Pressure mounts on the government to hold Israel responsible for the death of aid worker Zomi Frankcom; Lidia Thorpe calls on the government to back two bills supporting First Nations prison inmates; Cricket Australia says it has to privatise Big Bash League teams to secure the long-term future of the sport.
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TRANSCRIPT
Activists have blocked the entrance to the Israel Embassy in Canberra as they call on Israel to apologise publicly for the death of aid workers in Gaza, including Australian Zomi Frankcom.
Canberra Police have been observed physically removing the protesters from entry of the Israeli embassy to positions across the road, where demonstrators chanted 'Free Palestine' slogans in front of a line of police officers.
The Israeli military announced in August that it had found no suspicion of criminal misconduct surrounding the Australian's death, despite a previous finding there had been failures in how the strike had been carried out.
Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi says the Australian government should be putting more pressure on Israel to hold those resonsible to account.
"When Israel abrogated themselves of this crime, (Foreign Minister) Senator (Penny) Wong told us how angry the Australian government was. And she said they were considering what actions to take next. And here we are, almost three weeks later with crickets. Nothing, not a peep out of the government."
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Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has called on the government to back two private members bills in the Upper House that she says address harsh conditions facing First Nations inmates.
Senator Thorpe says the first one addresses the strip searching of inmates which impacts Indigenous youth as young as 10 years of age.
The Senator says the second addresses the requirement for female prisoners to be shackled while giving birth.
But she says she is not confident the government will back either initiative.
"This is something that everyone should be outraged about. However we know that the Labor government is going to sweep this under the carpet. They don't want people to know, and therefore are going to vote my private senator's bill down."
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The parents of two Australian surfers are in Mexico, attending the trial of their sons' accused killers.
Authorities allege Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend, Jack Carter Rhoad were killed during an attempt to steal their pickup truck, which was later found burned near their bodies.
The three friends were on a surfing trip along Mexico's Pacific coast when they were attacked in April 2024.
Martin and Debra Robinson have made the journey from Perth to Ensenada for the proceedings.
"It's about representing our sons, being here for them. I know they'd want us to be here; they would do the same for us."
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Australia appears to be the brink of a new security treaty with the Solomon Islands- according to a leaked WhatsApp message.
The leaked message comes from the Deputy Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Francis Sade, who was forwarding a message from the Australian High Commission.
The tipping point for the new treaty appears to be an Australian promise of almost one billion dollars of additional aid.
Australia has already signed defence treaties with Papua New Guinea and Fiji in recent months and is also negotiating one with Tonga.
It comes as Australia vies with China for influence in the Pacific region.
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The federal government has pressed its case for digital reform, hours after introducing a draft bill on a digital duty of care.
Social media users would be given the ability to opt out of algorithms currently dictated by social media giants under a government initiative called My Feed, My Way.
Nationals leader Matt Canavan has criticised the move, saying the policy could amount to censorship, and that governments should not have the power to control social media content.
But Communications Minister Anika Wells says it is about making tech companies accountable for how they regulate what people see online.
"Because online harms have real world consequences - especially for children - as the parents, advocates and educators assembled here today have lived. Girls getting advice from chatbots on how to exist on only 600 calories a day. Boys being cyber bullied by strangers on online games. And young people doing dangerous or illegal things in real life because they saw it online."
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Cricket Australia has approved privatisation in the Big Bash League, in a move that could result in a dramatic shake-up of the sport in this country.
All Big Bash League teams are currently owned by their respective state cricket associations. Under the proposed changes, those associations would be allowed to sell up to a 49 per cent stake in each team to private investors.
New South Wales and Queensland previously indicated they were not keen on privatisation.
Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia have long been in support of the decision.
