TRANSCRIPT:
- The PM calls on the states to do more to prevent First Nations deaths in custody;
- The US defends its seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela;
- The Australian Olympic Committee unveils a new funding package for athletes.
The Prime Minister has called on Australia's states and territories to do more to implement key recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, following new figures showing fatalities are at their highest point in 40 years.
The new data has found there were 33 First Nations deaths in custody last year, the highest number since 1979.
Mr Albanese says the Commission's recommendation to remove hanging points, in particular, should be fulfilled.
”That is a decision, of course, of states and territories. We can't impose under our federal system our will, always, on states and territories. You might have noticed there are differences from time to time, but I think that is a recommendation that certainly should be implemented in terms of states and territories, and I call upon them to do so.”
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The US government has defended its seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, as Washington escalates its maritime campaign.
Trump has ordered a massive US military build-up in the region, including an aircraft carrier, fighter jets and tens of thousands of troops.
Venezuela's President has alleged that the build-up is aimed at overthrowing him and gaining control of the OPEC nation's vast oil reserves.
But U-S Attorney General Pam Bondi has issued a statement on social media saying the tanker was being used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
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Concern and frustration is mounting in Honduras, with a final result yet to be declared after general elections on November 30.
Hundreds of protesters have staged a demonstration amid the wait, calling for a rerun of the elections, which they say were marred by a chaotic results reporting process and repeated interventions by US President Donald Trump, who told voters not to cast ballots for the ruling party's candidate, Rixi Moncada.
Tegucigalpa resident Oscar Sierra says he therefore doubts the integrity of the election process.
"It is totally worrying because in other elections by around nine or ten at night it was already known who the president was. But now, imagine, it has been like ten days I think, I am not sure, and we still do not know who will be president. As I said, I have not seen an honest electoral process, I have not seen it, I do not see it as correct, honestly it is always the same tricks, and I do not know, I just hope it is cleared up and that the president chosen by the people wins."
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Greens Senator Nick McKim has called for a full review of the parliamentary entitlements system as the travel expenses of more MPs become known.
There's been questions asked about the travel charges of Labor's Anika Wells but it's emerged other MPs have also used publicly funded airfares for spouses under the family reunion rules, most recently Greens Senator Sarah Hanson Young, who charged 78 airfares for her husband.
The rules state that a parliamentarian’s family may travel at Commonwealth expense to join them when they are travelling within Australia away from their home base to conduct official business.
Senator McKim has told Channel Nine the public views these things with "massive scepticism".
"I think it's time we actually had a look at these so called entitlements and make sure they are actually delivered and used in line with the Australian people and that is the core here - they pay our wages and we need to make sure we are actually responsible to them and meeting their expectations."
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Australia's unemployment rate has held steady, despite a fall in the number of jobs.
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics for November show the national rate remains at 4.3 percent, even though just over 21,000 full time jobs were lost.
There was also an increase of 35,000 in part-time roles.
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The Bureau of Meteorology has updated its website again, after a backlash on its recent re-design that cost an estimated 96 and a half million dollars.
The weather agency was flooded with complaints following the unveiling in October, with users saying the new website was difficult to navigate.
The Bureau has now posted on its website that the latest update is in accordance with the feedback it's received since June 2024, when it launched the beta version.
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To sport,
The Australian Olympic Committee has rolled out a new $50 million funding package - and sporting mums and retiring athletes are its key targets.
The bulk of the funding will go to an athlete retirement fund, which will start to kick in after the 2032 Brisbane Olympics with $32,000 payments.
Olympians who give birth after December 11 and are committed to make an Olympic comeback will also be eligible for a $10,000 grant per child.
A-O-C President Ian Chesterman says it's a major commitment to the future of Australian sports.
"The AOC is doing a lot of work around being fit for the future at the moment and most importantly setting the Olympic movement, our Olympic sports and our Olympic athletes up for even greater success post-2032."
