TRANSCRIPT
Julian Assange has pleaded guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defence documents.
Mr Assange is due to be sentenced to 62 months of time already served, and is expected to arrive in Canberra at 6:45pm tonight.
The wikileaks founder arrived at the Saipan District Court alongside Australia's Ambassador to the United States and former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says the government is glad the case is reaching resolution.
"We are pleased to see that this matter is moving forward because Mr. Assange was incarcerated for a protracted period of time. That was unfair without any kind of legal resolution, and that would be the case irrespective of what one's view is of his actions originally. I mean, he's served a long period of time and incarceration. This needed legal resolution, that's why we were advocating on his behalf, and we're very pleased to see that this matter is moving today."
Stella Assange has set up a crowdfunding campaign to cover the cost of Julian Assange's charter flights.
Newly elected Solomon Island Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele will meet with Anthony Albanese on his first trip to Australia since being elected.
The Australian and Solomon Islands leaders are expected to discuss security partnerships, economic development, labour mobility pathways and infrastructure.
It comes amid heightened tensions in the Pacific region, with the decision by the former Solomon Islands' Prime Minister to sign a security pacy with China in 2022.
Mr Manele will also travel to Queensland as part of the visit to see how the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme is operating.
The Australian Council of Social Service has launched a document for fast action on climate change.
Several M-Ps attended the launch at Parliament House in Canberra.
Head of ACOSS Cassandra Goldie says it provides a pathway to the net zero emissions target.
Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Jenny McAllister says it shows governments a way to improve the lives of all Australians.
"These principles are as relevant to this area of policy, as they are to anything else that we do as a government. And so, I'm really delighted Cass to see the blueprint that you and the team have put together and are bringing forward today. Because there is no source of disadvantage that climate change doesn't make worse. And your blueprint sets out a range of ways and a range of areas where governments have an opportunity to make a difference."
The United Nations has called for Israel to take further action to protect aid workers in Gaza.
Several aid workers, including Australian World Central Kitchen worker Zomi Frankcom, have been killed in recent months.
The Israeli military announced they would be making tactical pauses to their operations in Gaza for 11 hours every day to allow the entry of humanitarian aid.
But no aid group has made use of the pathway opened up by the Israeli military out of fear of attacks from Palestinian gang members.
UN secretary general Antonio Guterres says it is a difficult situation.
"The situation in Gaza became a situation of total lawlessness. Most of the trucks with humanitarian aid inside Gaza are now looted because this is a war that is different from any other one. Usually in a war there is one force that attacks, they occupy part of the territory of the other force, and then they guarantee security and management of the areas they occupy. Here we have attacks, we have bombings, and then troops move to other places. Hamas returns to the original ones and there is total chaos in Gaza and there is no authority in most of the territory."
In rugby league,
The Queensland Maroons will be hoping to end this year's State of Origin series when they take on the New South Wales Blues later tonight at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Maroons coach Billy Slater has said his team's fullback Reece Walsh is fully fit and will be starting the game despite taking a knock in the series opener in Sydney.
The Maroons won the first game, which was played on June 5, by 38-10.
