TRANSCRIPT:
- New environment laws due to be introduced into parliament as the government looks for support
- Bodies line the streets in Rio de Janeiro ahead of climate talks ...
- Australia and India left disappointed by Twenty20 wash out.
The federal government has tabled its long-awaited overhaul of Australia's national environment laws - giving us the first full view of the fifteen-hundred page bill.
With Environment Minister Murray Watt speaking at the National Press Club today, the legislation was introduced by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
"The truth is, our environment laws are broken. they're not working for the environment, for business, for the economy or for the community. that was a clear assessment delivered by Professor Graham Samuel when he handed down his independent review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act."
He said the reforms are clearly in the national interest and framed criticism of the bill as political posturing by Labor's opponents.
There has been strong and widespread criticism of the government's environment law reform bill, which is expected to be the subject of a short Senate inquiry once it passes the lower house.
The Greens say the laws don't do enough to protect threatened species, while the Coalition says business is being put at risk by provisions outlining unacceptable impacts on the environment.
Land councils in the Northern Territory have also expressed concerns at a lack of consultation with Aboriginal people.
Australian Conservation Foundation acting CEO Paul Sinclair says there are significant loopholes.
"As they stand, these bills fail nature and the jobs that depend on it. About half the Australian economy, about nine hundred billion dollars a year, is directly dependent upon nature. A strong nature law creates a strong Australia. These laws need to be strengthened to end deforestation. As they stand these laws have too many loopholes."
The opposition says the powers provided to a new environmental protection agency proposed by the government would be too wide-ranging and risk hurting business and productivity.
Shadow Environment Minister Angie Bell says the minister's discretionary powers would be hollowed out by the new statutory body, and the bill is unworkable as it stands.
The bill needs support in the Senate, either through the Coalition or Greens, but Ms Bell told the ABC there are limits to how much the opposition will compromise.
Albanese has arrived in South Korea's capital Seoul for the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum [[APEC]].
Mr Albanese has also visited war graves in Seoul, commemorating the deaths of 281 Australians in the Korean War while paying his respects to the roughly 17,000 Australian men and women who fought.
He says he will do his best to advance Australia's national interests by establishing stronger ties with APEC nations.
"One in four Australian jobs depends upon trade and 75 per cent of Australia's trade is with APEC Nations. This is the fastest growing region of the world in human history and this week will be an opportunity for me to advance Australia's national interests."
Police in Rio de Janeiro have defended a series of raids targeting drug trafficking in the city's poor neighbourhoods, which the state's public defender's office says killed at least 132 people.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is travelling to Rio, and has expressed shock at the death toll, with federal authorities saying they weren't fully informed of scale of the police operation.
Images of corpses lining the streets have led to questions about police conduct, prompting this response from Rio de Janeiro's Secretary of Public Security, Felipe Curi.
“What we did yesterday was a legitimate action by the state to enforce court orders, 180 search and seizure warrants, and about 100 arrest warrants. Those who chose to confront us were neutralised. The police's reaction depends on the criminal's actions. It's that simple. I also want to address those who have labelled or attempted to label this operation as a massacre in a malicious way. A massacre is the indiscriminate, illegal killing of several people at the same time, in a random manner.”
India have been left frustrated after rain washed out the Twenty20 series opener against Australia at a cold and dreary Manuka Oval in Canberra on Wednesday night.
The visitors had started strongly, surging to 1-97 off 9.4 overs, when the heavens opened - denying a sold-out crowd the sight of fast bowling superstar Jasprit Bumrah.
Despite winning the three-match one-day international series between the two sides 2-1, Australia will face a tough fight for victory in the remaining four matches against the reigning T20 world champions.
The teams will hope for better weather when they meet again for the second game of the series at the MCG on Friday.
