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TRANSCRIPT:
- Tributes for Indigenous leader and SBS Elder-in-residence, Aunty Rhoda Roberts
- Australia pledges support in Strait of Hormuz
- Heartbreak for the Matildas as Japan secures its third Asian Cup
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised the following story includes the voice of a deceased person.
Indigenous arts and media icon Rhoda Roberts AO has died aged 66.
A pioneering First Nations artist, Ms Roberts transformed Australian theatre and media through decades of cultural leadership and storytelling.
Her short battle with a very rare type of ovarian cancer ended on Saturday afternoon on her country surrounded by family.
A Widjabul Wia-bal woman from the Bundjalung nation in northern New South Wales, she led a storied life and career, from her leadership role in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games to receiving an Order of Australia in 2016.
Aunty Rhoda Roberts also served as Elder in Residence with SBS and NITV, which she helped establish in 2012.
"It was pretty exciting to turn on the box and see our own people represented through the lens of what we wanted people to see us."
**
Labor has secured another term in government in South Australia in a landslide election win.
Votes are still being counted, with the latest projections that the incumbent government will secure at least 32 of the state parliament's 47 seats.
One Nation emerged with 20 per cent of the vote, ousting the Liberals in a surge in popularity and looking set to secure its first seat in the Lower House.
Speaking ahead of the count, One Nation South Australia leader Corey Bernardi said his party is stepping in as an effective opponent to government.
"The difficulties that people have today are the product of decades of uni party politics. And they keep being told it is going to be fixed after the next election. They don't believe the promises anymore, they don't believe the funding being provided for things is being used effectively."
**
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia has signed a joint statement with key allies, saying they are prepared to send appropriate assets to the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement, signed alongside the UK, Canada, Japan and other European countries, was released on Thursday but only signed by Australia on Saturday.
It calls on Iran to cease threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks, and other attempts to block the Strait, as well as to comply with UN Resolution 2817.
The announcement came after U-S President Donald Trump told reporters that Australia had refused to give support, a claim Mr Albanese rejects.
"We have done what we have been asked to do, there are comments at various times. I've said very early on that I don't intend to comment on all of what someone else says, and I stand by that. We've signed up to the statement that's been issued as being coordinated by the United Kingdom that speaks about the work that we're doing to ensure the Straits of Hormuz remain open."
**
US President Donald Trump says he is considering “winding down” military operations, even as Washington deploys additional warships and Marines to the Middle East.
This comes as the United Nations nuclear watchdog says there has been no increase in radiation following an alleged strike on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility.
Iran says the site was hit on Saturday, with state media blaming U.S. and Israeli forces.
Israel denies it targeted the site.
Meanwhile, reports are emerging that Iran has struck Dimona in southern Israel, injuring 20 people.
Dimona is home to Israel’s main nuclear research centre, widely believed to be linked to its undeclared nuclear weapons programme, making it one of the country’s most sensitive strategic sites.
**
Iran has targeted a joint UK-US base in the Indian Ocean, while its main nuclear enrichment site has been struck again, as the Middle East war enters its fourth week.
An attempted strike on the Diego Garcia air base, around 4,000 kilometres away, suggests Tehran may possess longer-range missile capabilities than previously acknowledged, or may have adapted its space programme for launches.
Heavy airstrikes have hit Tehran overnight, as thousands gathered at the grand mosque marking the end of Ramadan.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz says attacks will increase next week, after debris from an Iranian missile struck an empty kindergarten near Tel Aviv.
**
A hospital in the Northern Territory has been evacuated as Tropical Cyclone Narelle bears down on the region.
Up to 30 patients at Katherine Hospital will be transferred further north as the besieged town braces for more flooding.
Northern Territory Health released a statement saying the patients, which include nine pregnant women, will be sent to Royal Darwin and Palmerston hospitals.
**
To sport now and in football, Japan has beaten the Matildas to win a third Women's Asian Cup title last night.
It was a close defeat - with the favourites scoring 1-nil against Australia, with a goal from Maiko Hamano.
It is the third time that Japan has beaten Australia in the final of the Asian Cup in the last four tournaments.
All three games had the same scoreline of 1-0, with Sydney joining the 2014 and 2018 finals in Vietnam and Jordan respectively.
