TRANSCRIPT
- Questions over the future of the AUKUS security alliance after a US review announced
- The CEO of Monash IVF resigns, after a second embryo mix-up
- In cricket, Australia takes control at the World Test Championship final
Defence Minister Richard Marles has dismissed speculation the United States may back out of the AUKUS defence pact it holds with Australia and the UK.
He says it is important to stick to the plan to ensure the defence capability is acquired.
The Pentagon has launched a review of the agreement - signed in 2021 - to ensure it aligns with President Donald Trump's policy agenda.
The Opposition's spokesman for defence, Angus Taylor says actions must be taken to ensure the AUKUS deal is maintained.
"We have been consistent in providing bipartisan support to AUKUS. And we will continue. It is hugely important that it succeed for peace in our part of the world. This US review came out of the blue. And there are very serious questions - and that the government and the Defence Minister needs to answer about. We need to know to what extent was the review triggered by Labor's failure to fund defence in this country to a level that the US and other partners think is appropriate."
Greens defence spokesperson David Shoebridge says the US review shows the AUKUS deal makes Australia a junior partner in America's military strategy, not an equal ally.
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The National Anti-Corruption Commission says there is no evidence of corrupt conduct in the settlement between Brittany Higgins and the federal government.
The commission says it found no corruption issue after an extensive preliminary investigation into the settlement, and that there was no inappropriate intervention by any minister.
The $2.4 million compensation settlement was reached in 2022 following allegations by Ms Higgins, a former political staffer to Linda Reynolds, that she had been raped by another staffer, Bruce Lehrmann, at Parliament House.
Ms Reynolds is currently suing the federal government over the settlement, alleging it did not act in her best interests during the settlement process.
A civil court has found that on the balance of probabilities, Bruce Lehrmann raped Ms Higgins.
He has always denied the allegations and a criminal trial was aborted and charges later dropped.
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The chief executive of Monash IVF has resigned, after the fertility clinic revealed a second instance of an error involving an embryo transfer - two months after the first mix-up.
Michael Knaap, who had been the chief executive since 2019 has resigned.
Earlier this week, in a statement to the stock exchange, Monash IVF revealed the mix-up took place on June 5 at its Melbourne laboratory.
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An Australian sperm donor, caught up in a cyber security data breach, has told S-B-S he is unsure how he and his donor-conceived child will be affected.
Isaac chose to use Genea Fertility, which was later hacked by cyber criminals in a data breach.
The family histories of medication and mental illness of some of the clinic's donors are now being shared on the dark web.
Isaac says he is worried his own sensitive medical information could be weaponised.
His response has been voiced up by a journalist to protect his privacy:
"What happens if I get a job which is relatively high profile or dealing with sensitive activity, could this open me up to not getting employed because an employer might've found my internet history, and maybe they have had ethical concerns or concerns with my health record. It's taken away my agency and my choice to disclose that information if I want to. That's only compounded further by the lack of information that I've been provided about this investigation and the data breach."
In a statement, Genea told SBS its cyber teams and cybersecurity experts are working hard to understand the nature and extent of the data that has been published, and to identify affected individuals.
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To sport and in test cricket,
Australia is leading against South Africa after day one at Lords in Britain, as part of the World Test Championships final.
Batsman Steve Smith had a remarkable day, knocking up 66 to take his total runs at the grounds to a record-breaking 591 - the most runs by any overseas touring player in history.
Australia were in deep trouble in the early overs, but rallied after lunch time to lead.
Smith says it was a great fightback from the team.
"I think we're in a good spot. We probably had a few missed opportunities with the bat to try and get a bigger total. But I think the wickets offered something all day, as we've seen. And we're in a pretty good position with 169 in front. So we're in a decent spot. Hopefully, does it a little bit in the morning like it did today. It could have been a better day. But we're still in a nice position."
