders from around the world, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva says inclusive economic growth needs to be much more at the forefront.
"In a world of plenty, we still have almost 800 million people who are hungry. We failed to more inclusively share the benefits of this growth. I look forward and I think the next 100 years, we can achieve the same degree of wealth, but with much better distribution of the benefits of growth."
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In cricket, former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie has been announced head coach of Pakistan men's Test team.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had approached other high-profile names, including Australian Shane Watson, who ultimately pulled out of the race.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the appointment on a two-year contract.
There have been several changes of personnel across coaching staff, captains and management, after Pakistan finished fifth at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, failing to qualify for the semifinals.
