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TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Deborah Groarke.
Mental health advocates say a more respectful and inclusive approach is needed ahead the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, in order to reduce social and emotional harms to First Nations people.
They are concerned about a repeat of the same sex marriage plebiscite's aftermath, which saw significant negative mental health impacts on the LGBTQI plus community.
Mental health researchers at the Black Dog Institute have co-developed what they call the Respectful Referendum Pledge.
The pledge asks all politicians to abide by a number of guidelines when engaging in the referendum debate including the elevation of First Nations voices, the use of culturally appropriate language, and building common ground through shared goals and respect for Indigenous Australians.
Three sailors have been rescued in the Coral Sea after their boat came under attack from sharks.
The two Russian men and a French man were rescued from their damaged nine-metre catamaran about 800 kilometres southeast of Cairns.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says the trio had sailed from Vanuatu and were heading to Cairns until their boat was damaged as the result of several shark attacks.
Officials in Moscow have accused Ukraine of using Australian drones to attack Russian territory.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said in an online post that Australian drones are being used to strike targets in Russia, and that Australia is being drawn into the conflict.
Australia has supplied Ukraine with 610 million dollars' worth of military equipment - including drones - since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived in Indonesia ahead of the key ASEAN and East Asia summits.
Mr Albanese will have bilateral meetings with the prime ministers of Laos, Timor-Leste, Canada and Malaysia ahead of the ASEAN summit, which begins today.
The prime minister will also launch Australia's Southeast Asia economic strategy on the trip, which is a plan for boosting economic ties with allies.
Mr Albanese told Parliament before his departure he considers the plan to be important for the region and Australia.
"The opportunity that we have to create prosperity and create jobs here, as well as to lift living standards in our region. This is of course tied as well with national security issues. When you lift living standards and provide opportunity, and build those relationships as I have with people like President Widodo, what you do is you strengthen our position."
A bill to amend the management plan for the Murray Darling Basin is to be introduced into Parliament today, but it's already facing stern opposition from the Coalition and the Greens.
Opposition water spokesperson Perin Davey wants the legislation sent to an inquiry and a committee to visit affected communities.
The Greens are also pushing for more stringent oversight mechanisms to ensure all 450 gigalitres earmarked for the environment are recovered.
The party's water spokesperson and South Australian senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the government needs to offer guarantees, not promises.
"There's a long way to go. How much is going to be delivered by the end of next financial year? How much is going to be brought back before the next election? We can't just wait to get to 2027, and we discover not much more has been secured."
Australia's Department of Health has launched an online survey into women's experiences with the health system [[6 Sept]], amid concern that too many are experiencing neglect or poor care.
Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney says the survey is designed to gauge the extent to which women have had bad experiences.
"Some of the barriers that we know that we hear from women when they tell us their stories, is that they are simply not believed, that they are accused of all sorts of terrible things when they present with pain, that the doctor has trouble diagnosing, that they are 'drug shopping'. Or that they are, to use a terrible term, hysterical, or that they are over-anxious. When, in fact, there are serious medical conditions occurring."
