Key Points
- eSafety commission warns smart cars can be used for domestic abuse
- US President optimistic about deal to end war in Ukraine
- Nicola Olyslagers named female field athlete of the year
TRANSCRIPT
Australian government's independent regulator for online safety says so-called smart cars are being used by domestic violence perpetrators to track their victims.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says the new tactic has been uncovered in reports to a service they run called the Technology-Facilitated Abuse Support Service.
"We have worked with about 400 domestic frontline workers for really complex cases. Why a woman and her children are being gaslit cannot figure out why her ex-partner knows where she is. And we've pretty much seen everything under the sun (including) the gifting of iPads of iPhones with spyware on them. So again we want technology to be a tool and a lifeline; not as a vector of abuse."
The esafety Commission says comprehensive data is still unavailable to map the extent of the issue.
It has released a safety advisory warning about the use of internet connected cars as tool of surveillance in domestic violence cases.
Listeners seeking support can the 24-hour national sexual assault and domestic violence hotline 1800RESPECT. In an emergency, call Triple Zero.
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US President Donald Trump says there is a good chance of a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine, following the latest US-Ukraine talks in Florida.
US and Ukrainian officials have completed roughly four hours of talks aimed at finding an endgame to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials expressed gratitude for US support during the nearly 4-year long war, but provided no hints about what, if any, progress was made during the talks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters afterward that the session was productive, but work remains in the search for a peace deal.
"And so this is comprehensive what we're working on here today. It's not just about the terms that ends fighting, it's about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity. I thought we started laying the groundwork for that, most certainly in Geneva. I think we’ve built on that again today, but there's more work to be done. This is delicate, it's complicated. There are a lot of moving parts, and obviously there's another party involved here that’ll have to be a part of the equation. And that will continue later this week when Mr. (Steve) Witkoff travels to Moscow."
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A wage increase for staff in the early childcare sector comes into effect today, with up to $200 a week in extra money for full-time staff.
It is the sector's second pay rise under changes announced by the Albanese government last year.
Under the deal, the federal government agreed to fund two pay rises totalling 15 per cent, and childcare centres employing the workers agreed to limit their fee increases to no more than 4.4 per cent over a year.
Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth says changes to multi-employer bargaining resulted in this outcome.
"Part of the way this wage increase was delivered was through the workplace relations changes that we made. Really our changes were to get wages moving and to reinvigorate enterprise bargaining. And through our supported bargaining stream, we've had the legislative mechanism to facilitate this pay increase to really recognise these workers."
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New South Wales police sex crimes squad have charged four men for their alleged involvement in an international satanic child sex abuse material ring.
Detectives from Strike Force Constantine, which was established to investigate these crimes, uncovered a Sydney-based paedophile network actively involved in possessing, distributing, and facilitating this material through a website administered internationally.
The three men remain in custody, awaiting court.
Police ask anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
And if you are impacted by the issues raised, support is available on Lifeline 13 11 14 and online or on the phone at Bravehearts on 1800 272 831
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In athletics, Nicola Olyslagers has become the second ever Australian athlete to be honoured at the World Athletics awards gala, after she was hailed as female field athlete of the year in Monaco.
The 28-year-old high jumper from Gosford is the first Australian to win in the annual awards since hurdler Sally Pearson was voted overall women's athlete of the year in 2011.
She told the Sports Passion YouTube channel she is grateful.
"It just brought me back to when I was 20 years of age and it was almost invisible to the rest of the world - what was possible. But it wasn't invisible to God. And for the future of Australia - just even with athletics, people will see the impact we're able to make on the other side of the world. We have so much to give. We can be - not only competitive - but also impact the sport for the next generations."
American 400m runner Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won the overall female athlete of the year award as well as being voted women's track athlete of the year.
Pole vault great Mondo Duplantis won the equivalent men's award, as well as the male field eventer of the year gong.
