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TRANSCRIPT
- Police granted extra powers ahead of the Israeli president's visit to Melbourne
- Ukraine's ambassador to Australia calls for more support, as the country enters a fifth year of war
- Socceroo Mohammed Toure scores a hat-trick in his first start for Norwich City
Victoria Police has been granted special powers under terrorism legislation ahead of a visit by Israel's President to Melbourne tomorrow.
Victoria Police deputy commissioner Bob Hill says the additional powers are a precautionary measure that will allow officers to stop and search vehicles or people in public places, and potentially detain people.
He says the powers apply to areas that the president plans to visit - and are not aimed at preventing a planned protest from going ahead.
Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Parliament House in Canberra earlier today.
During Question Time, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended Mr Herzog's visit to Australia, saying it has allowed to raise his concerns directly with him about the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom in Gaza.
"So one of the issues that I have raised is Zomi Frankcom - and her six World Central Kitchen colleagues. These deaths were a tragedy and an outrage. We said that at the time. We've made it clear that remains the Australian government position. And we have also made clear our expectation that there be transparency about Israel's ongoing investigation into the incident. We continue to press for full accountability, including any appropriate criminal charges."
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The Victorian Attorney General, Sonia Kilkenny, has defended the government's efforts to crack down on corruption in the construction sector.
Nine Newspapers is reporting that removed sections of a landmark report show the Victorian government knew about rising corruption in the construction sector, but failed to act.
The full report into CFMEU corruption - commissioned by the federal government - has yet to be publicly released; although a redacted version has been published as part of a submission to a Queensland inquiry.
Ms Kilkenny told ABC Radio Melbourne that she won't comment directly on the removed sections of the report that have yet to be published.
She says the government has acted to eradicate corruption in Victoria's construction sector.
A spokesperson for the CFMEU administrator told Nine Newspapers, that sections were initially removed from the report because he "was not satisfied that they were well-founded or properly tested".
Victorian opposition leader Jess Wilson says a full explanation is required.
"It is unacceptable that this is happening in Victoria and that taxpayers are footing the bill for Premier Allan's failure to stamp it out. I call on the premier to explain why under her watch as the minister and then as the premier 15 billion dollars of taxpayer money has gone to bikies, to organised crime, and to fund corruption in this state. Premier Jacinta Allan, where are you today?"
SBS has sought comment from Jacinta Allan's office, as well as that of Minister for Industrial Relations, Jaclyn Symes.
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Ukraine's Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, has fought back tears while addressing the National Press Club in Canberra nearly four years after Russia’s invasion.
He has warned against the spread of false narratives regarding an inevitable Russian victory and is challenging middle powers like Australia to increase their military aid and sanction enforcement.
He also used his speech to call on the Albanese government to take a more active role brokering peace.
The ambassador recalled a conversation he had with his son to illustrate the personal toll of the conflict on Ukrainian families.
"The other day my nine-year-old son asked me a question that no child should have to ask: Why did Russia invade Ukraine? I told him this: Sometimes a bigger neighbor decides that rules don't matter, that borders don't matter and that another country does not have the right to choose their own future. I told him that Ukraine is standing up so the children in Ukraine, in Australia and elsewhere don't grow up in a world where force replaces rules."
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The Australia Institute has warned in its submission to a federal inquiry that the government's PALM scheme, which draws workers from the Pacific, could damage relationships rather than enhance them.
Late last year, SBS spoke with disengaged PALM workers who say they have experienced exploitation while working in Australia's meat-processing and agriculture sectors.
Australia Institute Research Manager, Dr Morgan Harrington, says workers hand over large portions of their earnings in tax and face restricted working rights.
"PALM visas are more restrictive than any other visa in Australia. The main problem is that PALM workers can only work for the person who sponsors their visa and that means the PALM Scheme poses a risk of Modern Slavery."
SBS reached out to the foreign affairs department for comment.
The Australian government says the scheme prioritises the wellbeing of workers and allows people to develop skills, earn income and support their families back home.
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To sport and in football,
Mohamed Toure has emphatically pushed his case to be the Socceroos starting striker at this year's FIFA World Cup.
The 21-year-old continued his dream start to life in English football's second tier, scoring a hat-trick on his starting debut for Norwich City.
