Federal Labor and Liberal leaders visit Victoria ahead of its state election; three dead in a car crash in Sydney; more tributes for Jai Arrow after his diagnosis with MND.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Federal Labor and Liberal leaders visit Victoria ahead of its state election
- Three dead in a car crash in Sydney
- More tributes for Jai Arrow after his diagnosis with MND.
Federal and state leaders of Australia's two major political parties are rallying their troops as an election looms large in Victoria.
Victorian Labor and Liberal faithful are in Melbourne today for annual state meetings ahead of the November election.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Angus Taylor are both in the state to support their respective state party leaders, Jacinta Allan and Jess Wilson.
Recent polls indicate the Victorian coalition holds a slight edge over Labor on a two-party-preferred basis.
Ms Wilson also led Ms Allan as preferred premier, according to Resolve Strategic's latest bi-monthly poll.
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Three people have died in a head-on car crash in Sydney, including a man who sped away after police arrived at a home to conduct a welfare check.
A 42-year-old man drove off in a white Audi after officers were called to a mental health incident at a property in Gymea Bay, at 12.25am on Saturday.
Shortly afterwards, police received reports an Audi had rolled over a concrete barrier and landed on a blue Toyota sedan at Sans Souci, around 13km away.
The man died at the scene, as did the driver and passenger of the Toyota, who are yet to be formally identified.
Detective Acting Superintendent Graham Hibbs says police were unable to speak to the man at the home before he drove away,
"The circumstances of what have occurred last night of what have occurred last night were horrific and tragic. We really feel for the families of all three persons who were involved in this incident and their loved ones. There were not many cars on the road at that time and it's extremely unlucky for the people involved."
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The UN Security Council has held an emergency session following a deadly drone strike on a student dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region that has killed at least six people.
Independent observers are unable to verify what happened or who is responsible.
Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians in the war.
Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund Ted Chaiban says children continue to suffer due to the conflict.
"The attack reportedly left six dead and dozens of others injured, including children. It is too early to know the full extent of the casualties as we understand, rescue operations are still unfolding. This is yet another example of children paying the price for a war that is not of their own making."
Ukraine wants to recapture Luhansk, one of four eastern regions that Moscow unilaterally claimed as its own in 2022, in what Kyiv has denounced as an illegal land grab.
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Britain has released a joint statement calling on Israel to end the illegal expansion of so-called settlements in the West Bank as violence against Palestinians continues to escalate.
Prime Minister Kier Starmer's office said the statement had been co-signed by Australia, as well as Germany, Italy, France, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the Netherlands.
The countries called on businesses not to bid for construction tenders linked to illegal settlements in an area known as the E1 settlement development.
The intervention comes one day after UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric outlined increasing concern about Israeli settler violence.
"In just one week, between the 12th and the 18th of May, OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) documented at least 49 attacks by Israeli settlers that caused casualties or damage, including a rise in arson attacks against homes, farmland, vehicles and a mosque. With this, over 870 settler attacks across more than 220 communities have caused casualties or property damage this year alone."
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Peter Buckskin is being remembered as one of the country's most influential Aboriginal education leaders of the past four decades.
The Narungga man from the Yorke Peninsula began his career as a teacher, going on to hold senior executive roles at both state and federal government levels and also worked as a ministerial adviser – leading major reforms in Indigenous education.
Professor Buckskin served as Dean at the University of South Australia and also chaired the South Australian Aboriginal Training and Employment Consultative Committee.
Reconciliation Australia CEO, Karen Mundine, says his impact on the organisation's work in the education sector is immeasurable.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare also paid tribute, saying he had an unwavering commitment to improving educational outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and educators, as well as a firm belief in the transformative power of education.
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South Sydney captain Cameron Murray has paid tribute to Jai Arrow for his strength and courage after he was forced to retire following his diagnosis with motor neurone disease.
A former Queensland State of Origin forward, Arrow went public with his MND diagnosis earlier this week.
He’s who played for Brisbane, Gold Coast and finished his career alongside Murray at Souths, and received widespread support from across the code.
There has been an online push launched by fans – and backed by several high-profile players – for the NRL to introduce a 'Try for Jai' campaign to support Arrow, a 30-year-old father, in his battle with the insidious disease.
