TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
- Social cohesion envoy Peter Khalil urges census change for LGBTIQ+ visibility;
- Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire for polio vaccination drive in Gaza;
- And in sport, Swimmer Tom Gallagher delivers Australia's first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Social cohesion envoy Peter Khalil has joined calls to reverse the government’s decision not to include more categories for gender and sexuality in the 2026 Census.
In a statement posted to social media platform X, he says he’s heard the hurt and pain reflected from the LGBTIQ+ community who “simply want to be counted” amongst the rest of the population.
Labor promised to amend the Census before the last election but has scrapped any possible changes due to fear of division in the community.
It’s been widely condemned by the community, including advocacy group Equality Australia.
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The Israeli military and Palestinian militant group Hamas has agreed to zoned three-day pauses in fighting in the Gaza strip to allow for the delivery of some 640,000 polio vaccinations for children.
World Health Organisation official Rik Peeperkorn says the vaccination campaign is due to start on Sunday.
He says the agreement is for the pauses to take place between 6am and 3pm.
Mr Peeperkorn says the campaign starts in central Gaza with a three-day pause in fighting, then moves to southern Gaza for another three-day pause, followed by northern Gaza.
"Without humanitarian pauses, as we call it at the UN, a campaign delivery which is already implemented in incredible constraints, complex environments, will not be possible. So we will monitor it throughout the campaign. This has been agreed when needed, the campaign will be extended by one day per zone or even more when necessary."
The WHO confirmed on August 23rd that at least one baby has been paralysed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years.
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Today marks 25 years since a UN-led referendum secured Timor-Leste's independence from Indonesian control.
At least 1,400 civilians were killed in reprisals led by Indonesian militias and aided by the country's military.
Ian Martin was on the scene for the UN when the vote went ahead.
”That was really the point that the courage and determination of the Timorese made itself felt, because despite the fact that some had been displaced and were hiding in the hills, people came to register. It was quite soon apparent that we were going to get, and even exceed, the numbers of voters that electoral experts had estimated.”
Australia also played a pivotal role in the peacekeeping response that helped ensure the country's liberation.
Damien Kingsbury is an Emeritus Professor at Deakin University.
”Violence and destruction being wrought by the Indonesian military and its proxy militias really tipped the balance. Certainly in Australia, there was a very significant international protest, and a lot of pressure on the government and the prime minister at the time John Howard very reluctantly agreed to send Australian troops under UN auspices some weeks later. He only did that under pressure from the United States.”
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Coercive control could soon be punishable by law in South Australia under proposed new reforms put before the state parliament.
Coercive control is a non-violent form of domestic violence where an abuser seeks to control their victim's behaviour.
The SA government last year committed to making it a criminal offence.
Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Katrine Hildyard says the government would spend an additional two years educating the community about what constitutes coercive control, before implementing the laws.
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Vigils have been held in Sydney and Melbourne to remember a Tamil asylum seeker who died on Wednesday.
23-year-old father, Mano Yogalingam, spent more than a decade on a bridging visa – a fact the Tamil Refugee Council believes contributed to his death.
Mr Yogalingam had been part of a group protesting against Australia’s visa laws in the days before the tragedy.
Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill says the government is investigating.
”We are gathering more information and may have more to say once more facts are known. For now, I was horrified to hear of that incident as I think any decent human being or Australian would be.”
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And to sport,
Swimmer Tom Gallagher has delivered Australia's first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
It was also Gallagher's first gold medal of his career, as he powered to a winning finish in the men's S10 50m freestyle.
The 25-year-old's surge down the home stretch ensured he held off a chasing pack that included Australian teammate Rowan Crothers, who finished with bronze.
