TRANSCRIPT
- Anthony Albanese says he is confident a defence pact with Papua New Guinea is weeks away from being signed
- Australia's newest citizens welcomed in ceremonies held around the country
- Peter Bol shattered after being edged out in the heats at the World Athletics Championships
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he believes a defence treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea is weeks away from being signed.
The landmark mutual defence treaty would see Australia and PNG commit to defending each other in the event of a military attack, but Papua New Guinea's cabinet has not yet approved it.
Cabinet processes in both countries must be completed before the treaty is signed.
A communique has been signed during this week of commemorations marking the 50th year of independence of Papua New Guinea from Australia.
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape, says there is no sticking point over the treaty and he expects PNG's cabinet to sign-off on it soon.
He says the deal is significant.
"It is in this vein, and in the thought of preservation, in the thought of our national interests. Security comes number one. As your prime minister, I made a conscious choice. A choice knowing our history, knowing our culture, knowing our ethical value and moral value systems, knowing our democratic ideals. We've made a conscious choice that Australia remains our security partner of choice."
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There's been a major setback in plans for the proposed stadium that would be home to Tasmania's AFL team, the Devils.
The Tasmanian Planning Commission has recommended against building the Macquarie Point stadium, concluding it is "too big for the site and the benefits it will bring are significantly outweighed by the disbenefits it creates".
In the end, it will be MPs in state parliament who will decide the future of the project, as it will need approval from both houses of parliament.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff says the commission's report underestimates the social and economic benefits, and insists the project should go ahead.
Jeremy Rockliff: "Well I disagree."
Reporter: "You disagree with the report?"
Jeremy Rockliff: "This is intergeneration infrastructure. This is not just for the next three to five years. This is for the next 30, 40, 50 years. This is intergenerational infrastructure that will build aspiration amongst our young people, give opportunity and hope to young people."
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Sussan Ley has used her first major economic speech as Opposition Leader to warn that Australians are too dependent on the welfare system.
Seeking to reclaim her party's conservative economic credentials after a landslide loss at the last election, she told an audience of economists at the think tank CEDA [[see-dah]] that the government cannot shield everyone from all cost of living pressures.
She did not outline any major policy announcements, but says the right balance needs to be restored between what citizens provide for themselves – and what taxpayers provide through a safety net.
"We are a compassionate nation, and we will always support those who fall on hard times. But if we want to keep the safety net strong, we have to ensure it is financially sustainable and targetted to genuine need. Unfortunately in the past few years, the pendulum has swung too far towards dependency. It has become almost taboo in politics to suggest that not everyone is entitled to a government benefit."
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Thousands are celebrating becoming new Australians today, as Australian Citizenship Day is observed.
Citizenship ceremonies will be held across the country, with people from more than 140 nations becoming citizens.
In the last 12 months to June, Australia conferred over 165,000 citizens*. The top five countries of birth are New Zealand, India, the UK, Philippines and Vietnam.
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Tony Burke, has welcomed all those who have chosen to call Australia home.
"There's been some terrible messages that some people have been receiving about immigration. I'll be presiding at a massive citizenship ceremony and I'll have one message for every new citizen, and that's to say to them: Welcome home. We are grateful that they chose Australia, and welcome home."
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To sport now and in athletics, no Australian will line up in the men's 800-metre semifinals at the World Athletics Championships, after Peter Bol finished fourth in his heat by 0.02 of a second.
The 31-year-old held towards the front for most of the race but started to fade down the home stretch – and was passed in the last few strides to the line.
Bol says he didn't show enough patience on the track.
"The issue is the patience goes once you get faster, you get a little bit hungrier, you want to do a little bit better and that's when you start tensing up a little bit. It was a great year – 1.42, I can't complain. My previous PB (personal best) was 1.44 I think, so getting down to 1.42 is pretty cool. I always thought Australia should be pretty up there. Now we've got boys that can – I don't think that 1.42 will stay long if I don't go after it. Again, I'm hoping I'm blessed with another opportunity."
Seventeen-year-old Gout Gout will make his highly anticipated debut in the men’s 200-metre heat later tonight (9:43pm AEST).
And that's the latest from the SBS newsroom.
